Camilla Parker Bowles Uses a Subtle Trick to Control King Charles and Keep Him in Line During Public Events
As Britain’s monarch King Charles III may be in charge of a few things. But he doesn’t always call the shots in his marriage.
Every now and then Camilla, Queen Camila (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles) has to keep her husband in line when they’re out in public, and she uses a secret signal to do just that.
Video of King Charles being impatient with Camilla previously went viral
In December 2022, a video of King Charles and the queen’s visit to Wrexham went viral as they greeted members of the public during a walkabout in the city center.
At one point the king turned around and saw that Camilla was lagging behind still chatting with someone in the crowd. Charles then asked his aides to retrieve his wife so they could get going. Some criticized the king saying that he lost his cool over something so small while others defended him saying that his behavior was fine and he just needed Camilla to move along so they could make their next engagement.
Body language Judi James called the monarch out for the former.
“It might be understandable that Charles is under a lot of pressure recently but his mother provided the perfect role model when it came to carrying on with the job without complaining or showing any signs of disloyalty to her nearest and dearest,” James said per Express.
The trick Camilla uses to move Charles along
Sometimes though it’s Charles who is taking his good old time when they’re out and about and the queen rushes him along as well. However, she does it very discreetly.
Camilla actually gives a tug on the king’s jacket to let him know when he should be quiet and when they need to go.
Express noted that in his book Elizabeth, the couple’s friend Gykes Brandreth explained: “When he is running late or talking too much she tugs discreetly at the back of his jacket.”
Royal writer Sophie Elsworth told Sky News Australia that Camilla “tugs him to say ‘pull yourself into line or let’s get going.” Elsworth added that she didn’t “think it was such a bad idea. We saw that issue King Charles had when his pen wasn’t working and he got a bit agitated. Camilla seems to be the calming force behind King Charles.”
Queen Camilla is described as the king’s ‘strength and stay’
When describing the relationship between the king and Camilla, Brandreth used the words Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, used when speaking about Prince Philip years ago and called Camilla Charles’ “strength and stay.”
“She is fundamental to the architecture of his life,” Brandreth said. “She is a good companion and his best friend and … she is the only person in the entire world with whom he can be free and open. Camilla is his strength and stay, the ally who knows him better than anyone and, now that he’s king the only person who can still treat him as an equal.”
