Related Articles
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has recently returned from New Zealand with Prince Charles, in a royal tour that was largely overshadowed by Prince Andrew’s disastrous BBC interview and subsequent withdrawal from royal duties last week. The Queen demanded that the Duke of York step down from royal life, however the Prince of Wales and Prince William are said to have been fully behind Her Majesty’s unprecedented decision. However, there seems to be no love lost between Camilla and the Duke of York, either.
When the Duchess was unable to attend Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding last year due to a prior engagement, many royal watchers were wondering if Camilla’s decision had other reasons behind it.
A source told the Daily Mail’s royal correspondent Richard Kay at the time that the Duchess of Cornwall had not forgotten how Andrew treated her during the difficult years following the sudden death of Princess Diana.
They said: “Camilla has always felt Andrew could have done more.
“The Queen listens to Andrew and he could have helped his brother at a time when he had few allies within the family.
“In fact, I would go so far as to say he was deeply unhelpful when support would have meant a huge amount to her and the Prince.
“Looking back to when there was little public sympathy for Charles and Camilla, if not open hostility, it was a case of Andrew playing politics.
“Camilla hasn’t forgotten.”
However, a friend of the Duchess’ added: “She is fond of Eugenie and her sister Beatrice.”
READ MORE: Royal revelation: How Camilla has unlikely bond with Sarah Ferguson
The Duchess of Cornwall and Sarah Ferguson have never appeared to be particularly close, however.
Mr Kay commented: “You would have thought the two women’s shared experiences as royal outsiders might have brought them together.
“Indeed, both women were pointedly not invited to Prince Edward’s wedding to Sophie Rhys-Jones, also in Windsor, in 1999.”
However, Fergie, who is standing by her ex-husband and has taken to social media in vocal support of the Duke amid his recent travails, could have an unexpected ally in the Palace in the Duchess of Cornwall.
Back in 2016, it was reportedly Camilla who helped rehabilitate the Duchess of York by reinstating her as patron her late brother’s charity, the Elephant Family, after Prince Charles had dropped her.
A source told the Daily Mail at the time: “Camilla adored her brother and so is instinctively fond and slightly misty-eyed about anyone who helped him out, as Fergie did as patron and long-standing supporter of the charity.”
“Camilla is a peacemaker by nature – look how she managed to get the Queen, William and Harry on side after the most inauspicious of beginnings.
“She’s also befriended Kate. Having been vilified herself for so long, she has much sympathy for Sarah.”
Source link
