On Thursday, I first saw this Vanity Fair cover story – for the December issue – featuring Prince Charles, and I thought “that’s weird, Charles is talking to VF?” And I kind of forgot about it after I read the first few paragraphs. To be fair, this is a really long, involved cover story and you need to dedicate some time to really read it, and read in between the lines. The idea behind it is “this is what the Prince of Wales is like as he turns 70 years old,” but it can and should be read as two decades of intricate public relations paying off. It’s taken that long for Charles to rebrand himself, and to get the British public to tolerate and/or be generally okay with Camilla.
We’ve talked a lot about how Meghan Markle’s entrance into the royal fold seemed to give William and Kate a kick in the ass, but… what if Meghan’s entrance also made Charles and Camilla feel like they needed to do a bit more? The photographer hired for this Vanity Fair shoot is Alexi Lubomirski, the same guy who did Harry and Meghan’s engagement photos and wedding portraits. Charles and Camilla even did touchy-feely M&H-style poses. Meghan really shook up the Windsors, right? Anyway, you can read the full Vanity Fair piece here. You could make the argument that the whole piece was designed as a giant subtweet of his son, the tantrum-prone Billy. Some highlights:
Charles is always prepared: Charles assiduously reads the lengthy briefings that are prepared in advance of all engagements. “So, if he’s meeting an elderly veteran he can say, ‘I know you flew Spitfires in the war,’” a former staff member tells me. “They’re like, ‘Holy sh-t, how did he know that?’” (“The bullet points I remember,” the Duchess says.)
Camilla is the favorite of many royal journalists: “She’s my favorite royal, by a country mile,” I’m told by one correspondent. “She knows all our names, she fosters a sense that we’re all in this together. She always gives you a little gleam in her eye and will find a moment to look at our cameras,” says another. William and Kate, by comparison, go out of their way not to look at the “fixed point” where photographers gather. In general, this correspondent goes on, the younger generation of royals are “control freaks” about their coverage, whereas Charles is “far more relaxed.” As is Camilla. “We think the world of her, we adore her. She’s an amazing woman,” says Sun photographer Arthur Edwards. “She always shows up with a great smile and is never, ever, grumpy.”
Camilla will bring better food & wine to Buckingham Palace as Queen: “They’re in a very good place right now,” says Mark Bolland. “We have a prime minister and government distracted by the horror of Brexit,” says Bolland. “It makes the monarchy stronger, as it is a beacon of stability and hope.” Meanwhile, Camilla has brought to the House of Windsor refreshingly natural warmth and taste. The Duchess’s father was a wine expert and her son is a food writer, Bolland points out, so when Charles becomes King “the flowers at Buckingham Palace will be a lot better, and the food and wine too.” Camilla seems constitutionally suited to being Queen. “She never complains, she never explains,” says a London man-about-town who socializes with the royals. “She’s not an intellectual, but there’s nothing lightweight about her. She’s not a bullsh-tter and she doesn’t take any bullsh-t.”
Camilla has an APIARY!! The Duchess has retained her old house, Ray Mill, to which she escapes periodically. “She doesn’t wake up in the morning thinking about what her title will be,” Elliot adds in jest. Instead, she likes to cook simple English fare, keep her bees, and enjoy visits from her five grandchildren.
Charles & Camilla both adore the Duchess of Sussex: Charles has outspokenness in common with his new daughter-in-law. According to an attendee at the Sussexes’ wedding, Charles and Camilla’s presence was very much felt and appreciated: “He seemed like the settling hand on the whole day—he carried the thing together, while she seemed like she had been doing this forever.” He escorted Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, during the ceremony, and it was Charles who suggested that the phenomenal Kingdom Choir perform at the service. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Sussex get along “aces,” according to a close family friend. “They clearly really like each other. There is real warmth and support. Camilla has been very helpful to Meghan.”
I would say that a good half of the article is devoted to making Camilla sound like an amazing person, and making their marriage sound like it’s the best thing ever. That’s what Charles’ communications office has been doing for 15 years, they’ve been pumping Camilla up with sometimes over-the-top praise. I’m sure she’s quite nice in person, but let’s also be real: Charles knows that the public hasn’t completely embraced her. That being said, how am I just now learning that Camilla has an apiary?!?!?! THAT IS SO COOL.
Anyway, I enjoyed the little jabs at William and Kate – Charles is prepared while William is not, Charles and Camilla are a lot looser with press and public – but I’m suspicious of some of the weirdness around succession. The crack about Camilla introducing better wine, food and flowers to Buckingham Palace seems very strange. Also, near the end of the article, they mention Operation Golden Orb, the “top-secret plan for Charles’s coronation.” Plans really sped up in 2016, when the Queen was sick during the Christmas holiday with what was described at the time as “a heavy cold.” Now VF’s palace insider (??) says that in reality, the Queen’s condition was “quite grave.” Yikes. Why does Charles even want that out there?
Photos courtesy of WENN, cover courtesy of VF.
I can see why the younger royals would be “control freaks” about the coverage, when Diana was alive she was ripped apart by the media so i think her kids are rightfullly cautious as a result.
