Queen Camilla is a steely influence who understands monarchy is about survival, an author suggests.
King Charles is ‘lucky to have Queen Camilla there to stiffen his backbone’ (Image: Getty)
King Charles has one “weakness” and this is why he is “lucky” to have Queen Camilla by his side, an author has claimed. Christopher Wilson, who wrote about the King and Queen in A Greater Love – Charles and Camilla, says a former courtier told him that if the monarch has a weakness, it is that he is “too kind and too forgiving” when things go wrong.
Mr Wilson, as reported by the MailOnline, said: “[King Charles] is lucky to have Camilla there to stiffen his backbone when needed.” The writer suggested Camilla understands monarchy is about survival, suggesting she takes her cue from the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who put “fire in the belly” of her reluctant husband, King George VI. He said Charles’s grandfather needed his wife’s “iron-clad courage” when he ascended the throne as the King needs Camilla’s today.
Camilla stepped up in the wake of Charles’s cancer diagnosis, which was publicly announced in February 2024.
She assumed more responsibilities, including by attending a number of solo events while the King received treatment for the disease.
The royal couple first met in the 1970s, but went on to marry other people.
Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in July 1981. However, both unions broke down.
Charles and Camilla reportedly rekindled their relationship in 1986, with Princess Diana telling Panorama in 1995 that there were three people in her marriage “so it was a bit crowded”.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have been married for 21 years (Image: Getty)
Four years later Charles and Camilla appeared in public as a couple for the first time, attending a birthday party for her sister, Annabel Elliot, at the Ritz.
They married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall before a blessing at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in April 2005. This year, Charles and Camilla celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary.
In April last year, Camilla praised her husband’s work ethic, telling the media King Charles “loves his work” and that it “keeps him going”.
Body language expert Darren Stanton, speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, told Marie Claire in November that Camilla’s “composed demeanour” allows Charles to appear more relaxed and assured.
He suggested Camilla proved to be a “dependable partner” for the King, acting as a “grounding force” during his treatment for cancer.