4 Royal Moments That Seemingly Revealed Tension Between Prince William and Queen Camilla

Despite her role in his parents' marital strife, Prince William has seemingly warmed up to Queen Camilla over the years. The two appear cordial in public as they, along with King Charles and Princess Kate, put on a unified front. However, the tension simmering beneath the surface may have broken through a few times. Here's a look at the royal moments that disclosed an apparent friction between William and Camilla.

After his 2005 wedding to Camilla, Charles hired her sister, Annabel Elliot, as a chief designer for his estates. She was reportedly paid several hundred thousand dollars over the years for her work through the Duchy of Cornwall. Elliot allegedly had no competition for the role, as the Duchy had previously claimed its design contracts weren't open to bid on. However, after Charles ascended the throne and William took charge of the Duchy of Cornwall, he refused to rehire Elliot. "Sources confirmed that Prince William would no longer employ Ms Elliot, although it was no reflection on her work," The Telegraph reported in 2024.

Royal protocol reportedly dictates that royals of lower rank bow or curtsy to higher-ranked royals. By that standard, William should have bowed to the newly crowned Queen Consort during Charles' coronation in 2023. However, choosing to break royal protocol, William did not bow to Camilla. On camera, at least. Neither did Princess Kate, and according to reports, neither did their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The royal family has a tradition of extending birthday wishes to its working members on social media. And when one fails to do so, it's bound to raise eyebrows. A similar situation arose when William reportedly didn't wish Camilla a happy birthday on her 70th milestone birthday in 2017. Daily Mail reported at the time (via Cosmopolitan), "It was expected that William and Harry would say something publicly about a stepmother to whom they had once been so welcoming. But they did not."

In the run-up to Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling's wedding earlier this year, Camilla reportedly stopped the bride-to-be from accessing jewels from the Royal Vault. The move seemingly frustrated Princess Anne, who then turned to Prince William for support. A palace source stated via The Express that the Prince of Wales ordered a "total administrative lockdown of the Royal Vaults" to ensure Harriet could wear a tiara to her wedding if Anne wanted to lend her one. Eventually, the royal bride wore the diamond and pearl Pragnell tiara from the jewelry house Pragnell.