Queen Camilla Is 'Not a Natural' Royal, Princess Anne Reveals
Queen Camilla went from being King Charles' controversial mistress to Queen Consort. Although the position was initially intended for Charles' ex-wife, Princess Diana, Camilla created a more reserved approach to royal life, according to her sister-in-law Princess Anne.
"I’ve known [Camilla] a long time off and on. Her understanding of the role and how much difference it makes to the King has been absolutely outstanding," Anne said in Charles III: Coronation Year. "This role is not something that she’d be a natural for, but she does it really well."
Anne was proud of the former Duchess of Cambridge's transition into The Firm.
"She provides that change of speed and tone, that’s equally important," the Princess Royal added.
OK! previously reported Omid Scobie wrote about Camilla and Charles' inability to receive Queen Elizabeth's blessing in the early stages of their romance.
"Camilla might not have stood on the barricades in the sixties, but she did enjoy the sexual freedoms ushered in by that radical generation," Scobie said in Endgame.
"Over the years, some who knew Camilla during this time have told various authors and journalists that the young Ms. Shand was known for being 'raunchy and randy' and the sort to 'throw her knickers on the table,'" he noted.
Due to Camilla's public image, Charles eventually married Diana instead, but he still had eyes for Camilla.
"This reputation is one of the reasons why Queen Elizabeth II and the Firm rejected Camilla as a spouse for Charles, alongside the fact she was a 'commoner' (the air around her family home was not rarified enough) and an 'experienced woman' (read: not a virgin)," Scobie continued.
Following Charles' coronation ceremony, the late Princess of Wales' legacy was remembered by her former butler, Paul Burrell.
Burrell claimed Camilla "doesn't want to be Queen."
"The Crown is going to open up old wounds, especially for Charles and Camilla," Burrell told GB News. "And it's a war which Camilla can never win."
Initially, Elizabeth didn't approve of Camilla becoming Charles' bride, but years after their 2005 wedding, Her Majesty had a change of heart.
"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 monarch said in a statement before her passing.
Prior to her death, Elizabeth made it a point to stylize Camilla's current position as the Queen Consort, but upon ascending to the throne, Charles decided to shorten it.
"I'm not sure she's winning the battle as a Queen either, because our dear late Queen did make it known that she wanted Camilla to be known and styled as Queen Consort," Burrell stated. "But I think the king had other ideas."
"He always insisted that she would be his queen, styled and crowned beside him," he continued. "I'm not so sure that the public totally agreed with him on that."