The fact that Prince William shares a rather strained relationship with his step-mother Camilla is not secret. Both William and Harry were deeply hurt by their father Charles’ affair with Camilla, which ultimately ended his marriage with his then wife, William and Harry’s mother, Diana.
Now that King Charles is not in the best of his health and Prince William will become the next King after his father, Cosmopolitan reported that Camilla’s responsibilities within the monarchy will be certainly evaluated once William ascends the throne. Christopher Anderson, a royal expert, told US Weekly that while both William and Harry publicly maintain a cordial relationship with Camilla, none of them would be too happy to let Camilla step into more royal responsibilities.
Another insider also revealed, “William and Harry had always distrusted Camilla and felt resentment toward her because of their devotion to their mother. They never felt comfortable opening up to her in any real way.” However, despite not being very fond of Camilla in either way, seeing Charles happy with her, especially as he is fighting with cancer, makes William happy.
Talking about the same, Anderson said, “Camilla and Charles get on so well and laugh all the time…That’s what William likes about Camilla — she warms his father up and brings out his human side.” Insiders also revealed that Charles’ poor health strengthened the bond between him and Camilla and that has made William warm up to his step-mother as he likes how she keeps her father happy.
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It has also been reported that Camilla naturally wants Charles to “hold onto the reins for as long as possible” as she does not want her royal responsibilities to slip away from her hands as she loves them and also loves being a queen. As USA Today reported that after Charles’ passing, William will be the key decision maker in the family.
Majesty Magazine’s managing editor Joe Little, told the same outlet, “The new King William would call all the shots, it would be down to him—in accordance with his father’s and stepmother’s wishes, of course. But every aspect of her public and private life would be reviewed.” He further added, “Queen Consort Camilla would still keep that title, much like the Queen Mother (the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother) kept that title until she passed at age 101.”
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While it is already clear that Prince William has established a decent and civil relationship with his step-mother Camilla, the same was addressed by his brother Harry in his memoir Spare. Harry mentioned there that William “long harbored suspicions about the other woman.”
He also said that both the brothers had asked their father not to go ahead with the marriage but he did anyway.
It now remains to be seen if Prince William indeed relieves Camilla of her royal responsibilities once he becomes the king or if he lets things continue as they are going for her. A lot of it depends on Charles’ health, how he recovers, and what his last wishes regarding Camilla happen to be.