I think you make a good point and also, let’s be honest, Charles and Camilla have never had even close to the same level of press scrutiny as William and Kate. William and Kate also have young children whom they justifiably wish to protect from an intrusive press. Apples and oranges imo.
It can”t be said that Charles and Camilla haven’t had the same level of press scrutiny. In the wake of everything that happened around Diana and her death, really? They’ve been consistently slated.
C&C have had a MUCH harder time with the press than W&K, who have enjoyed very favourable press.
Totally agree.
@Belluga. Yes it’s very true that Charles and Camilla have had negative press attention but infidelity isn’t a very positive thing is it? Perhaps they were wise enough to realize they had to take their lumps and play the long game. Yet with all of their negative attention they still did not garner the same level of attention as William or especially Kate did over the past few years. They simply weren’t as interesting as older people (like me) aren’t as younger more glamorous people are.
Charles and Camilla have both had lots of press attention. It’s faded off now but it was there. I think Charles generally just had a thicker skin about it. William and Harry haven’t really helped themselves with their attitude towards the press and the press have a lot of say in deciding how you’re portrayed, no matter what you do. Keeping them on side seems important.
Kaiser points out that a lot of the VF article seems to be about over-the-top praise for Camilla. There is also constant over-the-top praise for Meghan and to a lesser extent, Harry. It’s all about favourites and if you can get the press to like you, you can probably get a lot of people to like you.
Charles and Camilla had their private phone conservations hacked and reported by the press. The tampon comment is still being reported decades later. Camilla was attacked for being the other woman who ruined St Diana’s marriage and her looks were criticized non stop. Neither William or Kate faced a fraction of the negative comments and press attention that Camilla has faced.
@Nic919 Camillas certainly has been attacked you are right aboit that but i think Will will always associate his mothers death with the media. He knows he needs the media but he cant help but see the very real damage it can inflict. Will has certainly endured worse from the media than Camilla.
I also want to add….Charles is William’s dad. Father, to be precise…because IDK, William was a child once and the values they insist he doesn’t have? Those are values which are instilled while you’re growing up. Charles should have been one raising them, first with their mother and, especially after they lost her, he should have been there, nurturing, raising, you know, being a dad. I get it, Eton and royal tradition and blablabla…but let’s be honest; he wasn’t a type of dad those of us who talk about our great father figure had. People can claim and rewrite history as much as the want, but I don’t believe in this new narrative #they are and always were very close and he’s a great dad”. If you ask me, their rs was always “heir who can’t wait to be king and heir junior” in the tone of European royalty of 18., 19. century…and, let’s be honest, the context, circumstances and importance of their ruling have totally changed from that time and there really is no need for that kind of family relations. To not be a hands on, caring dad was totally Charles’s decision. Example: King of Norway
They were monsters, but Diana’s fault was in trying to feed and tame the monsters. She thought she could.
Diana also used the monsters in her ongoing war with Charles – she had several favourite journalists to whom she gave damaging information about Charles. Her real mistake was in thinking that she could control the press, turning the press coverage on and off like a light switch – as she found out, once it’s on, it’s on forever.
Diana had her own part to play in the media frenzy. She didn’t deserve to die of course but she was known to pull plenty of strings herself.
Diana didn’t die because of media. She died because she got into a car with an impaired driver going way too fast.
I think the connection is she courted the press not realizing it would remain there even when she didn’t want it-like chasing her down the street in Paris. her drunk driver of course contributed to the crash but she was being chased by photographers who took pictures of her after the crash slumped over the dashboard.
And didn’t wear a seat belt. It’s telling that the only person who survived that crash was the only person wearing a seat belt.
Diana was a sheep among wolves. She thought she could beat them . And she did in a way, cos she showed Chuck’s awful sides. But she didn’t realize how much the same media will abuse her. She was a victim of royals, of the media. It’s not about cheating, it’s about not giving an eff about your kids’ mum. Nothing will change that and if Chuck wasn’t a pig, Diana would not be in that car. And btw his father isn’t his fan, he’s projecting that on Will.
the photographers did flashlight fotography into the driver’s eyes who was blinded by the flashlight. then the accident happened. even drunk drivers are mostly capable of driving a car along a straigth road (tunnel, in this case).
@Cola cookie – the tunnel actually has a precipitous curve at the bottom with large pillars where the car crashed, I’ve been there and seen where the accident happened. If Henri Paul hadn’t been drinking all afternoon, and if Dodi al Fayed hadn’t been urging him to go faster and faster to outrun the papps, the accident wouldn’t have happened. It was a perfect storm.
Totally agree. Diana was being hounded by the papparazzi until the very moment she died. I can see why her sons see them as a necessary evil.
Then they should both step away and go live in Kansas.
You want the taxpayers to pay all your bills for no work, then just shut up and deal.
I’m still with Diana on this–she got a rotten deal when she married Charles, who could not love her as he should have. He should never have chosen her in the first place and Diana might be happily married today to another. Charles should have known himself better and waited for his true love, Camilla, but to then to parade this in front of Diana was pure disrespect of her. I will forever blame Charles for what came after and for Diana’s subsequent treatment by the press and others. She made her mistakes after that, yes, but she was hurt, unloved and pushed away. It was wrong of Charles to cause this turn of events and to not actually love the woman he married. The royal spotlight would both adore and later hurt her.
