As King Charles and Camilla celebrate their anniversary, how have perceptions of 'Queen Camilla' changed?

Within a month’s span, King Charles and Camilla have a lot to celebrate. 

Not only will the soon-to-be-monarchs celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary today on 9 April as well as step up to host the first Easter Sunday without Queen Elizabeth, but the pair will also prepare themselves for the coronation on 6 May.

Just as the traditional marital vows suggest the pair have been by each others’ sides ‘for better and for worse’ and ‘in sickness and in health’ since 2005, and now King Charles and Camilla will receive equal billing on the day when the moniker Consort will be removed.

It must be noted that their marriage was not always met with a warm reception following the tragic passing of Princess Diana, proving that their love for one another has remained absolute in the face of the UK press and public, as well as the royal family themselves.

In light of their anniversary, PeopleWorld takes a look at how perceptions have changed from 2005 to 2023 regarding the King’s Queen Consort.

Prince Harry

THEN

Prince Harry spoke candidly in his tell-all memoir ‘Spare’ about his hesitancy to meet his step-mother Camilla and for his father to marry her while the Duke of Sussex continued to mourn Princess Diana.

While some sources took it out of hand suggesting that Harry called Camilla a ‘wicked stepmother’, the Prince did highlight that Camilla was in charge of a ‘spin doctor’ arranging some stories to the British press that led to his further irritation with the media.

It must be noted that although Prince Harry seemingly did not hold Camilla in high regard, he did comment several times on the overwhelming fact that his father was happy with Camilla, in turn making him somewhat happy.

The last time they were seen together in close proximity was during the 2019 Trooping of the Colour Parade.

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Prince Harry’s RSVP to his father’s coronation is still up in the air at the time of writing, indeed his appearance at any family gathering for the rest of this year after he gave up his royal duties, moved to Montecito with his family and ‘burnt his bridges’ with his father and brother through his interviews.

Harry’s book Spare may have come out recently highlighting how he felt about Camilla back in 2005, but the autobiography has seemingly cemented his distant feelings towards the Queen Consort as this was what allegedly solidified Charles’ decision to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage.

Prince William

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Prince William was allegedly 16-years-old when he first met Camilla, just one year after his mother’s death, before meeting her twice more before she was introduced to Prince Harry.

This made the heir apparent 23-years-old when Camilla married King Charles in 2005, despite both Princes reportedly saying to their father, "We support you…We endorse Camilla,' we said. Just please don't marry her.”

Although Prince William never really spoke publicly about his relationship with Camilla, Royal author Christopher Anderson claimed that Camilla had a hand in William’s brief breakup with Kate Middleton in 2007.

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Prince Harry may have released his own memoir but Camilla has had her own book published, namely Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort.

Royal author Angela Levin stated that Prince William and Harry have set strong boundaries concerning their relationship with their step-mother, with the former Prince too being very direct about where Camilla stands with his children.

Levin said: “William has made it clear that Camilla is the wife of his father, but not a step-grandmother to his children.”

The UK Public

THEN

In the 1990s, the majority of the UK public largely blamed Camilla for the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana therefore labelling her as ‘the most hated woman in Britain’ in the British press.

Camilla’s popularity decreased further in 1997 following Diana’s fatal car accident in Paris with many fans of the ‘People’s Princess’ not willing to forgive Camilla for being the ‘third person’ in the marriage.

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With time, patience and careful PR choreography including 221 public engagements in 2016 alone, Camilla seemingly started to win back the audience’s favour, treating her formal introduction as Charles’ partner sensitively to the public.

Public perception improved so much that polls started to prove people would accept her as queen with a 50% rise in popularity over a decade.

As we approach King Charles’ coronation on 6 May, both Buckingham Palace confirmed the late Queen’s personal endorsement for Camilla to become Queen Consort as the invitations stated that Camilla will then take on the title of Queen.

This move shows the remarkable transformation and acceptance of Queen Camilla since she married Charles in 2005.