I sort of have to give it to Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall. She played the long game and she got the reward. If you consider Prince Charles a reward. But Camilla is so accepted in the royal fold at this point that she represents her husband at various events, and Camilla even greets the Queen with a kiss on the cheek and an overly familiar hand on the shoulder. How gauche!
These photos are from yesterday’s Royal Windsor Horse Show. I think Camilla was supposed to be the big royal guest at the show, but the Queen turned out as well – they arrived separately. Camilla quickly went over to the Queen, her mother-in-law, did a decent curtsy and then came closer to the Queen. That’s when Camilla’s hand went to her majesty’s shoulder and Camilla kissed the royal cheek. That brings up an interesting question that I have: when you go to kiss someone’s cheek – say, a relative – do you go right or left? My instinct is to go to my right and kiss their left cheek first. As you can see with these photos, Camilla went to her left and kissed the Queen’s right cheek. I wonder if there’s royal protocol involved with cheek-kissing?
I actually believe that Camilla and the Queen probably get along pretty well. And if they ever run out of things to say to each other, they can just talk about horses, right? Both women are very much involved with horse culture. And can I just say? I really like Camilla’s mature-lady styling. She looks comfortable and pulled-together. She doesn’t look like she’s trying desperately to look “young,” nor does she look dowdy and too “old.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Why wouldn’t they like each other? They both hated Diana and as the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Past or present.
Boston Green Eyes; that was my first thought.
I think they’ve got lots in common, unlike the Queen and Diana. Horses, dogs, all that aristocratic fox-hunting and all…
Ditto.
Eh… in terms of aristocratic Camilla can hardly come even close to Diana’s background. It’s pretty much a given Diana had excellent understanding of horses, dogs, hunting and all things aristocratic. We’re not talking Kate Middleton here! Charles married up, after all, not Diana.
@Mary-Alice, I don’t think anyone was referring to Camilla’s or Diana’s lineage here. Most of us are familiar with their social backgrounds, interests and what circles they ran in, and that’s what our conversation is about.
It’s a shame Charles didn’t just marry Camilla to begin with. Everyone would have been happier.
She didn’t want to marry him. She wanted to marry Andrew Parker-Bowles, whom Princess Anne is rumored to have wanted to marry too.
But then there would be no Prince William or Prince Harry.
Right to both. But then Diana would probably still be alive, and she might have married someone who loved her.
@notasugarhere
I think she did want to marry him, but he wouldn’t commit, so she moved on.
I agree Camilla and Charles should have been together from the start. The best indicator of whether a marriage will be happy is how good of friends the the two people are. I think Charles loved Diana, at the beginning, but they just weren’t compatible people the way Camilla and Charles are.
I don’t think they were allowed to marry at the time. Something to do with their backgrounds.
Or I could I just be making that up in my head.
M.A.F. that’s what I remember too. I’m not well informed on details of royalty but sister and mom were. If I recall correctly, Charles was smitten with Camilla and she was with him too. They carved their initials in a tree at a horse show, or else their ancestors who ended up having an affair did the initials thing.
Anyway, Charles was not allowed to court or marry Camilla because she was not a virgin and it was well known. He went off to training, she couldn’t wait for him to try to work on his mom (he was going to so they rumour mill said) and she married the other dude before Charles got back. She took it out of his hands and wouldn’t wait because she figured they’d never get permission and she was fine being a mistress AND having her own husband too.
That’s why, she was in on the plan for Charles to marry Diana and she was at their wedding. Their affair/love thing never really ended.
There is a fascinating out take from the engagement interview with charles and diana possibly after the question about being in love, theres a really akward silence where he looks down and looks quite sad, and shes kind of gazing of the other way looking terrified and sad at the same time. With the benefit of hindsight its incredibly sad to watch, clearly never meant to be, and they both knew it full well.
notsugarhere she most definitely did want to marry Charles. But, Camilla was Catholic, and not Church of England (Anglican). It is not allowed for the British Royal family to marry a catholic. Or at least, it wasn’t back then. The rules changed later. It had nothing at all to do with Camilla not being a virgin.
