Princess Anne Did Not Want King Charles to Marry Camilla Parker Bowles, According to Royal Author
King Charles III and Queen Camilla (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles) wed in 2005 but their love story doesn’t mirror a fairy tale. Just about everyone remembers that Camilla was a factor in the breakdown of Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage. We’ve even heard reports over the years that the late Queen Elizabeth II was no fan of her son’s second wife, but she eventually warmed up to her.
Now we’re hearing that some of the king’s siblings, including Princess Anne, didn’t want him to marry Camilla for a couple of different reasons.
Why Prince Andrew did not want his brother to marry Camilla
Royal biographer and commentator Angela Levin, who authored the book Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort, claimed that both Charles’ sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Andrew were against him marrying his longtime mistress.
On an episode of the Royally Us podcast Levin said that “Andrew had a very different reason than to Princess Anne — he hoped that he could persuade his mother to throw Prince Charles out because he wasn’t going to let Camilla go.
“Therefore, Prince William could be the future king but he would be too young, so Andrew could take over and run it until William grew up. That was self-interest.”
Why Princess Anne did not want Charles to marry Camilla
Levin then spoke about Anne’s reasoning and explained that the princess’s relationship with Camilla was “awkward” because Anne had “gone out with Camilla’s first husband. They both crossed over with Andrew Parker Bowles … Her relationship with Camilla was particularly awkward as they had both been involved with Andrew.
“Like many people who didn’t know Anne well, Camilla found her frosty demeanor difficult and somewhat unnerving to cope with [at first] … Anne was, for many years, opposed to the idea of Camilla being granted the title of queen consort.”
According to Levin, the Princess Royal once said that “Camilla will never be a true queen” because she was at one time the “most-hated woman in Britain.” She added that the Anne “was doubtful of Camilla’s work ethic and unsure if she would be able to step up to the plate” as a working member of the royal family.
Anne is known as the ‘hardest-working royal’
It’s no wonder Camilla’s worth ethic was important to Anne as she herself has a reputation for how hard she works. The princess tops the list of “hardest-working royal” year after year.
Levin wrote: “Time has proven to be a healer and Anne has seen for herself how hard Camilla has worked for the monarchy and her sense of duty. Gradually, she became more amenable.”
The two women also have several hobbies in common and share a love of horses and dogs. Their relationship over the years has “really changed for the better.”
