Queen Camilla Was Once the Royal Family’s Biggest PR Problem — But Her Comeback Says Otherwise
Queen Camilla has experienced a turnaround in public opinion over the years, going from one of the most hated to now revered.
There was a time when Queen Camilla was not very well-liked in the UK. Her role in King Charles and Princess Diana’s failed marriage was no secret. But over the years, the public has warmed to the Queen Consort, so much so that she has become one of the monarchy's enduring figures. While the love and lament for Diana is still very much intact in public memory, the court of popularity has also found a place for Camilla.
Royal experts believe the Queen Consort’s turnaround in public opinion has been the Firm’s “greatest PR campaign” and has proven tremendously successful. Speaking with royal author Simon Vigar for an episode of ITV News Talking Royals, royal expert Chris Ship said, “I think Camila is a very interesting example,” he added, “She’s gone from being the most hated woman in Britain, to being driven out of her home in the back of a car hiding under a blanket, to quite recently being the the lynch pin holding the entire institution together.”
Fellow royal expert Charlene White further mentioned, “I would say it's one of the greatest PR campaigns that we've seen in recent history because that turnaround in terms of how the public feel about her has been remarkable.” Vigar mentioned that there was certainly a “softening of attitude,” but people didn’t blame her that much for Charles and Diana’s fallout. “Yeah, there's a softening, I mean, I don't think people used to blame her for the whole mess, and I don't think they do so much now. So there's a softening of attitude there, and it has been a campaign,” the royal author said.
Vigar further joked about the workings of Clarence House, the long-time residence of Charles and Camilla. “One person who was there at the start- he joined the staff at Clarence House, and he was told by, you can imagine an old court saying, ‘Well, we don't do public relations.’ And this chap was thinking, ‘We're definitely doing public relations’,” he said, inciting a round of laughter among the panel. Calling time a “great healer”, the royal author added that the Queen Consort had climbed her way back into favor “very slowly” through “small engagements”. He said, “One to one, she’s very strong. The warmth is obvious there.”
Vigar shared that Prince Philip had been a “surrogate father figure” for Camilla. The Queen Consort has been similarly supporting Charles as the Duke of Edinburgh “supported” the late Queen Elizabeth. Currently, Camilla is in the “middle of the popularity table,” and she is “completely relaxed” about it. Ship added on that saying, “She knows she's never going to be right at the very top because of where she used to be.
White also mentioned that the Queen Consort’s work on “domestic violence” and her documentary for ITV have been “baby steps” towards her current relatively positive public opinion. This year alone, Camilla accompanied Charles on his international work trips, including their crucial state visit to the US in April. And each trip has been triumphant so far.
