There Was an “Unspoken Deal Behind the Scenes” Between Queen Elizabeth and Then Prince Charles Over Camilla
The late Queen “always detested Camilla,” royal expert Christopher Andersen said.
![Queen Elizabeth and Queen Camilla together](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wySxAmJ6JvbLqd6Wh8MBoN-415-80.jpg)
According to King Charles’ biographer, the late Queen Elizabeth wasn’t fond of her daughter-in-law, Queen Camilla, but agreed to a “very subtle and unspoken deal” to make her Queen Consort (and, later, Queen), The Mirror reports.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen, author of The King: The Life of Charles III, said Her late Majesty “always detested” Camilla and only agreed to give her blessing for Camilla’s title because of an “unspoken deal behind the scenes” over none other than Prince Andrew. Camilla was disliked for “throwing a wrench in the works,” Andersen said.
“The Queen always detested Camilla,” Andersen said on Newsweek’s “Royal Report” podcast. “The Queen Mother particularly detested Camilla because she was throwing a wrench in the works. Because of Camilla, the monarchy was kind of brought to the brink of destruction.” (Andersen is referring, of course, to the longstanding affair between Charles and the then Camilla Parker-Bowles, which began in the 1980s and carried on until after both Charles and Camilla were divorced from their respective spouses in the mid-1990s.) Though the Queen regarded Camilla with caution during the early days of knowing her, she warmed up to her towards the later years of her life.
Andersen said Buckingham Palace enacted an operation called “Operation PB” (for Parker-Bowles) to rehabilitate Camilla’s image after Charles’ first wife, Princess Diana, died in a Parisian car accident in 1997. Andersen said it took “eight years for Charles to finally convince everybody to accept Camilla as his wife,” and had to “jump through all those hoops” to do it. (Charles and Camilla ultimately married in 2005.)
On the last Accession Day of her life—February 6, 2022—the late Queen released a Platinum Jubilee message in which she told the world she wanted Camilla to become Queen Consort after her death. “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” she wrote. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
There is a reason for this unexpected show of support on such an important day: Andersen believes she only agreed to Camilla’s title because of a “very subtle and unspoken deal behind the scenes that resulted in the Queen suddenly endorsing Camilla.” The deal, he said, “involved a kind of quid pro quo” and was resisted for “many, many years” before Her late Majesty finally made her decision just seven months before she passed away that September.
When Charles and Camilla married, it was understood that her title would be Princess Consort upon Charles taking the throne. The February 2022 announcement changed that, officially cementing that Camilla would be Queen Consort. Around the time of Charles’ Coronation in May—eight months after the late Queen’s death—the “Consort” was dropped, and she is now known as Queen Camilla, being crowned alongside her husband at the May 6 ceremony.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
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.
-
Zendaya Delivers a Podium-Worthy Pre-Olympics Gown
She's shining brighter than the City of Lights.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
'Love Island USA' Star Kenny Rodriguez Is Not "Playing Around" with His and JaNa Craig's Romance Outside of the Villa
The prince and princess of season 6 have remained the cutest couple since filming wrapped.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
So Many Celebrity Beauty Favorites Are in Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale
Shop Jennifer Lopez, Meghan Markle, and Kaia Gerber's beloved picks.
By Julia Marzovilla Published
-
Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and King Charles Have the Cutest Matching Friendship Bracelets
And fans think Charlotte was responsible.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Why the Royal Family's Income Just Increased By a Whopping $58 Million
Now that's an impressive pay rise.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Ryan Reynolds Crushes Fan Hopes That Lady Deadpool Is Taylor Swift... Or King Charles?
But who is it then????
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
King Charles Was Jealous of Princess Diana’s Success, But Couldn’t Be More Proud of Queen Camilla’s Own Triumphant Rise In Popularity Over the Years, Royal Commentator Says
“These difficult few months will have made his love even deeper.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
It’s Not In King Charles’ Nature to Upstage Daughter-in-Law Meghan Markle and Her Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard with Competing Retail Products, Royal Commentator Says
Lest we forget the so-called “royal jam rivalries” earlier this year…
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
King Charles’ Dramatically Shortened Royal Tour of Oceania This Fall Shows He “Can’t Do Everything,” Friend Says
The planned three-week trip of four countries has been cut to 10 days and two countries as the King continues to receive treatment for cancer.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
King Charles Broke Traditionally Held Royal Protocol In a Huge Way This Week In a Move That His Mother Queen Elizabeth Would “Never” Have Allowed During Her Reign
The shift in royal protocol is reflective of Charles’ more “chilled-out approach.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Queen Camilla’s Friends Have “Never Seen Her So Worried” As She Has Been Over King Charles This Year
The experience of his cancer diagnosis has been “hugely tough.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published