Camilla, the Other Woman Who Became Queen
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LONDON — It’s a lesson in love, and image rehabilitation.
Camilla, Queen Consort, was once a friend and then a lover of Prince Charles. She would later become his wife, and is now Britain’s queen.
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Camilla, wife of King Charles III, has found her footing despite years of criticism in the press and integrated fully into “The Firm,” as the royal family is called. She has also emerged as one of the royal family’s strongest players in the face of numerous scandals.
Since her marriage to Prince Charles in 2005, and even before, Camilla has been on a mission to improve her public image. She’s gone from the woman considered by many to have broken up the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana to the true love, and immense supporter, of the king.
She won over the royal family — gradually — especially the late Queen Elizabeth II, who gave her blessing for Camilla to assume the Queen Consort title.
A new side of Camilla has emerged in public — one that’s very much needed at a time when the future of the monarchy is being questioned, and the image of the institution has been distorted by the Netflix series “The Crown.”
She has proven that she’s nothing like Diana, Princess of Wales, Charles’ first wife and the mother of Princes William and Harry. Her strategy, like Kate Middleton’s, has been to serve the public and to stay on-brand for the monarchy and for Charles’ commitment to sustainability, family and nature.
Since her marriage to King Charles in 2005, she has become patron or president of more than 90 charities. Her work is varied but her focus tends to be on health and well-being, promoting literacy, the arts, animal welfare and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault.
In 2016, Queen Elizabeth passed on a number of patronages to other members of the Royal Family. As part of this, the queen consort assumed new patronages at charities Barnardo’s, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and The Royal School of Needlework.
Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s crown for the coronation on Saturday. Made by Garrard for the 1911 coronation, it will not feature the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond from India, which many associate with oppressive rule by the British Empire.
Her crown will instead be set with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. The late queen often wore them as brooches.
Carol Woolton, author and host of the podcast “If Jewels Could Talk,” said her choice of crown is of “vital importance” because she is being true to her husband’s “make do and mend” mentality. “She’s going with his sustainability ethos and using a crown from the past that will have been refitted for her head,” said Woolton.
Present at Saturday’s coronation will be Camilla’s children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. Camilla’s ex-husband and the childrens’ father, Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, will also be in attendance.
“They are joined at the hip. He arranges so much for her. He’s right in there. He was always, and still is, Camilla’s coconspirator,” a friend of Parker Bowles told The Times of London. The two have five grandchildren, and she has five step-grandchildren.
According to media reports, Camilla will wear a couture dress by Bruce Oldfield, a royal family favorite who used to make clothing for Princess Diana. Oldfield has declined to comment on the speculation.
Fashion-wise, the Queen Consort has never drifted from her sensible uniform of below-the-knee dresses and traditionally muted evening gowns, but once in a while she will mark the occasion with a big designer name.
She appears to be taking a page out of her late mother-in-law’s style book, forging a signature look that’s meant to outlive runway trends. She’s never been one to hop from brand to brand — her trusted rotation of labels includes Burberry, Dior, Roy Allen, Anna Valentine and Fiona Clare.
Camilla will make space for Charles to shine. She’ll support him, and complement him, just like she’s been doing for much of her life.
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