How Much Does Queen Elizabeth Hate Camilla – Really?

Fans of the British Royal family might say that the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles’s wife, Camilla Parker Bowles is … complicated. Certainly, there is every indication that at least in the beginning, Queen Elizabeth did not approve of Prince Charles’s life choices. That apparently carried over into how the Queen treated Camilla.

Evidently, Queen Elizabeth doesn’t actually “hate” Camilla. After all, when Prince Charles married the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005, Queen Elizabeth publicly gave the couple good wishes. (She did not, however, choose to attend the wedding itself.) Still, since the marriage, Queen Elizabeth’s attitude toward Camilla seems to have mellowed a bit.

Before the marriage, it was reported that Elizabeth only met Camilla one time. For those who don’t realize, that “one time” was in the space of over twenty-six years. Of course, for some of that time Prince Charles was carrying on an illicit affair with Camilla whilst he was still married to Princess Diana. Camilla for her part was still married to someone else as well.

As royal watchers know, Queen Elizabeth is a stickler for tradition and for what appears proper. To Elizabeth at the time, it didn’t matter how Prince Charles felt. It mattered what kind of scandal The Prince of Wales was created for the British crown. Apparently, it was a terrible scandal indeed. Most British nationals sided with Princess Diana when she chose to divorce Prince Charles in 1996.

Now, suggesting that Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with Camilla was (and maybe still is) complicated is an understatement. While Elizabeth gave Prince Charles and his new wife good wishes, she disallowed Camilla from even entering Buckingham Palace. In essence, the Duchess of Cornwall was persona non grata!

Today, some fans of Prince Charles and Camilla accuse Queen Elizabeth of doing everything she could to throw shade at the woman who Elizabeth seems to blame for Prince Charles’s divorce from Diana. (One wonders if Queen Elizabeth blames her son as much.)

In any case, these fans point to the fact that since Diana’s death, the title of “Princess of Wales” reverted to the crown. In other words, the title could be bestowed on any woman Prince Charles chose to marry.

However, it’s rumored that out of respect for Prince Harry and Prince William’s mother, Queen Elizabeth has refused to allow Camilla to go by that title. Whether that is true or not is anyone’s guess. The fact is, it’s also entirely possible that Camilla herself truly didn’t wish to be associated with the memory of Princess Diana. Camilla may indeed be content simply to love Prince Charles out of the spotlight.

In the grand scheme of things, she has the relationship she wants despite Queen Elizabeth’s apparent long-term grudge. At this point, what does Camilla need with Diana’s title?