She could easily have converted, just like Autumn Phillips did later. The story of how she lost her virginity was well-known and public in the set. That would have been a negative at that time. I’m still in the Andrew camp, her using Charles to make him jealous, but she didn’t want to marry the future kind. If Charles had stepped up to the plate, I’m not sure she would have accepted a marriage proposal.
it is not just the palace that would have objected to an earlier marriage between Charles and Camilla. The media and the general public would have ripped her to pieces. I was only just a teenager with Diana and Charles got engaged and I remember wondering if they would actually check she was a virgin, because lord help her if the tabloids managed to dig up an old boyfriend willing to spill the beans. Things have changed so much since Diana died that people forget what it was like and, lovely as the princes are, they have benefited greatly from those changes. There was never any question that William should be given a degree of privacy and that he should marry the woman of his choice.
Same thing I thought. Sun Tzu wasn’t just talking about literal warfare in The Art of War. “If you are far from your enemy, make him believe you are near.”
Sun Tzu didn’t actually write the Art of War. In fact there isn’t too much that can be known for certainty about him. Filled with many other military leaders that practiced those basic teachings and lead to interpretations for the book. When it comes to the man much drectly linked has been lost in time.
And the true teachings is to avoid battle all together. Not to squash a foe by luring them in.
Camilla is the ultimate Waity. Forget Kate.
#truth
I don’t think so at ALL. She wanted to marry Charles, but he kept playing the field so she married someone else. Years later they rekindled their romance, but I don’t think she needed marriage. I think she’s a very strong person who does what she wants, but Charles is determined she shall be queen.
Yes Nikki, they rekindled their romance. While he was married. How sweet. 😒
I wonder if she would divorce him if he cheated on HER? You know what they say, if they cheated WITH you they will probably cheat ON you.
I don’t think so either. Camilla married someone else. She loved Charles, but wasn’t willing to wait around for him. She and Charles really do seem to have a great love and friendship, and he has never looked happier in his life than he has since he got back with her. She really does seem to calm him down and is his friend AND lover, unlike Diana. Diana was so much younger and unworldly, how could she have been Charles’ friend?? Apples and oranges.
I think Wills and Kate would be blessed if they had a relationship like Charles and Camilla. But they don’t seem to.
Why does it have to have anything to do with Diana? Yeesh
Because from everything that came out later thanks to Diana’s recorded interviews and tapes for the book etc, we all learned, both his family AND Camilla pushed Charles to choose and marry Diana. Camilla went so far as to befriend Diana (falsely) while continuing her affair with Charles even while he was courting and marrying Diana.
Diana would have never happened if not for the machinations of Charles family and Camilla pushing for Diana. Diana was naive, trusting, and had nobody looking out for her, not even her own family. So that’s why Charles and Camilla always come back to Diana being mentioned.
Because none of the Diana fanatics will ever allow anything having to do with the British Royals to not be about Diana in some way or form.
IMO The Housekeepers Diary is a Excellent book about the relationship. It’s not colored or tainted by Charles or Diana’s PR machines or personal agendas. It’s the Housekeeper’s view of factual things she saw take place between them in the house , when she worked for them.
She was run out of the Country for years ,after she wrote the book.
She was eventually forgiven, twenty years or so after , when she became very ill.
From what I’ve heard, Queen Elizabeth never hated Diana. She didn’t understand her, sure, but she never hated her.
+100000
The Queen didn’t want to return to Buckingham, to fly the flag at half-mast. Her tardy return to London after Diana’s death had many Brit’s quite angry. She took her sweet time when it came to Diana. At least Earl Spencer yelled at the royal family during the funeral.
wolfpup, or she thought it more important to stay with her grandsons who had just lost their mother.
notsugarhere, the grandsons argument was bs. What, she needed to be with them, 24 hours a day/7 days for the entire week? She could have ducked out ONE afternoon on a plane, spent 2 hours in Buckingham, and fly back. Besides, they had their father, they didn’t need her. What could she do, really? Nothing. It was all an excuse, an excuse that does not even add up.
I think everyone was surprised by the public, massive outpouring of emotion over Diana’s death. It wasn’t expected and the BRF was behind the 8 ball.
I think the BRF made a lot of mistakes in the handling of things, but sticking by her grandsons I don’t think is one of them. How do we know what they needed or didn’t? Maybe they wanted her more than their father at that point. I could see a lot of lashing out at their father, and turning to their grandmother or grandfather.
The Queen did not hate Diana. She knew her since she was born and her family for many, many generations. The Queen just did not understand Diana at times, but she never hated her.
Is she curtseying in the last pic?
She’s doing the royal squat. Very posh.
