How Camilla Parker Bowles Has Represented the Royal Family Better Than Most Royal Wives (Including Kate Middleton)
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall used to be the most hated woman in London. Princess Diana’s devoted fans saw her as a homewrecker and ultimately as one of the biggest catalysts of Diana’s misery. But as we now know, the truth was a lot more complicated than that.
Decades later the citizens have gradually come around to Camilla for a few reasons. For one thing, they’re stuck with her — now that she and Prince Charles are married, she’s poised to become the Queen Consort when he takes the throne. But there’s another key reason why Camilla’s popularity has soared.
It’s that the Duchess of Cornwall is a warm, genuine, caring person who dedicated her life to service and following royal traditions. Just as a future queen should.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall became an ideal royal wife
It would be an understatement to say Charles and Camilla had a rocky start to their relationship, but ultimately, she would have made a good match for Charles even in younger years if she’d been a virgin like Diana was. Her aristocratic upbringing is evident in the way she follows traditions and customs now, making her a very suitable candidate for the role of a royal wife.
Compare Camilla to Diana or to Sarah, Duchess of York. Both were much more impulsive and were involved in shocking controversies that scandalized the royal family. Camilla was a participant in the most notorious affair in royal history. But after that, she’s been the model of decorum and rule-following. Even Queen Elizabeth is a big fan of Camilla’s these days.
And she’s even proven how she has no ill will toward Diana or her legacy. Case in point: Camilla should by rights be called the Princess of Wales, yet refuses to publicly use the title in deference to Diana’s memory and the people’s love for her.
Kate Middleton looks to Camilla as a role model
Everyone’s favorite future queen is another big fan of Camilla. Royal biographer Andrew Morton revealed that Camilla took Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge out to lunch just after she and Prince William got engaged to help prepare her for “life in the goldfish bowl.” Royal author Marcia Moody confirmed their great relationship, saying “Camilla would make Kate cry with laughter,” Express reported.
And it wasn’t just good humor that Kate was learning from Camilla. She also saw how the Duchess of Cornwall handled criticism (mostly by ignoring it) and how she perfectly followed the royal family motto of, “never complain, never explain.”
Camilla has all the characteristics of an exemplary royal wife and future queen
Kate has poise, grace, and class but she is guilty of modernizing certain elements of the monarchy, including her penchant for speaking openly about some taboo topics and taking a hands-on approach to child-rearing. These aren’t necessarily bad decisions, but in terms of following royal tradition, she could be considered a rule breaker.
Meanwhile, Camilla is the epitome of tradition. She doesn’t overshare her feelings and even has some traditional views on the role itself. Rumor has it Camilla did not initially approve of William selecting Kate as his bride because she was technically a commoner.
Most royal fans agree that Charles should have married Camilla to start with. But then we wouldn’t have Prince William or Prince Harry, so perhaps everything worked out the way it was meant to.
