Queen Elizabeth Once Called Camilla a ‘Wicked Woman’ — Here’s Why
Now that she’s such an accepted member of the British royal family, it’s sometimes hard to remember how much Camilla Parker Bowles used to be an outcast. At one point she was even banned from Buckingham Palace following her highly publicized affair with Prince Charles. Not just that—Camilla was banned from being invited to any royal functions.
The public used to despise Camilla because they felt they needed to hate her to be loyal to Princess Diana. But as the decades passed, it became clear that she wasn’t going anywhere. People eventually accepted the Duchess of Cornwall and couldn’t help but admire how she made Prince Charles a happier person.
However, her new reputation didn’t come easily. At one point Camilla had to endure vicious name-calling—even from Queen Elizabeth herself.
Camilla has deep ties with the royal family
Though she didn’t have a good enough aristocratic background to marry Prince Charles, Camilla’s history with the royal family goes back decades. In fact, her great-grandmother was a mistress to King Edward VII, Prince Charles’ great-great-grandfather. It was one of the first things Camilla ever said when she met her future husband.
Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles once dated Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne. He was also the Queen Mother’s godson.
The Queen made no secret of her feelings for Camilla
Even though she knew her son was in love, that didn’t soften Queen Elizabeth’s feelings toward Camilla. There was even one legendary time when the monarch called her a “wicked woman” and made a rule that she wasn’t allowed to attend any royal events.
After Prince Charles and Camilla started officially dating following his divorce, they kept things quiet and even arrived at events separately to downplay the seriousness of their relationship. Gradually, they started appearing together in public more and more often.
The Queen told Camilla and Charles to marry, but skipped their wedding
Prince Charles and Camilla probably would have kept on dating without making their relationship official, but they decided to get married after the Queen herself encouraged it.
She didn’t attend the wedding, but she did send her well wishes to the happy couple. Prince Charles and Camilla wed in April 2005.
The Queen and Camilla’s relationship improved over the years
In 2012, Queen Elizabeth even asked Camilla to sit beside her in her carriage at the Diamond Jubilee. She also bestowed her daughter-in-law with two important honors: The Royal Family Order and The Grand Cross of the Victorian Order.
Queen Elizabeth has never publicly commented on calling Camilla names or even shunning her. But her actions over the years prove that she’s come around and begun to accept Camilla.
That’s a good thing—because it’s clear Prince Charles and Camilla will be together for a long time and one day she’ll rule beside her husband, the future King. Hating her will do nothing to change that.
