27 January 2024 , 23:00
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The Queen Consort has a particular way of dealing with her step-son and his wife.
In recent years there has been much speculation about the state of the relationship between Queen Camilla and Prince Harry. Rumours of frostiness were whipped up considerably last year with the publication of the Duke of Sussex's autobiography, Spare.
In it the formerly-cheeky-seeming royal mentions Camilla more than 60 times, referring to her as 'the Other Woman' and his "wicked stepmother".
Harry remembers wondering if Camilla would be cruel to him “like all the wicked stepmothers in storybooks,” noting that William “long harboured suspicions about the Other Woman.” The younger brother also claims that Camilla converted his bedroom into her own personal dressing room when he moved out of Clarence House at the age of 28.
Harry and Meghan had to leave Frogmore Cottage not long after the book was published (Getty Images)The unforgiving words were said to have widened the reported rift between father and son. Not long after the book was published Harry and Meghan removed their final possessions from Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
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How Camilla deals with such barbed words is an intriguing question. Unsurprisingly, she is not as forthcoming as her step-son, given she is a working royal with expectations about what and how much she says,
Royal biographer Robert Hardman talks about Queen Camilla’s sparkle in his recent book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, and about her transition to her new royal position.
In it the royal writer claims that the 76-year-old has a matter-of-fact way of dealing conflict, and specifically that which may arise from Prince Harry's words. In short, she does her job and refrains from getting sucked into the drama.
He writes: “Since the Sussexes departure from the United Kingdom, Queen Camilla has found herself cast as the dangerous villain of the piece by Prince Harry. With her on the way to being Queen Consort there was going to be people or bodies left in the street.
“For her part Queen Camilla was content to let it pass. There was to be no selective briefing on the matter, no friends given the nod to voice sadness or disappointment or set the record straight.
“After nearly two decades as a member of the Royal Family she works on the basis that the public have a pretty good idea of what they are getting. Her response to noises off from California would be business as usual with a smile and without a word.”
On Saturday Queen Camilla was seen arriving at the London Clinic where her husband the King is receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Marlene Koenig, author of the blog Royal Musings, has said Camilla understands her role as being one of quiet support. She told The Express: “She is the support. She is not the star of the show. Charles is the sovereign. She is the consort. She’s his Queen.
“She’s going to go out there and represent him and do what she does in her own admirable way, and she has such a great way with people. There are crowds for her. There has — certainly — been a change in the wind.”