Royal Biographer Says This Unlikely Member of the Royal Family Has Been “Reborn” in Queen Camilla
Gyles Brandreth says that he thought one royal "was irreplaceable" until he saw how Queen Camilla operated.
Queen Camilla is said to have given King Charles a new confidence as he takes on his role as monarch, and according to biographer Gyles Brandreth, their relationship brings to mind another successful royal couple. In his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, the author wrote that observing Camilla has convinced him that she’ll be “the co-author” of The King’s success, just like Prince Philip was for Queen Elizabeth.
Brandreth worked alongside the late Duke of Edinburgh with the National Playing Fields Association, now known as Fields Trust, beginning in the 1970s, and wrote that he “liked his style.”
Much like Queen Camilla with her royal work, Prince Philip “wanted to make a difference where others, often, only make a noise,” Brandreth wrote. “He wasn’t one for honeyed words and empty gestures.”
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Queen Camilla is pictured with Prince Philip in 2016.
Prince Philip is pictured with his daughter-in-law in 2005, shortly after her marriage to King Charles.
When discussing Prince Philip, Brandreth—who was writing the section of his book shortly after Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022—added, “Until this week I thought he was irreplaceable. I was wrong.”
While watching Queen Camilla interact with the public alongside King Charles in the days following the late Queen's passing, Brandreth mused that he saw his “old boss (and hero) reborn—in Camilla.”
He wrote that while Prince Philip was Queen Elizabeth's “strength and stay,” Queen Camilla provides that same role for King Charles. “She is fundamental to the architecture of his life,” the biographer wrote, calling The Queen King Charles’s “good companion and best friend.”
Brandreth says that Queen Camilla looks at King Charles “with a kindly eye, amused and aware of his foibles.”
The late duke “always knew he was the support act,” Brandreth wrote, noting that Queen Camilla takes on the same role. “Like Prince Philip, Camilla has accepted her destiny,” Brandreth continued. “She did not seek it.”
Reflecting on The Queen's 75th birthday lunch in 2022, which Brandreth hosted alongside Dame Joanna Lumley, the author shared that Camilla made a touching reference to her late father-in-law in a speech.
“The Duke of Edinburgh’s philosophy was clear,” she told the guests, quoting Prince Philip by saying, “Look up and look out, say less, do more—and get on with the job.” Poignantly, she added, “And that is just what I intend to do.”
