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A Princess Kate magazine feature quoting unnamed friends of the royal inspired a major warning by commentators over fears it reads like a “slight against Camilla.”
The Princess of Wales was emblazoned across The Times Magazine, the color supplement inside Britain’s newspaper of record, in an article celebrating what she will be like as a future queen consort, when Prince William becomes king.
The print cover was headlined “Arise, Queen Kate: The princess’ friends and palace insiders on how she will change the royal family” while the online headline read: “‘Kate will be a queen who really listens’—by palace insiders.”
Why It Matters
The princess and her staff will have had no control over the headline but needless to say the royals can be competitive at the best of times. What compounds sensitivities here is that King Charles III continues to receive treatment for cancer.
In fact, Buckingham Palace have been careful to remind journalists they risk coming across a little crass if they speculate about how long his reign might last.
This particular article also sits alongside other examples that risk making the Waleses look a little too eager to sell their advantages over Charles and Queen Camilla. In short, there is every chance the cover story went down like a lead balloon among the king and queen’s staff.
What to Know
Amanda Platell, a columnist for the Daily Mail, responded with a stark warning to Kate. “Be careful Kate. You don’t realize it, but your inner circle may have inadvertently stabbed you in the back,” the headline on her column read.
“Did those ‘close long-term friends’ of William and Kate have their approval to talk?” Platell wrote. “Did Kate and William, in fact, sanction this article in The Times Magazine about her intentions when she becomes Queen?
“We may never know, but even if they did not, it is surely ill-advised of their close circle to talk about her future in this way.
“Kate would never have intended any slight against Camilla, of course. But I can’t be the only person to think that this emphasis on her queenly qualities is a slap in the face for the present Queen.”
What People Are Saying
Giovanna Fletcher, host of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, who had Kate as a guest in 2020, told The Times: “She’s full of heart. I think she’ll be a queen who really listens, who leans in, who’s very aware of what’s going on—like the King with the King’s Trust. I think [the Prince and Princess of Wales] are going into it with their eyes completely open. I don’t feel like it’s ‘us v them’. We have to work together as a society to make that change happen [and] I think they get it. They understand things. And so, for that reason, I think it will be a welcome change.”
Columnist Amanda Platell wrote in the Daily Mail: “Charles and Camilla are still working full-tilt with many engagements planned in the diary for this year, including a joint official state visit to the United States on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“There will come a time to hail the ascension of King William and Queen Catherine, but it is not yet. It’s just too soon for anyone to be cheering: ‘Arise, Queen Kate.’”
Meanwhile, The Daily Beast‘s The Royalist substack blog ran the headline: “’Queen Kate’ Angers Jealous Charles.” The piece read: “A glossy ‘Times’ profile hailing Catherine as Queen has sharpened royal rivalries and highlighted an awkward reality for the Palace: Kate now outshines Camilla by a country mile.”
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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