I thought the succession would automatically go to Charles no? can they skip him and go to William?
Why would they want to?! William is petulant and workshy, and only very recently starting increasing his workload. He’s not prepared to be King. Like him or not, Charles is.
Charles would need to abdicate. Parliament can remove the monarch (I think? Someone more knowledgeable correct me!), but there would need to be a major reason because that would be a complete scandal. People being a bit iffy towards Charles wouldn’t get through.
Historically, Parliament has removed an English monarch twice. Once through violence (the execution of Charles I) and once through secret negotiations in combination with a Dutch invasion (they kicked the catholic James II to the curb and invited his daughter Mary and her husband the Dutch Stadtholder William of Orange to become monarchs).
However, those were rather extraordinary circumstances.
No William needs more time to mature and settle into his role. I have hope he will be decent in time but not yet. Charles will be a good Monarch and is more than prepared.
Charles has been invested as the Prince of Wales since 1969
it follows hundreds of years of tradition. They are not ‘skipping’ Charles. He’s earned his crown
It will automatically go to Charles, barring an act of Parliament or an abdication on his part. I don’t particularly care either way who “comes next” (QE2 has been the monarch for far longer than I’ve been alive, and I think she’s awesome) but I do get tired of tabloids and such hinting that Charles will somehow be passed over. It doesn’t work that way, lol.
Blah blah Charles is ready to be king etc, but what bugs me is people saying Camilla will be queen. She’ll be Queen Consort & have roughly the same status and role as Prince Phillip. When William’s time comes the Duchess of Cambridge will also be Queen Consort. The only person in the line of succession who even has a shot at being an actual monarch queen is Princess Charlotte.
When they talk about Camilla being queen, they’re referring back to when Charles and Camilla got married and because of her unpopularity at the time, the talk was that she would be Princess Consort or something like that when he’s king. I personally see no reason why she can’t be queen now that they’re a bit more popular.
Charles wants that crown BAD.
They are so thirsty, I love this.
Could it ever skip a generation and go straight to Will ? or does that never happen
LOL at thirsty.
The Glorious Revolution was the case where a monarch abdicated (by force) in favor of the next generation. However in this case, in my opinion, it would be far more destabilizing to force Charles to abdicate/step aside than to just let him take the throne and be a monarch who may be unpopular/tolerated for what is expected to be a relatively short period of time.
I don’t see it that way at all. Inheriting the crown will mean his mother has died, and I sincerely doubt he’s craving that. I think the more reasonable explanation for articles like this and Charles being seen doing functions HM usually does, is that they are preparing the world for the transition.
And given how beloved the Queen is, it’s not a bad idea to remind people that she is human and that day will eventually come. Describing a past situation as “grave” might help mentally prepare people for the day.
I also think this reflects the idea floated that Charles feels he can’t talk to Will due to his anger and mood swings, but publicly shaming him may get through to him. man that sounds like what people do to trump-talk to him through tv interviews. I think casual royal followers assume kate and will are more popular than charles and camilla but older people who remember and kept up with royal news more often and longer see that Will and kate are not popular in that crowd because they are seen as workshy. so I think who is more popular can depend on who you ask. no way Will becomes king until he’s much, much older. at first I thought mentioning how sick the queen and Philip were back in 2016 was tacky AF but I think all of this is their way of letting people know he’ll be king soon, get used to it. IMO after the dust settles from the Queen’s death people will not be happy to continue to pay huge taxes to maintain the monarchy. People feel loyalty now because of how long she’s been Queen, and she’s on the money-but I think people’s loyalty will go when she passes and see the monarchy for what it is-wasting lots of money. That was most british actors responses when asked about harry and meg’s wedding-‘how much money will be spent? Seriously?’
He is also desperate for Camilla to be crowned Queen – this is what the current publicity is about
Again, Camilla won’t be “crowned Queen” – at best she’ll merely be Queen Consort, which means she’s just the King’s spouse, much as Prince Phillip is QEII’s consort. She won’t be a monarch, any more than Phillip is. The only person in the royal line of succession who could be a real queen – that is, the reigning monarch – is Princess Charlotte.
In the UK, Queen Consorts are anointed and crowned.
How is it “thirsty” of Charles to want what he has been groomed for his entire life? For right or wrong, the BRF shill that it’s their God-given birthright/duty to be monarchs. Now whether there should be a BRF anymore is a separate issue. I just don’t understand why Charles is looked upon as thirsty for wanting the Crown when that is what his entire life is about. I don’t think he’s plotting an early demise for his mother.
I also think the “Charles is unpopular so he should be bypassed and it go straight to Wills” line is ridiculous. Royals are monarchs by birthright, not by favorable polling.
And she’s dead but Diana was no saint when alive.
I actually really like Prince Charles, it will be interesting to see him once he is king. I don’t understand why people want Him to be skipped over in favour of William who hates everything about his position except the perks ( and i’m the same age as Will!) people will forever keep bringing up that he cheated on Diana and everything else but I honestly feel he has proven he is more than capable for his role and so does Camilla if she does end up queen consort or whatever other title. Charles charities and organizations have done amazing stuff, he’s been considered weird and sensitive all his life but I share some of his environmental views and ideas and I find him actually refreshing and a bit of a visionary, he will be most likely a controversial king but I feel after his time people will find he was right in some aspect or another. The whole he cheated on Diana bit has to be let go by people at this point; most royals cheat, have mistresses etc. Marrying for love in royal circles is a fairly new concept and I honestly feel both Diana and Charles were victims of their own environment.
