Camilla Parker Bowles Will Reportedly Take Over An Important Patronage From Meghan Markle
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working members of the royal family, they cracked the lid open on one of the most closely guarded institutions the world has ever known. As W magazine reported at the time, the celebrity couple subsequently sat down for a jaw-dropping interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they opened up about everything that led to them making the difficult decision to give up their titles and abscond to the United States.
Among other shocking revelations, the Sussexes shared how Markle had been the subject of alleged racism during her time with the family, particularly in relation to their unborn son, Archie. Moreover, when the Duchess of Sussex expressed her concerns to senior staffers and asked for help tackling her increasingly fraught mental health, she was allegedly brushed off and left to suffer in silence. As a result, Harry worried his wife would fall victim to a similar fate as his late mother, Princess Diana.
Evidently, leaving the royal family was the right decision for the Sussex family. However, it necessitated certain roles changing hands, one of which is now going to Camilla Parker Bowles.
Camilla Parker Bowles has been eyeing this particular role for years
Camilla Parker Bowles is taking over a role she felt should've rightly been hers in the first place. As The Sunday Times reports, the Duchess of Cornwall is set to became patron of the National Theatre, following Meghan Markle's 2020 departure from the royal family. According to the newspaper, (via The Daily Mail), Parker Bowles wasn't impressed when Markle was handed the role back in 2019, believing herself to be the better fit for it. The Queen herself previously occupied the coveted position for 45 years.
Sources revealed that Parker Bowles "really wanted" to do it and was "pretty miffed when it went to Meghan." As a result, Prince Charles's long-time wife "will be all the more delighted to take it on now, after being disappointed not to get it first time round." It's worth noting during her two-year stint as patron of the National Theatre, Markle visited the institution just once shortly after her initial appointment in January 2019 — and visited again privately the following year.
Photos from her trip were released the same day Parker Bowles made a speech about domestic violence, angering senior royals and the Duchess of Cornwall herself, who felt the focus should've been on the more important issue of the two.
The Duchess of Cornwall is an avid theater lover
At the time, royal insiders argued that Meghan Markle was a great fit for the role given her extensive acting career in the U.S., which included a recurring role in hit legal drama "Suits." Naturally, when Markle and her husband Prince Harry defected from the royal family, they were stripped of the various patronages they'd acquired during their time as working members.
Per The Sunday Times (via The Daily Mail), Camilla Parker Bowles is an avid theatre lover and looks forward to supporting an industry she believes greatly suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Duchess and Prince Charles met living legend Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber in June 2021 at the official reopening of the Theatre Royal Drury in the West End.
Moreover, while presenting lyricist Don Black, who's collaborated with Lloyd-Webber many times over the years, with the Special Olivier Award at the 2020 virtual Olivier Awards ceremony, Parker Bowles enthused, "I believe in the theatre. Perhaps most importantly, those of us who believe in the theatre also believe in its resilience."