Prince William lost his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 at just 15-years-old. In 1999, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, went public with their relationship. Second-in-line to the throne, Prince William is at the centre of the UK monarchy, and his response to Camilla was tremendously important. Judi James gave her verdict on how the Prince’s loved ones affected his feelings towards her.
Judi began: “For William’s father Charles, Camilla has always been ‘non-negotiable’ and so seeing him happy after the bitter marriage breakdown must have prompted some feelings of relief in his sons.”
The divorce, and then Diana’s death, shook the nation, as well as the Royal Family, to its core, so perhaps, after so much tragedy within the family, Prince Charles’ happy relationship was a source of happiness for his son too.
Over the years, the Prince adapted to having Camilla as his father’s wife, Judi claimed.
“William is now regularly seen smiling and chatting to Camilla in public,” stated Judi, “although the relationship behind the scenes is more difficult to gauge.”
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In this way, Prince William is very much “like the Queen”, who displays incredible fondness of the Duchess of Cornwall.
Most recently, during celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee, she even bestowed upon her a huge honour.
The monarch said in a February message that it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla would be given this title, following her New Year declaration that Camilla would become a member of the Order of the Garter.
Out of royal duty and admiration for the Queen, it is unsurprising that Prince William bestows the same respect upon Camilla that his grandmother does.
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However, as is human nature, it is understandable if Prince William is not wholly at ease with his step-mother.
Judi stated: “His smiles at Charles and Camilla’s wedding looked rigid rather than congruent, with his ‘fig leaf’ hand clasp in front of his lower torso suggesting a need to self-defend.”
She added that Prince William’s wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, is a support to him in navigating this potential difficult relationship.
Judi said: “He used to look most comfortable with his wife Kate in between as a buffer.”
Another Royal Family member who has helped influence Prince William’s relationship with Camilla is younger brother Prince Harry.
Like Prince William, he suffered the tremendous loss of his mother at only 13-years-old, and he was only 10-years-old when his father admitted his affair in 1994.
Judi explained: “With Harry possibly more open in his feelings, William must feel it is his duty to ensure a united front back home in the UK.
“His father will be the next King and he will inherit that title from him and so he benefits directly from a drama and crisis-free monarchy.”
This suggests that Prince William’s acceptance of Camilla is tactical, to avoid the stormy waters of royal drama.
“Unlike Harry, any negativity towards the next Queen and his father’s wife would be a self-inflicted wound.
“So, although there are some body language traits to suggest a formal and rather cautious acceptance on William’s part there does seem to be a calmer look about his body language with Camilla now.”
With Prince Harry’s memoir set to be released later this year, it is possible that this will have a further effect on how Prince William interacts with Camilla.
“If Harry does tell all about Camilla as speculation about his new book currently suggests it should be interesting to see if William steps up his body language signals to create an impression of support, unity and protection of his step-mother or if he takes a step back to avoid any hints of where his loyalty lies.”