I used to think Will should be the next monarch of England but I’m not so sure as time passes and I see how he acts. He doesn’t seem mature enough nor does he appear to want the responsibility.
And to be quite honest to be bestowed with that type of Power and money and he seems to not want it due to the responsibility….. then maybe he should not be king.
To whom much is given, much is expected.
I don’t think it has anything to do with maturity of Will. His behavior shows that he isn’t crazy about becoming a king, otherwise he would’ve worked on at least appearing like someone who can and will take charge.
They’re preparing. The mention of Brexit is no accident. The kingdom is in a state of flux and they’re worried that everything could fall apart should the queen die before anything is settled, so they’re priming everyone.
They need people to embrace Charles, but William and Kate’s bad press is a big obstacle standing in the way of that happening. This is Charles letting people know that even if his son is not prepared to be king, he is.
Whatever bad press William and Kate have gotten, and they’ve not gotten a lot IMO, their popularity far surpasses Charles.
It’s not going to happen but polls have shown that more people want William to succeed the Queen not Charles, so Charles task is to get people to embrace him as the next monarch.
The amount of energy expended in debating an impossible popularity poll re the succession is mind boggling! As though there could be a vox pop and the winner gets the ermine. Heh heh. (Not relating to you….just butting in here!)
Vox populi is not going to lead to Charles being passed over for William, as I previously noted, but the point I was making is that the last thing that Charles needs to concern himself with is negative views of the heir to the heir.
I don’t think Charles is shading William with his talk about being prepared, I think he wants his subjects to feel he cares deeply for them. Basic PR stuff.
@Megan
Oh, of course. But there’s a message at large – “I’m paying attention, I see you” – and there’s the underlying message as well, i.e. “I work, I give my all – unlike some others.” There are multiple strategies at play here.
What bad press for William and Kate?? They don’t get much bad press. Meghan has taken that from them.
PATTYCAKES why mention Meghan at all when she is not relevant to this article?
The Queen is 92, and with Brexit on the horizon the UK is about to enter years of uncomfortable, unpleasant change. She may well ride it all out, but it’s quite likely Charles will become King during a pretty rough period. It makes sense he’s trying to sort of prep people for it now.
He’s been the heir so long that I think when people think of him becoming King it still feels like something that’s a long way off. When realistically it could be any time now. He does kind of need to start making it feel like it will be a natural transition, because if it feels like a momentous upheaval in the middle of another momentous upheaval, I don’t think that’ll bode well for his reign or for the monarchy as a whole.
I don’t think most people bought the “heavy cold” at the time. HM is in her 90s and for her, having been so dedicated to service all her life, to start canceling appearances and stay home, well…I figured it was way worse than reported.
I agree, and that they’re revealing the true seriousness now seems like a way to start preparing people for the fact that yes, she is elderly and frail and will eventually die.
I figured it was more like the flu. The flu could put anyone out of commission for weeks, but it’s particularly dangerous for the elderly
Heavy cold can also be code for pneumonia.
Based on my experience with my parents, I thought it might have been pneumonia… and it doesn’t treat the elderly kindly. The Queen seems to have literally bent in the last few years. Age and death come to us all.
My eyes are rolling; I’m picturing The Windsors 😂
LOL 😂😂😂
LOL!!!
I think they are preparing the public for Charles’ ascension either due to either the queen’s abdication or death. I say 18 months to 2 years is the timeframe.
Starting to look like it. Perhaps the Queen is rather envious of Philip and his retirement lol! She probably never expected he would do such a thing and good on him I say!
I’m a little surprised she isn’t with him. He’s very old and she has earned the right to put herself first, go be with your husband while you can. I wonder how often they even see each other, now?
Unless she’s recently had a complete change of heart, she’ll never abdicate. The queen believes that this role is a lifelong duty.
A future king, future head of the Church of England should not be using the press to insinuate any negative comments about his sons. Are you not supposed to be a role model to millions?
To be in an article that compares how Camilla, Charles are so great with reporters (ironic since hated all the media attention of Diana and when Diana would pose) to William and Kate is actually disgraceful to whom he is supposed to represent to many.
Rebranding yourself by being petty is not the solution going forward.
After HM passes, both heirs, Charles and William leave much to be desired.
Agree.
I agree. All these little jabs at William (which seem to be coming from and/or approved by Charles), seem to be Charles way of increasing his own popularity. Paint Will as the bad guy, suddenly Charles looks better. Charles recognizes that Harry’s popularity is peak, so he is capitalizing on that by claiming that he was the one to embrace Meghan, etc. Not that it isn’t true, but this just really feels like he is pushing this narrative for his own image, at the expense of his eldest son. (True or not, a father should really not be doing this…)
I said it the other day – he’s actually no better than the Markes with the way he feeds negative info to the press about his sons.
