As you doubtless know by now, the Queen issued a letter yesterday to mark her 70 years on the throne. In it, she reflected on her many years of service and the support she had received throughout from Philip. She caused quite a stir, however, by using the letter to request Camilla be Queen when Charles ascends the throne:
I am pleased too. Camilla has been a solid member of the RF for over 15 years. She has weathered an incredible amount of vitriol and kept her head down and worked very hard. And she is the love of Charles’ life and Camilla has clearly made him very happy.
I have seen Diana admirers getting nervous about the erasing of D’s legacy. It won’t happen with all the work that W & H have done to keep D in everyone’s memory.
I agree with you completely despite the fact that as a young woman, I was a HUGE Diana fan despite seeing her many faults and weaknesses. We were of a similar age. I remember when she came to Washington DC a news report interviewed young women on the street and one of them said, memorably, we love her because she is doing the "job" the way that we would want to if we had married a prince--which is still every little girl's dream, even in the US. I agreed with that. But, a great deal of time has passed and Camilla deserves to be Queen Consort. Thank you, as always, for your clear and intelligent analysis. Best wishes as you enjoy your engagement and wedding preparations. I have been married for 41 very, very happy years and I remember the time that you are in now very fondly. xo
I have to say that I disagree. Charles and Camilla’s romance was born from a place of adultery, manipulation and lies. Camilla didn’t really have a choice but to keep her head down and nose clean since she married Charles. I think both her and Charles have shown us who they truly are behind the glitz and the glamour and that’s not the kind of people I would have as monarchs. I have a hard time accepting this statement from the Queen but this is just my opinion
Hmm, on CityChic blog, many ppl are INCENSED at this announcement since Charles and Camilla practically emotionally abused Diana. I am bothered by the palace saying one thing and doing another… like they hid so much during C & D’s marriage. If they said Camilla was going to be Princess Consort then they should do what they announced.
In my mind I know I should support Camilla being Queen Consort. But, in my heart I see that vulnerable young woman they ruined together, it’s very hard to forgive this one.
I was a Diana fan back in the day and still feel her story is deserving of a place in history. I feel the Queen is kind of sweeping it to one side. What that means for me in terms of making Camilla Queen (and Charles King), well I am not sure. Thankfully it’s not my decision to make nor do I have swear fealty to (or vote for) them. I hope Charles doesn’t reign for very long but then again I don’t wish him ill. I just think William will make a better king for a modern U.K. I do wonder whether this will add to Harry’s fire though.
Diana will always have her place in history and live on through her sons and grandchildren. Camilla is legally married to Charles and that makes her his Queen when he becomes King. No matter how people might “feel” that should be the end of it.
Oh, I am so enjoying your newsletter, Jane. Thank you for starting this!
Good for the Queen, and good for Camilla! I was/am a fan of Diana, warts and all : ) . She learned to give as good as she got during the War of the Waleses, but through it all she always did what was best for the monarchy, for the Queen — she accepted divorce as a consequence of her disastrous BBC interview, and were she alive she certainly would not want anything to complicate the path forward for her son, and grandson, as King. And Charles and Camilla, and their ability to have a normal and successful reign, lie squarely in that path.
Any Diana fan who is shocked by this move clearly wasn’t paying attention when Camilla was appointed, just over a month ago on January 1st, Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system. And certainly hasn’t paid attention to the formative influences and people in the Queen’s life — her father, mother, and husband. Her mother was an enormous support and boon to George VI as he dealt with a very public role he did not expect and was reluctant to accept, with a speech impediment, through WWII and the Blitz, the decline of the Empire and the monarchy's popularity, and his poor health. Together they got Britain through the war and restored the popularity of the monarchy, and her mother as Queen was instrumental to these efforts. And we all know how much the Queen leaned on Philip and how important she found him as partner and helpmeet, to allow her to fulfill her all-important duty. Of course she would want this for her son, her heir, who at 73 has been waiting so long to fulfill *his* duty.
I'm in the camp of many here. I was a little younger than Di and set my alarm to watch the wedding from the US. But she and Charles were a bad match and made each other unhappy. Camilla is Charles "strength and stay" as the Duke of Edinburgh was for Her Majesty. She's worked hard, made Charles a little less heady and seems to have a great sense of humor and a common touch. She'll make a great Queen Consort and I'm glad that HM took things in hand to make it easier. Diana was never going to become QC and she's been dead for 1/4 of a century. It's time to move on.
