The concurrent cancer diagnoses of Catherine, Princess of Wales and King Charles III’s had one unexpected benefit for William, Prince of Wales. As two of the most crucial and prominent members of the royal family underwent treatment, Prince William and his stepmother Queen Camilla stepped up to the plate to cover the duo’s official duties, and their relationship reportedly greatly improved as a result. Speaking to Fox News Digital, royal expert Ian Pelham Turner posited that the prince had developed a newfound appreciation for Camilla after witnessing her ability to hold down the fort publicly while being a rock to her family at home.
Likewise, royal biographer Christopher Andersen disclosed that in addition to bonding over their new shared responsibilities the duo also understandably came together due to their worries about Charles’ health. However, Camilla and William’s relationship may not have found greener pastures if not for Kate Middleton. In August 2024, an insider informed Us Weekly that the Princess of Wales had been instrumental in bringing the famously estranged in-laws closer. The confidant asserted that Kate was fond of the queen consort from the get-go, sharing that, “She’s never been dismissive of Camilla and always treated her with kindness.”
Further, they stressed that Kate easily found common ground with Camilla “because she brings a real-life relatability into the family.” They continued, “She’s not all about the courtiers waiting on hand and foot. Camilla’s real like Kate is.” While the princess may appreciate that Camilla tries to bring some semblance of normalcy to The Firm, the queen didn’t always appreciate her normal roots. In fact, Camilla reportedly played a large part in William and Kate’s 2007 split.
Queen Camilla didn’t think Kate Middleton was royal material
In 2007, William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, split up for two months. In a chat with the Daily Beast, royal expert Christopher Andersen suggested that Queen Camilla orchestrated their split through her relationship to King Charles III. The bestselling author claimed that the queen consort advised her husband to turn up the pressure on Prince William to either commit to Kate Middleton or break up with her. Andersen had a theory for why Camilla wasn’t too fond of the commoner: “She did not look at Kate as someone who was worthy of joining the royal family.” He continued, “Kate is the first working-class woman to be accepted into the royal family. She is descended from coal miners and her mother was a flight attendant.”
Camilla’s supposed tendency to turn her nose up at the future Princess of Wales likely came from her own upper-class upbringing and aristocratic friend circles. Unfortunately, Kate’s background wasn’t the only thing that reportedly irked the queen consort. In Andersen’s book, “Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne,” he also claimed that Camilla saw Kate as “pretty but dim,” per The Sun. According to the royal biographer, Camilla’s relationship with Kate and William got even messier when the princess started stealing the spotlight from her without ever really having to try too hard. Ultimately though, it seems like the queen consort and the Princess of Wales worked to put their differences aside to create an amicable relationship.