He’s thrown the kids to the press multiple times (leaking when they met Camilla etc), so it’s rich to me that he’s trying to claim that they are ‘control freaks’ and he’s just a laid back guy. This guy has been obsessed with his press image for decades-during the first marriage, during the divorce, after Diana had passed, during the second marriage-during when the grandkids were born.
No wonder William and Harry are leery of the press. Their dad has totally used it as his tool (and mom had her own issues with media-both of her own making and otherwise)
Charles has always been aggressive with PR. His PR campaign when Will and Harry were teens was intense. He had no issue with throwing them under the bus to make himself look good. He wanted to be seen as the amazing single parent of wayward kids. He only cared about his and Camilla’s images. Will and Harry set up their own press office because they knew they couldn’t trust their fathers team. Charles knew it too and that’s why he pays for it. God forbid he just stop using his kids to make himself look better.
Yeah, agreed. People assume the tension in his and William’s relationship is all due to William, but I would be petulant toward a parent that seems to have no issue putting me down to make himself look better. Charles has been trying to improve his and Camilla’s popularity for the last 15 years and has no trouble throwing his sons under the bus repeatedly in the process, even if that meant sharing things the boys had wanted to keep private.
Yes, but this all makes for good entertainment, and frankly, that’s what the RF is for in this day and age.
The apparent heir to be King has been skipped over as recently as Charles Grandfather, King George Vl .
In this case, however, there is no way, Charles would quietly step aside in favor of his son. He has been chomping at the bit all his life for this.
Huh? Edward VIII did ascend the throne and then abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson. And he did NOT go quietly by any measure. He was not the heir at the time of abdication; he was the monarch. He was most definitely NOT skipped over. His younger brother, Albert, then ascended to the throne after the abdication and became George VI.
The heir apparent in that case (Edward VIII) wasn’t “skipped over,” he made the conscious choice to abdicate the throne, thereby making George VI the king. Think of it this way, imagine a world where Charles didn’t have any children. Queen Elizabeth II dies (as all must do eventually) and he decides he won’t be king. Since he has no children, the throne then goes to his younger brother, Prince Andrew.
Edward didn’t decide he just didn’t want to be king. He was the king and very much felt he should be king and be should able to marry Wallis. It was only when it became a certainty that his govt would step down and create a constitutional crisis that he was convinced to abdicate.
And let’s face it: Wallis being divorced wasn’t so much the issue as the excuse to force him to abdicate. The fact that both of them were Nazi sympathizers (Wallis was the German ambassador’s mistress) willing to give the country to Hitler was seen as a greater problem. It’s why, when it was time, Camilla was more easily accepted; she had many defaults, but she’s not a nazi
Interesting excerpts; I’ll have to read the whole thing.
The part about Camilla and the press was definitely shade at W&K. Not even shade – basically just outright criticism, lol.
I wonder if we will see more of Camilla’s children when Charles becomes king. Like it has to be weird to have a stepfather who is the future King of England, even though the kids were all adults when they got married. I’m thinking about things like the Trooping, or Ascot. Or will they continue to lay low?
I also fully believe that Camilla will improve the wine selection at BP lol.
From the excerpts it seems the big takeaway is that Charles and Camilla understand and accept their roles and the obligations that come along with that – preparing for events, good relationship with the press, etc. will and kate aren’t there yet.
The bit about how Charles always reads his briefing papers was very telling – I remember how, on Will & Kate’s last trip to Canada, Will admitted that he hadn’t even looked at the briefing papers beforehand. That was so embarrassing.
I didn’t know it! William is so unprofessional.
I keep hearing this comment but not the context. Was it a joke? And which tour to Canada? Back in 2011 when he was just married? Was he talking about a particular event or an entire tour?
I find it hard to believe he can pull off multiple tours and hundreds of events a year (including one to the Middle East) with almost all positive press and not be prepared. How many events has he spoken alongside Theresa May this year alone? You can’t ‘wing’ all of that.
@Melania, yeah he really said it. He was at a hospital his mother was affiliated with (if memory serves) and the person he was speaking with knew Diana. William then said that he didn’t know that – or something along those lines – even though that information was in his notes. And he outright admitted he didn’t read them. They simply don’t care and just want the government purse to live out of.
@Danielle it was the last tour – 2016? The one with both kids with them. It’s the kind of thing where even if he prepares for every.other.event, making that comment is going to haunt him for a long time. For example, in this article -its definitely why the bit about how well-prepared Charles always is was included.
Camilla looks like she’s in mourning.
Hmmm if his relationship with his sons wasn’t already too hot can’t see how this will help.
I’ve a feeling that we could see an end to the Monarchy in the next few decades, her Maj’s great strength in the eyes of the public was her silence. Charles is far too thirsty to ever comply with that, which will make him just kind of an unelected politician… no thanks
I agree. The public is very sentimental about Elizabeth, and when she passes, they will most likely not have the same feeling about Charles. I can see that when Charles passes. so will the monarchy. I don’t think William wants to be king anyway.
Something is going on at BP with regard to Charles taking over at approx 95%. HM wants to spend her last years together with Philip in Sandringham.
This is all campaign PR.
Camilla may be generally OK as a friend or some kind of confidante but she was especially rotten to the late Diana between years 1981-1985.
