Prince William & Harry 'Love' Camilla 'To Bits' Despite Not Wanting Her To Have Taken The 'Queen Consort' Title

Sep 30, 2022 by apost team

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom's relationship has definitely raised eyebrows over the years. The couple had an affair while King Charles III was still married to Princess Diana, and during the last few years of her life, it was reported that the alleged affair tormented the late princess. There was even an interview from 1995 where she referenced the affair. 

Then tragedy struck when Princess Diana passed away due to a car accident in 1997. Following this, Charles and Camilla began officially seeing each other two years after Princess Diana's death. Because of Diana's untimely passing, Charles did not want to overwhelm his family with the sudden inclusion of a new spouse. Harry and William were still minors when their mother passed, and Charles decided that it would be best to wait until they were adults to get married to Camilla. 

Camilla and Charles finally did get married in 2005, and the small, intimate ceremony was attended by his children as well as the late Queen Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away on Sept. 8, 2022 at her home in Balmoral Castle.

Camilla has been a loyal partner to Charles and has taken on her royal duties with grace and enthusiasm. It is certain now that Camilla is a beloved part of the royal family. 

Despite the controversy surrounding Camilla and Charles's marriage, both of them have shown that they have nothing to offer but love. Over the years, people have still speculated about the couple's relationship with the rest of the family members, but especially with William and Prince Harry. We take a look into Camilla's relationship with her stepsons. 

Many couples also express their love differently, choosing what they show to the public. King Charles III and Camilla definitely took this approach, marrying in a private ceremony in 2005. Though they had met decades earlier, the two spent six years dating in public before tying the knot.

The couple began seeing each other two years after the death of Princess Diana, Charles' previous wife. Because of this complication, King Charles III did not want to overwhelm his family with the sudden inclusion of a new spouse. Prince Harry and Prince William were still minors when their mother passed and Charles decided that it would be best to wait until they were adults to get married to Camilla.

Upon King Charles III and Camilla's engagement in February 2005, a statement from the palace was released in which questions about Camilla's status and title as queen were addressed. 

The statement, released on Feb. 10, 2005, announced their marriage and immediately mentioned that Camilla would be using the title "HRH The Duchess of Cornwall." 

It clarified that since Charles was next in line after Queen Elizabeth II, "It is intended that Mrs. Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne." Harper's Bazaar noted that Camilla actually had the opportunity to pick up the title "Princess of Wales," but since the beloved, late Diana was bestowed that title, Camilla avoided it.

According to Express, royal biographer Penny Junor wrote in her 2005 book “The Firm:”

"A not insignificant part of the reason why they had waited until 2005 to announce their engagement was a sensitivity towards the boys. They didn’t want to foist a stepmother on William and Harry before they had fully grown up.”

apost.com

Although through the majority of Camilla’s life she was known as the "other woman," True Royalty TV producer Juliet Rice explained to Fox News, "There’s been this historical misconception about Camilla because of the circumstances surrounding King Charles III's marriage to Princess Diana,"

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about what really went on there and throughout all that coverage, the ‘80s and beyond, she’s never said a word. We didn’t talk to her about that, but it was nice to see her as a human, a relatively normal human being.”

Harry and William lost their mother in a very tragic manner and had to mourn while the glare of the public eye watched them. Moreover, both boys were in their formative years when it happened, which means losing their mother has affected them on a very deep level.

Following Diana and Charles’ divorce in 1996, public perception of the then Duchess of Cornwall was very poor due to her then very public affair with the Prince. Although her image improved when they finally wed in 2005, Camilla nevertheless thought the title "Duchess" would be a better fit for her. 

Once King Charles III and Camilla were married, she gracefully assumed her position as Duchess of Cornwall before becoming the Queen Consort in 2022. Victoria Arbiter, a royal contributor for CNN told Yahoo’s Royal Box that Camilla chose to go as the Duchess of Cornwall rather than Princess of Wales out of respect for Princess Diana.

Camilla has proved she is not trying to take over Diana’s role or fill her shoes, Prince Harry and Prince William also respect how happy Camilla makes their father and how well she gets along with their families.

“William and Harry adore her,” Rice said. “And her children get on extremely well with William and Harry.” Despite all the tragedy and controversy, over the years, William and Harry have had only positive things to say about their stepmother.

It is easy to point the finger at Camilla for Charles and the late Princess Diana’s marriage falling apart; however, as Harry reasoned in the book "Harry: The Biography of a Prince," written by Angela Levin,

"To be honest, she’s always been very close to me and William. She’s not a wicked stepmother. Look at the position she’s coming into.” He also added: “Don’t feel sorry for me and William, feel sorry for her.”

It is likely that Harry was referring to the negative press Camilla continues to receive to this day about her role in the disintegration of Charles and Diana's marriage. Shows like "The Crown" have renewed interest in the royals, and have attempted to tell the story of Diana, Charles and Camilla in their own light. 

Harry also added, "She's a wonderful woman and she's made our father very, very happy which is the most important thing. William and I love her to bits."

It has been reported that despite their love for their stepmother, Harry and William didn't want her to have the title of "queen consort" when King Charles III took the throne, despite the queen showing her support for Camilla to take the title.   

“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” the late queen said.

What do you think of the relationship Prince William and Harry share with Queen Consort Camilla? If you love keeping up with the royal family — be sure to let the royal fans in your life know about this if you have learned anything new!