The Princess of Wales’ Popularity is “Unsettling” for King Charles and Queen Camilla, Expert Says

King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales

(Image credit: Getty)

published 27 May 2023

Earlier this week, Marie Claire reported that the Princess of Wales caught some heat for upstaging her father-in-law King Charles at the Chelsea Flower Show, a longtime favorite event in the royal diary for Her late Majesty. (This, of course, was the King’s first show since he became monarch back in September, and his and Queen Camilla’s visit was planned in advance; Kate’s visit, which garnered much of the attention, was a surprise.)

The Daily Mail reports that Kate’s popularity is “unsettling” for the King and Queen, but royal expert Kate Mansey says that, with the Chelsea Flower Show in particular, Kate “was not competing” with her in-laws: “I think she’s a great model for the monarchy [and] for the royal family, and they appreciate that,” Mansey says on the “Palace Confidential” podcast. “They wouldn’t have had her there if they didn’t think it would be brilliant, so I think there’s a way they can all exist.” Mansey added “a bit of glam and glitz from Catherine [is welcome]. There’s room for everybody.”

Royal expert Richard Eden says that, before Her late Majesty died, there were royal aides who wanted Charles and Camilla to complete as many engagements as possible with Prince William and Kate—think the 2021 James Bond premiere, where Kate wore the glittery gold gown—as an attempt to make the two couples “the new Fab Four” following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure as working members of the royal family in 2020.

“I think that was a chance to show that this was the future of the monarchy and it’s in safe hands, that sort of thing,” Eden says. “Now that [Charles and Camilla] are King and Queen, it is slightly different. They want lots of attention for their causes and the things that they feel strongly about, so it could be a bit unsettling if they don’t get their attention.”

In his memoir Spare, and per The Daily Mail, “Prince Harry claimed King Charles was envious of the Princess of Wales’ media coverage and allegedly accused her and Prince William of ‘drawing attention away from him and Camilla.’”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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