King Charles Treats Queen Camilla Differently Than Diana in One Major Way And William Has Taken Note, Says Royal Author

Simon Vigar says that Prince William and his father have the same philosophy about their royal wives.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla wearing tweed jackets and kilts sitting next to each other
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William and King Charles might have different approaches to royal life, but there’s one sweet thing they share in common. King Charles has been married to Queen Camilla for 21 years, while the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated their 15th anniversary this year. But although their marriages might be quite different, The Queen and Princess Kate have the same influence on their husbands in a way that Princess Diana didn't.

"William definitely visibly relaxes when Catherine is near, and you see a similar thing with Charles and Camilla, actually," Simon Vigar, author of The Four Wives of Windsor, told Hello! magazine.

The royal biographer added that King Charles used to get jealous when crowds favored Princess Diana at royal events, but he’s more than happy to let Queen Camilla take the lead, just like Prince William does with Kate.

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"William is very happy for Catherine to take the spotlight in a way that back in the day Charles wasn't with Diana, of course, but he is now with Camilla,” Vigar said. "They are clearly a double act.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales took on a secret visit to Cornwall last week on the same day Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to public events, but the Waleses took their "double act" to Northern Ireland for a series of royal engagements on October 9.

Vigar noted that when it comes to royal duties, William and Kate are "even stronger" together.

"It's very hard to do that job on your own, and I think we'll see an even stronger double act when the time comes, when William becomes King," Vigar said, adding that the Princess of Wales is "obviously very, very important to him personally and publicly."

Kristin Contino
Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.