‘She was left on her own, without any protection’
To be a confidant of the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, you must come from a good background. For example, Camilla has been able to rely on the support of Fiona Petty-Fitzmaurice, Lady Landsdowne, for many years. In a major interview she looked back on the intense period that Camilla went through at the time of her scandal with Prince Charles (then still married to Princess Diana).
Lady Landsdowne
Camilla doesn’t have so-called Ladies in Waiting, but Queen’s Companions, we know. Last year, one of those companions spoke about Camilla’s tumultuous life in a remarkably candid interview with The Sunday Times. Open a book about your best friend, who is also your boss? You just have to dare.
For example, Fiona spoke candidly about the impact of Prince Harry’s memoirs, which Cam was reportedly quite ‘hurt’ by. The Marchioness of Landsdowne also looked back on the turbulent period surrounding ‘Camilla-gate’ – when it had just emerged that C&C were having a great time together.
Scandal
There was no way around it in the 1990s: Charles and Diana’s marriage had completely broken down. And with Diana as a crowd favorite, Camilla was quickly scapegoated in the media as an affair partner.
That period in the early nineties was very difficult for Camilla, Fiona, Lady Landsdowne, reflected. “She was left on her own, without any protection,” she says.
Girlfriends
One specific moment was etched in the Marchioness’s memory. “I came to pick her up from Middlewick one day and there were cameras pressed against all her windows,” the Queen’s Companion recalled. “That was how we could help – she spent time with us and the kids,” she reflected.
Ultimately, Camilla’s ‘sense of humor’ is said to have gotten her through this pitch-black period. “She’s tough. She was raised with an extraordinary sense of duty where you just have to persevere, don’t complain, show your best side, and keep going.”
Queen Camilla
No matter how intense that period was, Camilla is now stronger than ever. She has now been crowned Queen alongside her great love Charles. Not a Queen Consort, not a Princess, but a real queen. In the 90s this would have been unthinkable – but Camilla proves once again: perseverance wins!
Source: Tatler, The Sunday Times | Image: NL Image