I thought you are not suppose to put your hands on the Queen.
@Loopy
You’re not — but that’s when you’re a stranger meeting her. Camilla is family.
So odd, to curtsy to your mother in law. Shows what an absurd anachronism royalty is.
OK, I actually think these photos are pretty damn cute. I love her curtsy, then warmer greeting with the kiss, and I have come to appreciate Camilla. She and Charles obviously were, and remain, in love, and clearly she is happy and hard-working. It could be worse.
I thought she acted like a proper daughter in law! There is real warmth in Camilla’s eyes. Then they get to nattering about the horses.
The Queen is seriously so beautiful. She looks fantastic. And those sunglasses in the first photo? Not even Ron Burgundy had that kind of swag.
She does. I’m not into the RF by any stretch (I just come here to read Sixer’s rants-erm-posts), but the Queen has some seriously good skin and hair going on.
My favorite thing about the Queen is her delicious sidekick, THE DUKE.
Rants? Moi?
(No ranting on whether ridiculous rumps of privilege go around kissing each other, curtseying, shaking hands or flipping the bird and shouting feck the feck off you old boot. Who the feck cares? Oh. I ranted. Teehee. Just for you, mimif. I trust this will suffice).
The Duke has always been known for his affairs-my mum use to talk about them way back when i was young,
icerose, why did you have to go and destroy my dream, damnit!
On another note, have you seen that Sir Thomas “Loquacious” Sharpe has some new interviews just published? It’s typical Tom, waxing poetic about gothic romance, del Toro etc…
@icerose- what the what? No, I don’t believe you. I won’t.
The Queen was always so beautiful IMO, much more beautiful as a young woman than Kate who the press goes on about. Margaret too IMO both the Queenand Margaret were beauties, the Queen never played up her beauty but she was beautiful and still is quite lovely.
I hear you, MIMIF. I’m admittedly not as well versed in the ways of the Royals as some of the Celebitchians that comment on these posts, so I stick to reading most of the discussions to learn (always very thoughtful and interesting, so thanks guys). But I do love to see the Queen, she’s always rockin’ it.
> She played the long game and she got the reward. If you consider Prince Charles a reward
My thoughts exactly.
As for the Queen herself, I perceive her as 19th century Prussian officer , i.e. duty above everything else. I can see how her and emotional Diana wouldn’t get along. Camilla seems much more even in her demeanor and that would appeal to the queen.
I am more surprised at how loving and accepting Prince William and Harry are towards the woman who made their mothers life miserable.
Diana made her own life miserable.
I guess they figure there’s not much they can do about it now? Or:
“Forgiving isn’t something you do for someone else. It’s something you do for yourself. It’s saying, ‘You’re not important enough to have a stranglehold on me.’ It’s saying, ‘You don’t get to trap me in the past. I am worthy of a future.’”
—Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller
I love that quote. Not forgiving someone gives them an importance they don’t deserve.
On the other hand, I also think true forgiveness is rarely actually achieved… and, often, highly overrated. As feelings age over time, I think even the lack of ‘forgiveness’ is a time-released capsule of a lesson – and a reminder, and a cautionary tale – that’s sometimes beneficial… not to mention an honest nod to emotions and to the truth.
it’s people outside of that family that hold the greatest grudge to Camilla. The torch against her Diana put down some time before she passed.
It’s still amazing how the story of Charles and Camilla plotting to make Diana go crazy still lives.
Yes, some parts are true, but often formed out of context to make things worse.
No one was innocent and everyone moved on from dislike. Everything else is projecting personal feelings onto those. William and Harry in actions and words embrace Camilla.
I’ve often wondered how they would have treated Camilla if their mother had lived and Charles and been able to find a way to marry Camilla (which wouldn’t have happened I know). Diana did not have the personality to let those types of things go. She was inappropriate with what she told William about his Dad even when he was a little guy. I think she would have tried to make the boys pick her over their father if she had seen things getting better in the public with Charles and Camilla. For instance – Diana cranked called her love interest’s wife/house hundreds of times. She was very petty in regards to love competitions. No way she would have let the boys enjoy their relationship with Camilla.
Huh. Judging by Harry’s comment (one of the very few overheard)how he is happy to not attend a Camilla relative’s wedding, I don’t see how he is close to her. In public he will be, of course, I would too. No person with proper upbringing would make public scenes. In private… that’s a different story.
