She talks little, smiles all the time, never gives her opinion, but thinks no less and knows how to get her way… Camilla Shand, 75, is about to make UK history when others walk through the doors of a retirement home. She’s used to it: her tormented life has never gone straight since she crossed paths with the Prince of Wales in the early 1970s. How does she approach her new duties, in the shadow of Charles? Lips are sealed. She has always defined herself above all as the wife and first supporter of the Prince of Wales, she will do the same with Charles III. “She is a patient, peaceful woman, not interested in power at all,” one of her relatives once told British journalist Graham Turner.
Quite the opposite of Prince Charles, reputed to be capricious and angry, sometimes even brittle with his collaborators, as the media noted when he had pen problems during his accession… Camilla, very tactile, knows the soothe and reassure him, especially by rubbing his hand on his back when he feels the pressure mounting. She remains “his darling wife”, to whom he paid homage from his first royal speech, his shoulder on which he can lean.
Since their advent, the pace and the pressure have intensified – 181 commitments last year for Charles, 102 for Camilla. But both always take the time to meet at least once a day to take stock and decompress. “It’s not always easy, but we always try to have a moment in the day,” the queen consort recently explained in Vogue. Sometimes it’s like ships passing each other in the night, but we always sit together, have a cup of tea and chat about our day. »
Both share the same taste for classical music, reading, painting, the garden… When stress or annoyances assail her, she goes to take care of her roses at Raymill House, her country residence, where she can discreetly receive her grandchildren – she has five of them – watch the TV series – which Charles hates – and leave the rooms in a mess without being teased by her royal husband, who is a stickler for tidying up.
For the time being, they continue to take advantage of his residence at Clarence House, the former home of the Queen Mum, a stone’s throw from Buckingham, which they do not seem to be in a hurry to occupy. A classic and elegant Regency-style residence, where they have their habits, served by a staff of around 125 people – to which are now added the 500 ex-employees of Elizabeth II who run the various royal residences. Charles has every intention of reducing the sails, a hundred positions are already threatened and the staff fears an acceleration after the coronation…
Camilla is said to have already set her style: according to reports from the Daily Mail, she wants more warmth and friendliness in the royal palaces, and has passed on the message to officials. “The new queen likes to do things differently,” says a source close to the teams, especially for the reception of passing guests. “She does not want mansions and palaces to function as an impersonal motel.” The couple also asked servants not to constantly disappear backwards as soon as a member of the royal family appears in a room.
The wife of Charles III has her own team, hairdresser, colorist, make-up artist and her dresser who helped her to tame the cameras and the media, an exercise she dreaded for a long time, knowing very well that she could not rival Diana’s glamor – her popularity still tops out at around 40%, far behind Kate’s 70%. Since then, she has forged more peaceful relations with the press, even if it means giving feedback on certain members of the family, as Harry denounces in his recent autobiography…
Some media suspect her of having had cosmetic surgery, with peeling, Botox, laser treatments, realigned teeth… cosmetic surgeon, letters that had made him laugh a lot at the time. A follower of yoga and naturopathy, she is rather faithful to natural care and treats her face with creams made from nettles and bee venom… After the funeral of Elizabeth II, she also went to India at Dr. Issac Mathai’s meditation and fitness center, which the couple have frequented for years. An ideal break before facing cameras around the world for the coronation next spring.