Charles and Camilla may be a true love match and I do, to a certain degree, wish them well but they need to go away. In fact, all of them royals should be permanently warehoused unless they want to become a 100% benevolent monarchy which is extremely unlikely.
The carbon footprint and other crimes against humanity including taxpayers the perpetrator Charles and others including his heir BILL MIDDLETON grows bigger every year. STOP THE GRAVY TRAIN.
They were rotten to each other 33 -37 years ago. At what point does the general public move on?
The shadow of the late Diana still looms large.
I do, however, believe Charles will get his wish with regard to Camilla being crowned Queen Consort. Charles really wants it. Camilla, I truly believe, doesn’t care about her title at all when or if Charles is crowned King. That Princess Consort plan (lie) for Camilla years ago was part of the serious campaign to gain acceptance of Charles’s second marriage.
I suspect, for a variety of reasons, some not involving the history of Diana, Charles and Camilla won’t be terribly popular throughout the Commonwealth. One big reason is their age. But they can’t help that.
How bitchy is this man? What sort of father throws shade at his son via the press? Charles seems to be a posher version of Thomas Markle and frankly i wouldn’t be surprised if he were riding on the popularity wave of Meghan to make himself look like a model father.
If anything it explains why Will is so close to his in-laws.
Right? I think this is frankly quite grim, I think the Monarchy are a waste of time and money, but seeing parents throw their kids under the bus like this is really bad. Charles is a narcissist and always has been.
If I was Wills I’d hang about with the Middletons too, fair enough people might think theyre social climbers or whatever… but they actually seem like a nice close family! As a family who would you rather emulate, the Miďdletons… or the Wales lol!
This isn’t the first time he’s thrown his sons under the bus and won’t be the last. The future king seems like a petty, insecure individual and that doesn’t bode well for his reign.
This, so much this! lol People don’t understand that Charles is using Meghan and even Doria to make himself look like father of the bloody year! Incredible. No better than Mr Markle. Markle just did it all out in the open. It’s so funny people think Charles is so warm and affectionate towards his sons haha. I also don’t understand the shade thrown towards the Middletons… They’re a very warm, tight-knit family, Will comes from the complete opposite.. so is it any wonder Will gravitated towards Kate’s family They’re social climbers, so what? Everyone who marries into Royalty are social climbers. Yes, even Duchess of Sussex.
I want Lubormiski even for the Baby Sussex pics.
That is a rather magnificent cover photo. Kudos to the photographer.
I loved Diana but tbqh I like Charles and Camilla. Charles will be a much better king than William at the current rate. He takes his job seriously, he’s engaged & committed. He does it very well.
Charles has always been his own worst enemy. Not Diana, not William, and not Kate. Charles priority has always been about looking after number one even ahead of his own children.
I still think Charles downfall will be his continuous meddling into politics. Decades of meddling means he’s already made a lot of enemies within the government. The reason the Queen has remained popular over the years is because she keeps her mouth shut. Charles is not the same which will make his reign a rocky one.
Charles is grand and hopelessly fussy, while Diana was mercurial. William inherited parts of each of their personalities, along with some good qualities. I think Camilla is good for Charles, and had they been born a generation later, they would have married young (instead of Diana) despite Camilla’s “past” (which honestly wasn’t as racy as Charles, Anne or Andy’s sexual history). Camilla would probably be happier in a Scandinavian style monarchy.
QEII will probably retire at 95 due to “memory recall issues” or some other appropriate phrase, and Charles will become Prince Regent. I assume QEII will live as long as her mother (100) and then Charles will announce that he will serve for 10 years and retire at age 85, allowing William to become king and serve a long reign.
That will force William to begin to prepare in earnest, to ascend the throne around age 50ish. We all grow and mature, and I hope William does as well. He’s dealt with Stalkerazzi his whole life, so I doubt he will ever have a happy relationship with the press.
Camilla married Andrew Parker-Bowles while Charles was away with the navy. Parker-Bowles was the catch within their circle (he dated Anne, too) and Camilla was delighted to have him. Honestly, if Diana hadn’t blown everything up with her Panorama interview, Camilla and Andrew might still be married (and carrying on their own affairs—Andrew was notoriously unfaithful).
The Firm didn’t stop Camilla from marrying Charles, she just didn’t want to do it.
this seemed to be edward the nazi’s problem, as well (staying out of politics)
The article doesn’t seem to be directly quoted to Charles whatsoever, just from others who claim to be ‘in the know’.
I don’t see how Charles, himself, threw any shade at his son. It was a journalist who provided the quotes.
Agree. I highly doubt Charles would be publicly petty like that. He’s earned his role as King. And while I’m sorry that Diana and he ended up such a mess, I understand how it came about … it’s nice he’s with someone he truly loves who enjoys the monarchy role she has to play. People marry and divorce all the time – theirs was just worldwide news.
” I highly doubt Charles would be publicly petty like that.” He’s done this forever.
How do you think royals throw shade without looking petty? They have “an insider” make anonymous quotes, so they themselves look blameless, but they are pulling strings like mad.
I don’t see any reference to Kate or William when they talk about Charles’s being prepared. It was just a comment on Charles is. Camilla compared his preparedness to herself, Kate and William weren’t so much as alluded to.