Regardless of how much you like a stepparent, how much would you want to attend their relatives’s weddings? Not much, I’d guess.
You have to be kidding me? I adore many of my relatives, but dread having to attend weddings of this or that related and try to make up excuses if feasible.
@ Mary-Alice
I kind of think that that is the official line. They keep the peace in public and avoid each other in private more or less.
When you become an adult you began to see your parents as adults. Its easier to forgive their sins & you actually want them to be happy & yes in love. Charles has always been in love with Camilla, so they would have to come to some peace with it if they want their father to be someone he loves. IMO seeing your parents in a unhappy relationship is way more depressing than seeing them with someone you may dislike.
Mother in laws are an interesting dynamic. You can hit the jackpot and get a great mother in law who’s supportive and a friend. You can also get someone who doesn’t know boundaries and still treats your husband like he’s five. I have the second one and let’s just say it’s been trying.
AIMS – you got that right! And the kicker is if your husband ACTS five around his mother.
He doesn’t act like a five year old, he’s just spineless. God forbid that we get a phone call before they decide they want to drop by and hang out.
Well, my MIL hates my guts. It is good she lives across an ocean.
We pick compatible people to marry, but we should also look at how compatible we are with their families. Often it is as important.
I came to think that there is something about arrange marriages, where it is a contract between two families by which everyone has to abide by.
Mine is super racist. It’s been a trying thirteen years. Except now I’m “not like those OTHER black people”. To be fair, my husband flat out told her he won’t stand for her crap even in High School so it was nice to know that even at 17 he wasn’t spineless.
Monica, that’s ridiculous. I’m sorry that you have to hear that crap.
I think the key is whether your husband supports you in regards to his mother. Not this thing where he takes your side to your face and then takes his mom’s side when he talks to her. You know – that old “playing both sides” game. That is by far the most annoying because then his Mom keeps up her crap because she thinks your husband is on her side….
Mine is the worst stereotype of a WASP. Her passive aggressive comments are a true art form I never understood the 1st 5 years of our marriage.
Luckily my husbands sees this. He loves his mom, but doesn’t like her when she acts that way and does stay with me to boycott family dinners when things get bad.
As long as I don’t provoke or engage he’s supportive of me. I won’t credit her past giving my husband good genetics. His childhood nanny raised him. And I like her.
aims
That’s awful. Mine shows up to tell me how she would decorate my house (we’re renovating). At least we get a text when she pulls in the driveway to unlock the door.
Sounds like you need to have a big talk. He’s your husband 🙂 There must be love.
My MIL is very WASPish as well. Some of the things that come out of her mouth are truly unbelievable in this day and age.
My MIL is SO difficult, when I saw the movie “monster in Law”, I thought the mother in law could have been SO much worse!! Really, that was my first reaction!
FLORC, reading your post all I see in my head was Charlotte’s first MIL, Trey’s mom, she had one of those terrible names that should never be given to women, like Kitty, or Dotty or something…something or other York…she was terrible!
Charolotte did learn a lot from her though! Like how to touch his arm when she wants him to do somehting that he otherwise wouldn’t want to do…
Ugh I hope everyone doesn’t hate me, but I did hit the MIL jackpot! She’s a friend, a second mother, a confidante, a great help and the sweetest woman who completely minds her own business and would never dream of getting in the middle of our household in any way…plus an awesome grandma and any time babysitter!! We have an awesome relationship, they live 5 min away and we talk and text several times a day…and gossip and have coffee and shop!
I told you everyone will hate me…my friends completely can’t stand my luck either, most of them ended up with #2 MIL you described
I really dislike what she and Charles did because it was cruel, and basically set Diana up because she was a young and unstable girl.
On the other hand I believe they were trapped by circumstance and they really do love each other so I guess in the end there isn’t any point in hating either one of them.
So yes the pics are sweet and I’m glad they get along so well.
In the end, the fault lies with Charles. Not Camilla.
Well, sort of. Camilla certainly could have chosen not to get involved with a married man. Whether or not he had other mistresses and was cheating anyway, she still made the decision to have an affair with him and helped to handpick Diana because she thought D was young and would turn a blind eye.
My sympathy with Camilla ends at the moment where Diana privately confronts her at some dinner party and Camillas response is to ask “you are beautiful and you have two lovely kids, what more could you want?”. When your lovers wife responds to that obnoxious question with the two words, “my husband!”, its time to pack it up. Seriously, how heartless would you need to be to continue an affair after something like that?
