After weeks of blazing rows, tensions are at boiling point between Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with the furious prince kicking his wife out of their Clarence House home for a trial separation.
‘Charles has finally had enough of Camilla,’ a palace source reveals.
‘They’ve been fighting more and more in recent months, but things came to a head a few weeks ago when they had a blazing row.
‘Charles was angrier than we’ve ever seen him and told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t welcome in his life any more.
‘He told Camilla to pack her bags and leave, and she’s been staying at Ray Mill [her home [her home in Wiltshire] ever since.’
Following Camilla’s no-show at a recent royal event in Balmoral, it emerged that the duchess had fled to her bolthole in Wiltshire. Camilla has long used Ray Mill as a getaway.
‘That house is where she can cook scrambled eggs in her dressing gown and be among those she loves with not a jot of ceremony or anyone looking at her,’ a friend revealed last year.
Not to mention she is free from the wrath of Charles, who is said to be using the time apart to gather his thoughts on whether their marriage can be saved.
Last week, the 71-year-old duchess was the subject of whispers after Charles, 69, attended a church service at Crathie Kirk Church in Aberdeenshire alongside the Queen.
Despite the annual event being a long time favourite of Camilla’s, she was nowhere to be seen, prompting speculation the couple had split.
In fact, the royal pair appear to have spent a good deal of their summer apart.
Charles spent time in Balmoral with the Queen, Camilla was spotted holidaying in Sardinia, Italy with friends.
‘We’ve seen them fight before, but never has Charles actually told her to leave – until now,’ continues the source.
‘This is a very critical point in their marriage, and we’re not sure they can find a way back from it.’
Charles and Camilla are said to have come to blows over Camilla’s erratic behaviour.
The scheming duchess has been causing scenes.
First, details of a sordid former love triangle between Camilla, Princess Anne and Andrew Parker Bowles emerged – with Camilla’s ex-husband accused of having an affair with Anne. And only last week, Camilla was once again locking horns with another member of the royal family following New Idea’s report on her bitter feud with Sarah Ferguson over the late Princess Diana.
Not to mention her constant meddling in Princess Eugenie’s upcoming wedding and her attempts to cause friction between Meghan and Kate. It’s no wonder Charles has booted her out of the palace.
It seems Camilla can’t be in a room with another member of the royal family without there being some sort of tension, some sort of row, the royal source explains.
‘For too long Charles has just let her be and ignored her, but he can’t anymore. He’s finally had enough.’
And it would seem the couple’s upcoming royal calendar is a reflection of the animosity between the pair.
Royal aides are desperately trying to divvy out their upcoming events so that Charles and Camilla can avoid spending much together.
Despite five major events scheduled for September – including a visit to the Royal Albert Hall in London, a cancer centre in Scotland and an evening reception in Northumberland, Charles and Camilla will only be attending one major event together, choosing to carry out the remaining duties separately.
‘They only communicate now through third parties,’ confirms the insider.
‘They are still committed to doing some official events together and have been told by senior officials to put on a brave face and keep up appearances to put the rumours at bay. But the truth is that their marriage is in dire shape.
‘It’s why Camilla wasn’t with Charles and the Queen at the weekend. Her Majesty is so angry at the current state of affairs that she’s told Charles she doesn’t want any contact with his wife, and for the time being Camilla has been banned from being in the same room as the Queen altogether.’
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