The relationship between Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla has often been portrayed as one of mutual respect and admiration.
Camilla, having faced intense public backlash and scrutiny when her affair with then-prince Charles was made public, was determined to protect Kate from similar challenges as she prepared to marry Prince William.
From the moment the two met, Camilla was reportedly very welcoming towards Kate. When Kate joined the royal family, Camilla made a conscious effort to build a relationship with her. She extended the same effort towards both Prince William and Prince Harry, though her relationship with Harry didn’t develop as well, especially in light of his ongoing rift with the royal family, which has left him with few supporters within the family.
Before Kate and William tied the knot, Camilla allegedly invited Kate to dinner, along with Kate’s sister, Pippa, and her daughter, Laura Lopes.
“They were all getting on very well and they clearly hadn’t asked for an out-of-the-way table and nor did they attempt to lower their voices,” a person who overheard their conversation told the Daily Mail. “There was one moment which was clearly meant to be amusing when Kate said, ‘What happens if William doesn’t turn up?’”
Camilla reportedly presented Kate Middleton with a deeply personal gift for her wedding: a bracelet featuring engraved letters “Cs” on either side of the charm. It’s widely speculated that these letters represent “Catherine” and “Camilla.”
On the day Britain honored its fallen soldiers and members of the military with the annual Remembrance Sunday service led by King Charles in 2022, Camilla and Kate became a talking point.
Namely, the Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales were spotted at the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building nearby to watch the proceedings. In the past, it was them and the late Queen who stood at the balcony, so in her honor, Camilla and Kate didn’t stand shoulder to shoulder but left an empty space between them.
The royals wore black coats with three poppies pinned on them.
Experts closely followed every move by the members of the royal family. Among them was Judy James, a body expert, who claimed Kate made a polite but concerning gesture to the “anxious” Queen Consort.
Apparently, Camilla was anxious because of the pressure she felt for attending the service for the first time ever in the role of Queen Consort. Luckily, Kate was there to provide support.
“Watching from the balcony Camilla combined signals of regal duty with some rituals of anxiety. Standing beside Kate, she performed a subtle smile of acknowledgment as her wreath was laid, and as she turned to Kate on their way from the balcony she threw a rather fond smile as Kate spoke to her,” James told the Mirror.
“Camilla smiled at Kate for a second time before nodding, again in a gesture of acknowledgment as she walked ahead of Kate in her new role of Queen. Otherwise, though, there were gestures of open anxiety from Camilla. She looked unable to keep totally still and spoke to Kate at one point but while looking straight ahead rather than turning to her.
“Kate turned her head quickly in a gesture of polite concern. Kate’s calm and very still body language was in contrast to Camilla’s nervous movements that showed the most in the fluttering of her hymn sheet as her two hands fiddled with it throughout.”
However, despite looking calm, Kate also felt stressed, James claimed. She and her husband, together with their three children, have gone through significant changes since Queen Elizabeth’s passing. Not only they moved homes and the kids started attending new school, but their new titles brought plenty of responsibilities.
The King himself had a hard time fighting back the tears during the service.
“Charles stood at the Cenotaph as though totally alone and lost in his thoughts. His mouth was pulled down at the corners and his rapid blinking hinted he was close to tears as he remembered his mother as well as those fallen in action,” James told the Mirror.
“There was even a micro-gesture of a small spasm of the lips to show suppressed emotions as they played the Last Post.”
Charles’ coronation is set to take place on May 6. It is then that Camilla will officially be crowned Queen Consort. However, as her popularity among the masses grows bigger, the Palace may decide to remove Consort from her title and leave Queen only.
According to The Telegraph, Buckingham Palace might officially style Camilla as “Queen” earlier than her husband’s coronation.
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