Straight-talking Queen will continue to speak her mind
Camilla will take inspiration from late Prince Philip as she puts her own stamp on role of consort, say royal advisers
IT WILL require a combination of patience and planning for Queen Camilla, and she will need to tread a fine line between staying in the public eye and over-exposure.
There is no job description for the consort of a monarch but the Queen already has a touchstone on whose example she will draw: the late, great Prince Philip.
Those who know Camilla say that, like Philip, she will continue to speak her mind, and will not be afraid to express an opinion on important issues of the day. One former adviser said: “The trick for her is not to think that she needs to tone it down.
“She’ll have a voice, as she showed recently in her comments to authors following the Roald Dahl controversy, and that follows in the rich tradition of royal consorts.
“The late Prince Philip wasn’t shy in sharing his views and people will be receptive to it when the Queen does the same, because we, as a nation, like common sense and plain speaking.”
In February the Queen told authors to “remain true to your calling” after The Daily Telegraph revealed that
Dahl’s works were being extensively rewritten by his publisher to remove any words or phrases that might offend a modern audience, such as “ugly” or “fat”.
The Queen is a champion of reading and set up her own online book club during the pandemic. She showed with her comments that she is not afraid to risk controversy in order to stand up for causes she believes in.
She was an admirer of Prince Philip for his “just get on with it” attitude to life and for his devotion to duty.
The Queen has never shied away from difficult subjects, including rape and domestic abuse, about which she has spoken passionately on many occasions. She sees the higher profile that comes from her new title and Coronation as an opportunity to do more, rather than as a restraint.
Those who have worked closely with her say she is able to step into controversial areas with confidence because her 57 years as a commoner, prior to marrying into the Royal family, mean she knows what the monarchy looks like from the outside.
She also has a far better grasp than other members of the Royal family of how their actions and words will be interpreted through the media lens, and how they will play out in newspaper and television reports.
She knows this because she has “an instinct for storytelling”, just as
journalists do. She knows what reporters are likely to pick up on and that means she also knows how to avoid the Prince Philip-style gaffes, where remarks in unguarded moments can hijack the narrative.
Her advisers are not telling her to make any fundamental changes to the way she operates.
She has already had remarkable success in winning over the public, and her image-makers believe that the extra media coverage she will now receive as a result of her elevation will do the amplifying for her.
For years, Camilla and the then Prince of Wales were overshadowed by the stately power of Elizabeth II and the glamour of the young William, Kate and Harry. That is no longer the case, and more attention will now be paid to every utterance the royal couple make.
While the King is a known quantity after 70 years as heir to the throne, the Queen will be more of a surprise
She sees the higher profile that comes with her title as an opportunity to do more rather than a restraint
package to the people of Britain and others around the world, royal aides believe. She has had far less coverage, despite her campaigning for 30 years on issues such as osteoporosis.
As Queen, she has the same title as Elizabeth II (if not the same constitutional role as head of state) but one of the most notable departures from the past will be in her attitude towards formality.
Where Elizabeth II was a stickler for protocol and formalities, Camilla has a far more relaxed approach to royal life, with a sense of humour that is never far from the surface.
During the Coronation Concert on Sunday evening, the King and Queen made an impromptu appearance on the American talent show American Idol. Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, both of whom are judges on the show, had performed at the concert and both are ambassadors for the King’s charities. So, when they suggested that the King and Queen might like to surprise the United States audience by appearing on a live stream to the studio, they immediately said yes.
It was not the sort of unscripted stunt that the late Queen would have been up for, notwithstanding the Paddington Bear and James Bond skits that she recorded for the Platinum Jubilee and the London Olympics respectively, and it showed how comfortable the couple are in setting their own rules.
Likewise, the “mind the gap” message they recorded to welcome passengers arriving at London Tube stations over the weekend was an imaginative way of curating their less buttoned-up image.
Contrary to what Prince Harry might think, it is not a calculated move on the part of the Queen, according to those familiar with the workings of Buckingham Palace.
It is just that she is practising the advice she gave to those authors, and being true to herself.
She’ll have a voice, as she showed in her comments to authors following the Roald Dahl controversy