King Charles Couldn't "Shield" Prince William and Prince Harry From the "Cringing Embarrassment" of One Royal Family Scandal
"It's excruciating to imagine what William endured," one royal expert said.
The Royal Family has been the subject of many scandals, and King Charles has often found himself at the center of tumultuous sagas. For instance, in 1993, The King's extramarital affair with Queen Camilla made the headlines, and the monarch was unable to "shield" his sons—Prince William and Prince Harry—from the drama.
As reported by the Daily Mail, "In January 1993, a six-minute, 1,574-word transcript of the then-Prince of Wales speaking to Camilla four years prior was leaked to the press in a sordid controversy dubbed 'Camillagate.'" The illicitly recorded phone conversation—which was depicted in an episode of Netflix's The Crown—was somewhat explicit, and included Charles allegedly telling Camilla he'd like to be "reincarnated" as her "tampon."
Per the outlet, royal author Robert Lacey said of the saga, "There could be no shielding William and Harry from the ear-nose-and-toe-cringing embarrassment of 'Camillagate.'" According to the Daily Mail, the conversation was reportedly captured by an "amateur radio enthusiast," who later "sold the recording to a little-known Australian New Age magazine."
"There could be no shielding William and Harry from the ear-nose-and-toe-cringing embarrassment."
The transcript was published on January 17, 1993, and quickly caused problems for the Royal Family. "The ensuing scandal also sparked calls for Charles, then 44, to step down from the succession in favor of his eldest son, then 10-year-old Prince William," the Daily Mail reported.
Writing in her book The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor—The Truth and the Turmoil, royal expert Tina Brown shared, "It's excruciating to imagine what kind of Tampax-related ridicule of his father William endured."
"It's excruciating to imagine what kind of Tampax-related ridicule of his father William endured."
As for how the scandal affected Charles and Camilla's relationship, Brown explained (via the Daily Mail), "The Camillagate tape robbed the two lovers of any cover at all." She continued, "The brutal exposure ended any murmuring mystique around the status of 'royal mistress' and reduced it to something that sounded furtive and squalid."
Undoubtedly, the "Camillagate" saga must have been a terrible experience for young princes William and Harry.