Yes, but Charles was the one in the marriage with Diana. Camilla wasn’t. Andrew should have given a feck about Camilla’s behavior.
But from what I understand their behavior was not uncommon in the social circles they ran in. What was uncommon was Diana’s reaction to it.
Rocket: And yet she went on to do the same to other married women.
Bluhare
Exactly to everything.
They were all basically swingers. They do like a bit of swinging in posh English circles. Just ask Ken and Emma!
Since most of us aren’t basically swingers, we find all the various goings on entirely incomprehensible and somewhat distasteful.
It’s very difficult to imagine that Diana wasn’t aware of the mores and habits of her own social set. My own view is that once the generally embarrassing details made their way into the public domain, all the protagonists just rushed to put their own spin on it. They were all – Charles, Diana and everyone else – running their own damage-limitation angles and you can’t take anything any of them or their leakers say or said as gospel.
Bluhare – while you ARE right, Camilla still deserves some of the blame for getting involved with a man she verrrry clearly knew was already married. Charles win the scumbag award in this situation but Camilla has never been innocent.
This is really about male privilege, and Charles in particular. Diana’s parents divorced over an affair, and Diana was adamant, that this not be her fate as well. It is well-known that the Queen stopped sleeping with Prince Phillip during his dalliances. It is the men who are stepping out in these royal marriages, and just like in real life, there will always be women available, that have bad characters, like Camilla. She thought that she could get away with it because Charles had royal “privileges”. Diana decided to try it their way with affairs, perhaps to make Charles jealous, which would never happen. He was contemptuous of her at this point, and so honestly, she did need some male companionship. Charles of course, used her indiscretions to justify his. He ‘s such a d***. Bottom line, Charles felt that he was entitled, and not all women of this class are on board with dalliances. The Queen stopped being in love with Phillip because of his. These women do have delicate feelings, after all!
The Queen and Philip fought over the last name issue not affairs. There’s no solid proof of Philip’s straying, although lots of conjecture.
I do the royal squat in public restrooms. It’s much safer.
Burst out laughing.ch
With all that practice, you’re ready to meet the Queen! Lol
Best comment lol
I used to call it The Haka. I guess that’s the new name LOL
By all accounts, Camilla is a jolly good egg. And lots of fun.
She and Harry would be fun at parties.
Diana and Harry would be great fun at parties!
I really doubt that Harry finds Camilla fun in any way. He might be well-bred and polite, but having fun with her while he cries inside about his mum? – I highly doubt it.
I’ll bet Diana didn’t think Camilla was a jolly good egg, nor did the Queen. Diana didn’t have tons of fun with her! Charles did, however.
It’s Charles’ court that finds her so jolly, and for good reason if they want to remain part of that court!
I really liked the “which cheek” question. I don’t know the answer. I know if you are directly approaching someone on a sidewalk, you both go right, so I thought it would be the same with cheeks. But I always, or least always with men, seem to pick the wrong cheek and we end up doing that little head bob thing. Awkward.
I’m glad they stick to cheeks. I dislike the whole creepy kissing relatives on the lips thing.
Yes! One of my best friends still kisses her daughters (in their 20s) on their lips. It’s odd to me. Not to be judgmental, I mean whatever you like, but I stopped kissing relatives on the lips when I was five. My mother said “you’re a big girl now, and big girls don’t kiss relatives on the lips” or words to that effect.
Agree 100%. Also, I’m a mutt – half Southern, half English – so the whole kissing-on-the-lips thing has disastrous genetic & social implications all the way round.
I grew up next door to a very large, very loud, very affectionate Polish family. To this day, when I encounter one of them (all female), I do the kiss on the mouth. I don’t kiss my own mother on the mouth, but it’s how they do things. Otherwise, I’m a person with a very large personal space.
LOL @ the head bob thing.
I don’t know the answer to the question either but I think it depends on your dominant hand. Because when Kaiser asked the question, I thought about it and I go left first (I’m left handed). Thank goodness I don’t kiss a bunch of people on the cheeks because I just know I’d end up accidentally kissing a bunch of people.