I am pleased too. Camilla has been a solid member of the RF for over 15 years. She has weathered an incredible amount of vitriol and kept her head down and worked very hard. And she is the love of Charles’ life and Camilla has clearly made him very happy.
I have seen Diana admirers getting nervous about the erasing of D’s legacy. It won’t happen with all the work that W & H have done to keep D in everyone’s memory.
I agree with you completely despite the fact that as a young woman, I was a HUGE Diana fan despite seeing her many faults and weaknesses. We were of a similar age. I remember when she came to Washington DC a news report interviewed young women on the street and one of them said, memorably, we love her because she is doing the "job" the way that we would want to if we had married a prince--which is still every little girl's dream, even in the US. I agreed with that. But, a great deal of time has passed and Camilla deserves to be Queen Consort. Thank you, as always, for your clear and intelligent analysis. Best wishes as you enjoy your engagement and wedding preparations. I have been married for 41 very, very happy years and I remember the time that you are in now very fondly. xo
I have to say that I disagree. Charles and Camilla’s romance was born from a place of adultery, manipulation and lies. Camilla didn’t really have a choice but to keep her head down and nose clean since she married Charles. I think both her and Charles have shown us who they truly are behind the glitz and the glamour and that’s not the kind of people I would have as monarchs. I have a hard time accepting this statement from the Queen but this is just my opinion
Hmm, on CityChic blog, many ppl are INCENSED at this announcement since Charles and Camilla practically emotionally abused Diana. I am bothered by the palace saying one thing and doing another… like they hid so much during C & D’s marriage. If they said Camilla was going to be Princess Consort then they should do what they announced.
In my mind I know I should support Camilla being Queen Consort. But, in my heart I see that vulnerable young woman they ruined together, it’s very hard to forgive this one.
I was a Diana fan back in the day and still feel her story is deserving of a place in history. I feel the Queen is kind of sweeping it to one side. What that means for me in terms of making Camilla Queen (and Charles King), well I am not sure. Thankfully it’s not my decision to make nor do I have swear fealty to (or vote for) them. I hope Charles doesn’t reign for very long but then again I don’t wish him ill. I just think William will make a better king for a modern U.K. I do wonder whether this will add to Harry’s fire though.
Diana will always have her place in history and live on through her sons and grandchildren. Camilla is legally married to Charles and that makes her his Queen when he becomes King. No matter how people might “feel” that should be the end of it.
Very well written, Jane. Thank you!
Oh, I am so enjoying your newsletter, Jane. Thank you for starting this!
Good for the Queen, and good for Camilla! I was/am a fan of Diana, warts and all : ) . She learned to give as good as she got during the War of the Waleses, but through it all she always did what was best for the monarchy, for the Queen — she accepted divorce as a consequence of her disastrous BBC interview, and were she alive she certainly would not want anything to complicate the path forward for her son, and grandson, as King. And Charles and Camilla, and their ability to have a normal and successful reign, lie squarely in that path.
Any Diana fan who is shocked by this move clearly wasn’t paying attention when Camilla was appointed, just over a month ago on January 1st, Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system. And certainly hasn’t paid attention to the formative influences and people in the Queen’s life — her father, mother, and husband. Her mother was an enormous support and boon to George VI as he dealt with a very public role he did not expect and was reluctant to accept, with a speech impediment, through WWII and the Blitz, the decline of the Empire and the monarchy's popularity, and his poor health. Together they got Britain through the war and restored the popularity of the monarchy, and her mother as Queen was instrumental to these efforts. And we all know how much the Queen leaned on Philip and how important she found him as partner and helpmeet, to allow her to fulfill her all-important duty. Of course she would want this for her son, her heir, who at 73 has been waiting so long to fulfill *his* duty.
I'm in the camp of many here. I was a little younger than Di and set my alarm to watch the wedding from the US. But she and Charles were a bad match and made each other unhappy. Camilla is Charles "strength and stay" as the Duke of Edinburgh was for Her Majesty. She's worked hard, made Charles a little less heady and seems to have a great sense of humor and a common touch. She'll make a great Queen Consort and I'm glad that HM took things in hand to make it easier. Diana was never going to become QC and she's been dead for 1/4 of a century. It's time to move on.