Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom

[lordofthefries]

It's also worth acknowledging that Diana was also stepping out on her marriage during this time. James Hewitt has stated his affair with Diana started in 1986. The innocent Diana vs villainous Camila narratives really do an injustice to all parties.

[OnyxRose]

Oct 29, 2021 10:12:57 GMT -4 lordofthefries said:

It's also worth acknowledging that Diana was also stepping out on her marriage during this time. James Hewitt has stated his affair with Diana started in 1986. The innocent Diana vs villainous Camila narratives really do an injustice to all parties.

Not to get off track but anything Diana did during the marriage I kind of hand-wave, provided the other person didn’t have a significant other. Charles and Camilla really did her dirty and there’s no getting around that. What people want to forget is that Diana messed around with married men after the divorce, AND stalked and harassed them and their wives. But that’s for her thread.

[eveschmeve]

Camilla is fascinating to me because of how much public opinion has changed about her, although she still has a good chunk of the public with a negative opinion of her. The last poll had 43% positive and 42% negative, she’s usually one of the lowest but now Andrew, Harry, and Meghan have her beat.

I don’t think she’s beloved but it does seem like there’s a grudging respect Camilla has earned and that’s probably way better than anyone thought was possible years ago.

[Deleted]

Oct 29, 2021 10:12:57 GMT -4 lordofthefries said:

It's also worth acknowledging that Diana was also stepping out on her marriage during this time. James Hewitt has stated his affair with Diana started in 1986. The innocent Diana vs villainous Camila narratives really do an injustice to all parties.

The affair with Camilla stretched way back before. She found out while they were engaged and was sharing Charles' attentions with Camia even during their honeymoon with him busy calling Camilla to chat. I think she was lonely and had given up any hope for their marriage by the time she started her affair with Hewitt. I just don't see how it is equal to the way Charles was keeping his "mistress on the side" and made it clear to her from the very beginning that he wasn't going to end things. Certainly Charles is the worst one in this whole situation even if Diana wasn't the total innocent by the time their marriage irreparably broke apart. JMHO.

[Ridha]

Was the affair going on throughout though? I thought that even when his adultery was admitted, Charles maintained that he was faithful in the first few years. The Crown too which generally is perceived as not flattering to C and C and flattering to D (interestingly even on that I find C and C more sympathetic, and D at best annoying and at worst narcissistic, whereas as per reviews the bulk of viewers interpret it the other way around) depicts a pause on first few years and it only getting rekindled after it was clear the marriage was a “grotesque misalliance” to quote from that confrontation scene (which I think is one of the best on the show, but after any montage scene that plays the duck hunt music theme which are simply transportational but more on that in the tv section I suppose). Which is not to discount that a friendship or venting is not disloyal and hurtful - in my first marriage my husband had that kind of relationship and that was part of the reason it’s my first. However even coming from that understanding of how destructive even “just” an emotional crutch can be, I find it inevitable that Charles would have had to vent to Camilla. I mean honestly that cringey “performance” of Uptown Girl for instance, which as per the fact check of each episode actually did happen for realsies, was so blatantly Diana’s present to herself rather than any birthday gesture to Charles, surely demonstrated why an affair - whether emotional or more - was inevitable.

Camilla’s family also seems pretty cool and down to earth; her kids come across as fairly nice (the daughter and William seem to have repaired their rift) and her late brother, to whom she was close, seems a unique character indeed. I suppose those firm friendships within her family probably gave her a much thicker skin against and ability to ignore the jibes from the media and public, compared to say Meghan.

[romanova]

I have heard good things about Camilla's family as well, ridha. I particularly remember her late brother, who was a champion of elephant conservation.

My favorite superficial thing about Camilla is the way she wears those fantastic tiaras - the Greville and the Delhi Durbar - without shame or apology. I don't wish the Queen ill at all, but I can't wait to see who wears what when the next generation takes the throne.

[peaches130]

Oct 29, 2021 8:29:40 GMT -4 @stargirl said:

Also, I assume Camilla's husband wasn't ok with it either because they got divorced years before C&D did.

I read that Mr Parker-Bowles approved of Cam’s affair with Charles, and had his own bevy of sidepieces. I will never understand the aristocracy!

[Deleted]

Wasn’t Princess Anne and Peter Parker Bowles an item for short time too before either met their first spouses.

Aristos seem to move in very close circles!

[Deleted]

Oct 29, 2021 16:52:49 GMT -4 romanova said:

My favorite superficial thing about Camilla is the way she wears those fantastic tiaras - the Greville and the Delhi Durbar - without shame or apology. I don't wish the Queen ill at all, but I can't wait to see who wears what when the next generation takes the throne.

Wait, why is Greville controversial? Delhi Durbar I understand, there's been a big reckoning lately with the legacy of colonialism and what that tiara represents (the literal celebration of colonialism), but I'm not aware of any checkered history related to Greville.

[romanova]

My apologies, ximena, I only meant that Camilla has not been shy about wearing some of the showiest, big gun tiaras, regardless of how the public feels about her. I should have been more clear.