Camilla was nothing but dignified throughout the whole debacle of Charles and Diana’s marital breakdown. She didn’t break them up, they were incompatible from the start. Charles and Camilla had a deep friendship which turned into a continuation of their original love affair when the marriage unraveled. By then Diana had become unstable to the point where she was hell-bent on revenge and started fighting her battles very publicly through the media.
So I have to admire Camilla’s quiet fortitude while remaining tight-lipped and in the background. She took a ton of shite from the public as the “evil monster” who broke up the marriage instead of someone who clearly loved and supported her man through a bad time. I can totally see how the Queen would admire that kind of stoicism.
*APPLAUSE* I could not agree more. I jumped of the Diana bandwagon when she started playing her games.
You are joking about “remaining tight-lipped,” right? Camilla was actually supplying information to the DailyMail or some other gossip rag throughout the entire C&D marriage and breakup. So, tight-lipped she certainly isn’t.
I do agree that C&D were incompatible but if you look at pictures from the early years of their marriage, they actually look quite happy and loved up. I think they could have had a much better time of it if Charles was faithful and supportive of his 19-20-21 year old wife, instead of tossing her in the deep end and being jealous that crowds wanted to see her, etc. I kind of imagine that if my husband treated me the way Charles treated her, I’d be hell bent on revenge too.
Was she doing it or reacting to what Diana was doing? My money’s on the latter.
But I take your point. NONE of them should have taken this one to the court of public opinion.
I’m with you. The apologetic attitude towards those two rags (C&C) these days is appalling. After all, Diana was barely out of her teen years!
She didn’t have to break up their marriage, because thanks to her, it never had a chance. That’s on Charles, but he never gave his relationship with Diana his full attention because Camilla was always in the background. And I certainly don’t see her as dignified. She had to sneak around for years because she was committing adultery, betraying her own husband and participating in the betrayal of Charles’ wife. Let’s don’t turn this into a sweet romance. It was a sleazy affair just like any sleazy affair.
^ This too!
Camilla betraying her husband????!!! You do know Andrew Parker Bowles was known to sleep around throughout the marriage, don’t you?
As far as sexual fidelity in marriage neither Camilla nor her husband were faithful.
@LAK – thank you, I’m not trying to portray Camilla as a saint, just as someone who didn’t rush out to blabber to the media. Nobody was a saint in that mess. Diana was extremely manipulative and went into the marriage portraying something she wasn’t – her problems in the marriage were as much her fault as Charles’s. What does one do when everything in your relationship is falling apart and the person you married doesn’t turn out to be the one you thought you could spend your life with? You turn to old, trusted friends and I was guilty of that during the breakdown of my own long-term relationship. Camilla and Charles have always had a special connection and I think he should have married her way back when, but he still wanted his freedom in those days. There’s no law against people seeking comfort with trusted loved ones during times of emotional stress, we’re all human and Diana was no less human than Charles or Camilla.
This was a sleazy affair AND Camilla had children involved – including her own! I can’t imagine being that sort of example to my youngsters. Everyone seemed to have been involved in an open marriage, but one young, uninformed woman who was in love with her husband. Diana’s so called problems were the one’s her husband’s camp created to deflect the whole mess from himself, like he was pitiful and justified. What a bunch of horseshizza. Diana felt that Camilla was butting into her marriage, and Camilla would’t butt out, even when confronted. Yes, Diana finally did turn around, and have affairs in kind. Where was she suppose to get sex that all humans crave as food and drink? Her husband had divorced her behind closed doors for his true love, now Camilla. He says darn, I just made a mistake, while insisting that he did not ruin lives.
Diana openly befriended Kanga (Tryon) with whom Charles was also having an affair. She didn’t like Camilla, but she seemed to accept Kanga and even wore a dress from her clothing line.
@notasugarhere, I just read the Kanga story and I got tears in my eyes. How tragic.
PREACH!
We still haven’t really heard much from Camilla regarding that tumultuous time and I admire her all the more for that stiff upper lip, which must have been EXCRUCIATING to maintain at times. And the public causes she has chosen to advocate as Duchess of Cornwall deserve a great deal of thanks.
Charles has worked feverishly on Camilla’s PR. I forgive her, but just don’t say it wasn’t sleazy as hell.
I’m also a fan of Camilla’s fashion, even if her feather hats are a bit wacky. Her wedding blessing dress, the blue and gold one, was gorgeous. She also has a white pantsuit that is amazing on her.
