Princess Diana's Tragic Prediction: Camilla's Rise to Queen and 'Loyalty' to King Charles Win Widespread Public Approval
Diana, Princess of Wales, once predicted that Queen Camilla's 'loyalty' to King Charles would stand the test of time.
The legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales, still resonates with both old and new generations nearly 27 years after her death. Despite the toxicity of "Camillagate" from the 1990s, King Charles III and Queen Camilla are also appreciated for their public service. It seems the late princess may have even uncharacteristically predicted this decades ago.
Veteran royal reporter Jennie Bond, who met with and spoke to Diana a few times in the '90s said of the Queen: "It must be so gratifying to have earned widespread approval — even affection — from a public who once ganged up against her as the 'marriage breaker' and the 'other woman' who made Diana so unhappy."
She then spilled: "I think Diana was absolutely right to tell me that Camilla was 'loyal' and that Charles' love for Camilla was stronger than any marriage he might ever have made."
The now Queen began having an affair with the then-Prince Charles in the mid-1980s, at a time when both were married to Andrew Parker-Bowles and Diana, Princess of Wales, respectively. This was a resumption of their relationship that began in the early 1970s but ended once Camilla decided to marry Andrew. Their romance would eventually surface in the early '90s, when Camillagate made the headlines and kicked off the "War of the Waleses" between Charles and Diana.
Andrew and Camilla divorced in 1995, and the Prince and Princess of Wales followed suit in 1996. After Diana's tragic death in August 1997, any plans to slowly introduce Camilla to the British public were immediately halted and remained that way for two years. The couple appeared together in public for the first time in 1999, but it would be another six years before any talk of marriage became viable.
But these days, the King has "still got his sense of humor." He even at one stage was ticking off the Queen, because she seemed to be taking a little bit longer talking to the people," royal expert Charles Rae shared about King Charles' state of health at an engagement in April amid his cancer treatments. "He was desperate to be there because it's a very important event in the royal calendar. And I think he wanted to ensure that as many people could see him and get close to him as possible, to show that he is on the road to recovery."
Princess Diana remains a cultural icon around the world, and a person that one royal historian called: "just as legendary as Anne Boleyn."
As for Her Majesty, who turns 77 on Wednesday, July 17, Bond concluded: "What a contrast to those early days when she looked and sounded so very nervous if she had to speak in public. Now she is assured, confident and comfortable in her new and very demanding role."
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Daily Mirror reported on Bond's remarks.
