An uneasy start, but she’s proved her worth

CAMILLA has had a bit of an uphill climb from the early days of her relationship with Prince Charles, when she had to put up with being called all sorts of not very nice things.

And she has more than shown in all the years since that she is in every way capable of fulfilling the role of Queen Consort.

She has been absolutely marvellous in everything she’s done – proving to be an incredibly good support not only for the Prince of Wales but also for the Queen, who she has become very close to. She will be good for the King and good for the country.

And she is good for the country even now. If you go anywhere in the United Kingdom where Camilla has visited, you will find they have welcomed her with open arms and have gone away very light-headed and thankful that she’s been there.

I’ve known her a long time. There’s no doubt she is very frank and calls a spade a spade. And yet she is incredibly good with people.

She is one of these people who, when she talks to you, she is looking at you. You can tell she is interested in what you have to say.

Whether it’s a five-year-old or a 95-year-old, they get her undivided attention when she’s talking to them.

To her, they are the most important person in that room.

She will become the first divorcee in modern history to become Queen

Consort and I think the public reaction will be very positive.

This announcement shows that the Queen is tying up loose ends.

She is inevitably aware of her own vulnerability and knows she is not going to go on forever.

And her feeling is that, despite the far from easy way things happened all those years ago, she is happy with the work Camilla has done – and the happiness she brings to her son.

If it’s good enough for the Queen, it should be good enough for all of us.