God, I love Camilla. Whatever PR Charles has gotten for her really works for me. She seems so warm and their marriage seems like a great partnership.
I love her too. I think it reminds me in some ways of Harry and Meghan – you can really tell how happy Charles is when he’s around her. It doesn’t erase every negative thing obviously, but still, its clear to see how they feel about each other.
She would be the royal I would want hang out with (if I cant hang with Megs.)
“The crack about Camilla introducing better wine, food and flowers to Buckingham Palace seems very strange.”
I’ve read comments before about the food at BP being not especially great. Even state dinners have been rated for bland, basic food. The queen doesn’t have particularly refined taste in that area. But Charles and Camilla, with their interest in farming, gardening, and producing their own estate food, have been mentioned as great hosts at Highgrove. I am sure there is an expectation the food will improve when they are making the menus. It just seems weird to throw shade now, when the queen is likely going to be hosting her last state dinners in the next year or two.
I think of the scene in The Crown where Mountbatten offers to help in getting a better chef, and the Queen doesn’t see anything wrong with the food.
Hard pass. He is a disgusting, arrogant hypocrite and a creep (That age difference with Diana just horrifies me. Who does he think he is, Joseph Smith?!), and what the hell kind of father criticizes his son in an interview? Absolute and utter piece of trash.
Charles has also been around a lot of disturbing people- pedos, shady businessmen, the list is endless. They HAVE ALL cosied up to him and he’s thought absolutely nothing of it. Doesn’t bode well for a future King. Seems like he’s easily influenced and won over.
The man and woman who threw the man’s children under the bus during their rebranding tour and who still fight for positive popularity are chummy with the press and make sure they always get their photo? I’m shocked. Just shocked.
I like Camilla now. I really respect what she’s done with her issues. She’s dedicated and involved with some substantive causes that deserve the attention. She seems like she’d be a hoot to have a drink with. PC is probably the most prepared and trained prince in history for the job he’s about to undertake. But for anyone associated with C&C to pretend that Charles and Camilla aren’t totally conscious of their public image and aren’t control freaks in their own way about how they’re presented in the press/public is disingenuous at best.
Last year for every 2 articles talking about Diana’s death and/or the boys’ POV on her death there was at least one Diana-be-crazy, C&C-aren’t-so-bad article from someone associated with C&C. IIRC years ago they leaked when the boys met Camilla and didn’t PC’s team leak that teen Harry was on the verge of becoming an addict and daddy stepped in to save him? Maybe teen Harry did or didn’t have issues but leaking anything like that to the press was awful and leaking that PC alone stepped in to save Harry from himself was totally self-serving.
I, for one, like Charles and Camilla. Camilla seems like she would be great company and I think he is a better person and father than he was made out to be in the Diana years.
I love the formal outfits Camilla wears. They are for the most part stunningly beautiful outfits.
She looks Great, and everything she does is subtle and she is so self assured, which helps Charles enormously, that and her sense of humor. Her clothing is amazing. She would make a great queen, and That’s from a huge Diana fan. Diana and Camilla were opposites of each other, and Charles must really regret what happened except he has his two sons. I wish people would stop criticizing William and Kate like they aren’t allowed to be people with issues they always have to be perfect…who can live like that in today’s world.
The Windsor family is chock full of complex characters. Every person who’s a major “player” today (Charles, Camilla, Will, Kate, Harry, Meghan) is interesting b/c they have rich backstories, their own personal and private nightmares, and their own strengths, and plus they have interesting relationships. At least this family has always served the drama hard and as someone who doesn’t have to be their subject in any form, I have enjoyed watching it play out and will continue to enjoy watching it play out.
Sorry, but we don’t pay for them to be your entertainment. We don’t pay for multi-millionaire actors and actresses to swan around the place and live in huge estates! I understand people see them as celebrities, but they aren’t celebrities and they should never step into the celebrity role.
Charles was, literally, born to be King. And he will reign. Moreover, I think he’ll be a good monarch. (But of course, I shall miss the Queen).
Did Diana really love Charles? So young, so immature and they were no match in terms of interests. At all. And he felt some sort of pressure to marry. It didn’t bother Diana when she had affairs with married men.
What will be the unpleasant future with Brexit? Wasn’t the Queen rumored to be in favor of it?
I think that Diana had a school girl crush on him. She had photographs of him on her wall at boarding school and devoured romance novels by Barbara Cartland – the ones where a sweet young girl is swept off her feet by a prince. The feelings she had for him were more for her romanticized fantasy of him than the real person.
Ms Cartland was Diana’s step-grandma.
Charles has always and still loves Camilla and how do we know this? He is still this many years later trying to protective her and present her as he sees her. Wonder what he would have been if he had married her first? Think we would have had a very different Charles.
I am feeling sympathetic towards William for the first time. What an awful dude, who throws shade at his own children? The times were you were supposed to plot and shade to ensure continuity are done, the Royal Family is supposed to be special and a role model, that’s why they are “different” from us. Too much money is spent on them to try to appear like normal rich guys.
