King Charles And Camilla Interactions That Made People Uncomfortable
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort's relationship has long been controversial. The royal couple first dated in the early 1970s, but after they split, they went off and started families with other people. However, as we all know, they eventually reunited, drama followed, and the rest was history.
This famous (and infamous) romance has made a lot of waves over the years. As if a royal having an affair wasn't messy enough as is, Charles was unfaithful to the widely beloved Princess Diana. Camilla didn't exactly win a lot of fans when it became clear she was the other woman in the royal couple's relationship; for years, she was known as the "most-hated woman in Britain."
Charles and Camilla's love story is certainly a fraught one, but the two have stood by one another through publicity mishaps, health issues, and family struggles. As royal reporter Michael Cole told Sky News, "They hold each other up. They're very devoted to one another." As devoted to one another as they are, that's not to say their dynamic doesn't read a little messy at times. Brace yourself, because we're about to dive into some uncomfortable interactions between King Charles and Camilla.
Charles and Camilla's cringeworthy leaked phone call transcript
From the moment they met, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, have been like magnets. The two had a brief fling in the late '70s after dating each other earlier in the decade, and they resumed their affair in the late '80s while both were married to other people. In 1992, Charles and Princess Diana separated, with rumors flying that Charles had been unfaithful. Those rumors were all but corroborated when British outlets released a transcript of one of Charles and Camilla's phone calls.
The conversation, which originally took place in 1989, hit tabloids in 1993. Before the transcript was leaked, the public already was not so thrilled with the idea of Charles cheating on the People's Princess. The explicit nature of the call took things to the next level.
The leaked phone call, which has since been referred to as "Tampongate," got its name because of a comment Charles made to Camilla wishing to live in Camilla's pants and be reincarnated as her tampon. There are multiple theories as to how the media got ahold of the transcript and whether it was kept under wraps for years before being published, but what is certain is that the public was shocked and disgusted. As Diana's former bodyguard Ken Wharfe wrote in "Guarding Diana," "The backlash was savage. Establishment figures normally loyal to future King and country were appalled, and some questioned the Prince's suitability to rule."
The public was divided by their first public appearance
When Tampongate rocked newsstands, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, still had a lot of personal matters to iron out. At the time, Charles was only separated from Princess Diana, and Camilla was still married to Andrew Parker Bowles. It would be a few years before Camilla and Andrew would formally end their marriage, and even longer before Charles and Diana's divorce was made final. On August 31, 1997, just one year after her divorce from Charles was official, Princess Diana tragically died at the age of 36.
Although they had reportedly been seen together at private events not long after the dissolutions of their respective marriages, Charles and Camilla made their first public appearance as a couple in January 1999 when they attended the London Ritz Hotel for a birthday party. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the public was divided over Charles and Camilla's first public outing as a pair.
As the Daily Telegraph reported at the time (via BBC News), "The decision of the Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles to be photographed in public will be regarded by many as long overdue. It will also bring renewed criticism from some quarters of the Church of England and the more partisan followers of the late Diana." While many were uncomfortable with Charles and Camilla's date, the future queen consort was lauded for her courage in the face of intense public scrutiny.
The public didn't like Charles and Camilla's first bout of PDA either
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, played the long game in their relationship. It wasn't until 2001, over 30 years after they first met, that the duo made a public display of affection. While at a charity event at the London Somerset House, Charles kissed Camilla, and it got the public talking. At the time, the public was becoming more accepting of Charles and Camilla's relationship, and those in favor were pleased to see the two kissing. However, others were staunchly against it, finding the kiss inappropriate for a senior member of the royal family.
While PDA among members of the royal family is certainly rare, it's not technically against any royal rule. As royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People, "Senior members of the royal family would likely not be told how to interact or when they can or can not show PDA and would be trusted to use their better judgment as to when it's appropriate." Meier added, "The royals often adjust PDA to mirror the formality of the event they are attending. At a somber or more formal event, we are less likely to see PDA than at a casual event where it would be deemed more fitting." Though Charles and Camilla's kiss was unexpected, they likely weren't reprimanded for it.
Charles and Camilla got married in 2005
In 2005, after a decades-long romance, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, finally got married. Although the event wasn't a surprise, some members of the public were upset. Evidently, there were many who thought that she was unfit to become queen consort one day. "I do not think she is the person you would want to be on the throne," one member of the British public said to the UK's Press Association, as reported by CNN. "He could do better. I do not think it should go ahead, definitely not. How could she possibly be queen?" Others were still upset that Charles and Camilla had gotten together after their affairs, and some thought the wedding was too soon, suggesting it happen the next summer instead.
Like anything the royals do, the reaction to the news of Charles and Camilla's wedding was mixed. More of the public had come around to the idea of Camilla as future queen consort, and some felt the hatred toward Camilla was unwarranted. "Times change. If you really love someone why should you live your life in misery when you have got something that makes you happy? It is not really any of our business," another member of the British public said.
King Charles ignored Camilla while in public
Not all of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort's awkward moments have been quite so amusing, and the media and public haven't been so forgiving of every gaffe. In December 2022, Charles, who had recently ascended the throne, was seen having a public outburst, reportedly over Camilla taking too long while speaking with some people after the couple met Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham AFC. The king apparently asked his handlers to get his wife's attention rather than doing so himself.
Body language expert Judi James reviewed the clip and told Express that the little flare-up was exemplary of Charles' poor attitude. "Proving he is still on a short fuse, but taking it out on his wife this time rather than a pen, Charles displays not just a bad temper but also disloyalty here," James said. "There are no signs of good humour here, just a man pleading to his entourage to get him out of his situation and on to his next booking." James added that while many members of the public were trying to show Charles grace at the time due to his new royal circumstances, the king should have been kinder and more loving toward Camilla.
Camilla tried to get in the same side of the car as Charles
Over time, the public perception of Camilla, Queen Consort, has become more positive. She's gone from having much of the British public actively dislike her to only having some of the British public actively dislike her, which is all someone in her position could've hoped for. These days, if King Charles III and Camilla make people uncomfortable, it's not because of their relationship, but rather because of a gaffe or a lapse in royal protocol.
For example, in May of 2024, Charles and Camilla had a clumsy moment during one of Charles' first public appearances since announcing his cancer diagnosis. After visiting a cancer center at a hospital in London, Charles and Camilla returned to their car. Camilla opened the car door to find that Charles had taken her seat. The moment was a little awkward, but Camilla laughed and moved to the other side of the car. As far as cringeworthy royal moments go, this fleeting hiccup paled in comparison to, say, Tampongate.