I’m not a fan of Camilla’s AT ALL. But I do admit that she looked fab on her wedding day. I loved the hat with the swirly sideways feathers and the blue and gold coat/gown thing.
And, generally, she can rock those big crazy hats and (usually) all the crazy jewels she’s dripping with.
Yes I really like her style too, its perfect for a woman of her age and position.
THREAD HIJACK:
So Sixer. What did you think of the letters?
Um… boring? No real juice there, was there? Nothing above and beyond what he had said in speeches.
Even so, there’s nothing wrong with him offering political opinions in public speeches, so long as those opinions aren’t *party* political. But there’s everything wrong with him lobbying government in private, even on issues he’s already spoken in public about. If he’s writing to government, it has to be public. So I’ll be sending cross emails to my MP about giving him future FoI exceptions.
It was expected. Nothing really dirty detailed was going to come out. Enough time has passed to hide away the good stuff…
Shame, but expected.
Florc: I disagree. This is the Guardian we are talking about. Their raison d’etre is to expose govt figures. IF there had been anything in those letters, they would have published.
Don’t forget, they’ve exposed the royals’ silent use of veto power for their own selfish purposes. The way they sold this exposure, they were hoping for similar scoop.
Not to mention their support of wikileaks. (the documents, not Julian Assange)
I feel that Charles & Camilla have always been the real love story. It’s a shame things had to happen the way they ended up, but at least Diana was able to enjoy some happiness in her own life before her death.
There was a story printed (during The Queen’ Jubulie year I think) of how close she and Camilla have become and she specifically request or Camilla to ride with her in her coach, chariot, carriage or whatever they call it. I think what happens is that people project their own feeling about the situation onto these women. And when discussing or reporting it, they say things as if it is a fact. Then we get the “Queen hates Camilla” or “The Queens orders Kate to wear longer skirts” and such.
I think The Queen genuinely likes Camilla, especially since see he makes her son happy. I think that is basically what any good mother would want for their sons and daughters.
They are the true love story regarding Charles. And Diana’s true love story was Dr. Khan. She adored him, and he adored her. She really wanted to marry him. It only ended because as a heart surgeon he just could not handle the media intrusion and marry her.
That “till death do us part” should be removed from the marriage ceremony. It seems to be a very foolish and empty promise. Poor Diana’s hopes were set on it. It just should never had been said to a innocent 19 year old, who trusted the Prince of Wales. Who knew that royal vows needed to be different than other people’s vows? Who knew? – Charles and Camilla.
The rest of us are not supposed to be surprised with their extramarital privileges either.
I’ve always gotten the distinct impression that given the alternatives, the Q. was relieved that Cam. kept Jugears occupied… and far enough away from gazing at the throne.
About Camilla’s gaze towards said throne I am not quite as sanguine.
Diana was never a good match for Charles. And Camilla seems like a warm, down to earth and very fun woman. I’d like to hang with her!!
I’d love to hang out with Diana! Camilla is gross.
Jib, that the review she gets from attendees during a lot of her royal engagements, She’s approachable, fun, and engaged with what she’s doing.
As dear friend taught me that you kiss left cheek to left cheek. That way, your hearts touch. I like that.
“If you consider Prince Charles a reward.” And there you have it.
I’m glad to see somewhat of a happy ending here. And if Diana was alive and happy, I’d be glad for her as well.
I’ve felt sort of sorry for Charles for a while. Here’s an intelligent man, with a lot of good ideas who’s never been quite understood and has a hard relating to people in general, the victim of his late ex-wife’s popularity machine, and I’m glad to see his second wife gets along so well with most of the family.
Diana would have deserved happiness had she lived despite her own reprehensible behavior towards the father of her children. Charles deserves happiness despite his own reprehensible behavior towards the mother of his children.
And I have a feeling Her Majesty The Queen may have always liked Camilla, but kept her cards close to her vest until such a time that she felt it was feasible to openly support Camilla.
Once it became known that Diana herself engaged in extramarital affairs, she lost the high road when it came to Camilla. For all the bad in the world, it’s nice to see a somewhat happy ending for Charles and Camilla, IMO.
And Diana lies lonely in a grave. That’s not a nice end of story! It’s tragic, pure and simple. She’s dead, so no one has to think about her anymore, Charles PR machine gets paid, and Camilla won the GAME. Such a sordid game…
Because I am working in diplomacy, there is Big No for touching The Queen, not even kissing, so they must be kind of close…