I may be in the minority here but I rather like Charles. I think he treated Diana abominably but she had her own faults too. I think he tries to do good things and, while sometimes he fails, I think he will make a decent king. And he’s not throwing his son to the press – that was someone else.
I also like Camilla – she seems like the type that would be wonderful to have a glass of whiskey with. Again, the two of them behaved very badly back in the 80s but I do think they’ve done a good job of repairing some of the damage.
I can’t believe I’m defending Charles…lol
The cover picture is gorgeous. Love how well dressed he always . is.. looks like a king..or someoe in the royal family. no holes in the shoe or crumpled khakis for sure;-)
hahaha, Harry is dressing real sloppy lately. He needs to do better. it’s not as if Harry doesn’t have the money!
William and Kate didn’t go to Charles’ birthday concert last month. They went to a family outing that day. I see an two front war Charles is going to face with the Cambridges and the Yorks.
A war because they chose a nice family day instead of being at one of a dozen birthday parties held for Charles this year? Pls.
Charles dies, William abdicates and Harry becomes King.
George, Charlotte, and then Louie are ahead of Harry in the line of succession.
If William abdicates before George turns 18 then he, Char and Louie are out of the line of succession.
William abdicating before his children turn eighteen would not automatically remove them from succession.
Harry doesn’t want to be King, but he would be Regent or something if that were to happen before the kids are of age.
People love the Queen. It’s so petty and odd that Charles would go out of his way to try to one up her wine and food service.
I think he wants the public to accept Camilla even more than himself. His loyalty her is …interesting. Sometimes it seems he’ll even throw himself under the bus for her. I think he should just accept that people will always have a soft spot for Diana, even with her faults and warts. Camilla has probably been good to Charles but she’s never been one to spark much interest as a person so, duh, of course she’s going to be less reticent with the press.
I think they’re all as bad as each other in many, many ways. But it’s also true that Brexit is a clusterf*ck of a shambles, and at the moment the Royal Family seem a beacon of relative stability and sanity, who knew?!
I have always thought I would thoroughly enjoy a G&T with Camilla, she always seems to have a cheeky twinkle in her eye … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJ5Qj6ySfg
I read about William and Kate being super lazy. I have no idea if that is true. I like Anne a great deal because she works hard. The Queen and Philip have worked hard their whole lives. I like those two best. I like C & C okay. I felt sorry for Diana because I think she had mental health issues going way back. It looks to me like the Royal Family looks better than Brexit.
I truly, honestly cannot see how this was a jab at William. So if he says anything about himself it is to say without saying that the opposite it true of William?? Um…ok…..
I’m not sure some of you know what shade means.
He killed Dianna
Every time I read about C&C’s relationship, I wish they had been able to get married in the first place. I did get early for both Diana’s wedding and funereal and followed gossip about her but I think everyone would have been better off if C&D had never gotten married. Certainly, the monarchy might not be as internationally popular as is now nor would we have Polo Baby news, but many people could have been spared a lot of pain.
It will be interesting to see how the monarchy changes over the over the next decade or so. I don’t think TQ will formally abdicate like other European royals, but she will most likely slow down and spend more time with Philip (and who could blame her? Many couples get time for themselves at the end). I wonder if W&K will step up as they keeping claiming they will or if more responsibility will be pushed to H&M.
Camila didn’t want to marry Charles.
She wanted Andrew Parker-Bowles. She started sleeping again with Charles in retaliation against Andrew’s affairs. Maybe over time it grew into love again. The once person who could top Andrew Parker Bowles was the Prince of Wales. In some ways, I think she and Diana are oddly similar. Both were in love with men who got drawn to other people. Both got entangled in affairs with other men to get over losing their husbands other women. Both didn’t seem to realize how their behaviour was similar to the behaviour they despised. In Camilla’s case, she was lucky enough to find love with Charles (or maybe it was easy to since he was THE Prince of Wales) and Diana wound up with a string of lovers she regretted sleeping with. The course of their lives aren’t significantly different in my mind though.
Oddly enough, I think Charles, though he may not outwardly admit it, developed some compassion for Diana after her death. His behaviour during the funeral seemed to indicate some kind of feeling for her. It’s never really been clear to me whether Camilla did.
I loved Diana. However, I’ve come to appreciate, like, admire and even love Camilla. Of anyone in the Royal Family, I’d have a drink or tea with Camilla and TQ of course.
Charles and Diana’s marriage was a dis-functional mess, and the kids watched dad deal with it by being cold and remote. Is he really surprised his kids have anger about it? Ruddy good dad my ass!
Charles is a snappy dresser. William isn’t bad most of the time. Harry is a mess. His suits look like hand-me downs too small for him, often cheap-looking , and usually light blue. It’s like he has two suits thrown over a chair and just picks one up and throws it on.
Doesn’t sound like this came from Charles’ camp to me.
Im sooo glad th flowers wine and food in BP will improve when Charles becomes king….yea th BRF are really slumming it at th mo….glad my tax money’s not going to waste.
Oh heck! What will Scammy and daddy dearest do, the Queen invited Doria for Christmas at Sandringham.
Why are people more interested in British royals versus other royals around the world? Do they have more juicy drama or something? I know during the Diana days they had plenty of drama, but now? I guess they will milk it and stay relevant as long as possible.