Why Insiders Think Camilla Saved Charles' Relationship With The Queen
Lifestyle - News
By LINDA DIPROPERZIO
The late Queen Elizabeth's oldest son is now King Charles III, and his wife Camilla has become queen consort. Camilla has a bit of a reputation, given that Charles had an affair with her while still married to his first wife, the late Princess Diana, but some royal insiders believe Charles wouldn't be on the throne with Elizabeth's blessing if not for Camilla.
Charles did not always have the steadiest relationship with his mother; a detailed essay in the Daily Mail explains that the queen once saw the then-Prince of Wales as an "infuriating" young man who "could imperil the stability of a throne that she had worked hard for all her life." Charles, in turn, saw his mother as distant and uninvolved in his childhood.
Charles also resented the queen's "snappy" refusal to let him be seen publicly with Camilla a mere year after Diana's death. However, the queen later realized that the monarchy would benefit if its future king were in a happy union, and her work to change her relationship with Camilla would also change her relationship with Charles.
Elizabeth hosted a large wedding reception for Charles and Camilla, offering a warm toast to the newlyweds. Years after this turning point, the queen expressed confidence that her legacy would be in good hands and had Camilla named as queen consort. "She believed, at last, that [Charles] could be a fine king," the Daily Mail writers explained.