Queen Camilla turned 78 on Thursday, July 17, with the Royal Family sharing a series of beautiful new portraits of Her Majesty to mark the occasion. And although she's faced incredible scrutiny surrounding her relationship with King Charles, a former royal staffer is weighing in on how The Queen has helped her husband see the lighter side of life.
Grant Harrold, who served as a butler to The King from 2004 to 2011, shared that the monarch's relationship with Queen Camilla has "changed him for the better." Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, Harrold said, "She's helped him become more comfortable and more himself, I think we see more of the real him thanks to her."
“She makes him laugh a lot," he continued. "We always see him laughing now. I'm not saying he didn't laugh before, or he didn't have fun, but there was a point where he did become quite serious, probably when he was extremely unhappy in his previous marriage."
The King and Queen are seen after their 2023 coronation.
Queen Camilla is seen in one of her 78th birthday portraits, taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson.
Harrold said that the couple—who recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary—complement each other and The Queen brings out The King's more lighthearted qualities. He shared, "suddenly you see him laughing and joking and and being more like himself again and comfortable with her, it is amazing and she's been an amazing support to him."
When it comes to public engagements, royal sources have shared that The King can be overly chatty at times, and Camilla is the only one who can get him to move along—sometimes with a gentle nudge of her handbag. That being said, Harrold said that Camilla is "not only a support, she's also very good at keeping him focused."
Their Majesties are often seen laughing together, and Harrold shared that Camilla "has a great sense of humor, and she does encourage him to be more relaxed and I suppose not take life so seriously to an extent."
