It’s no secret that Camilla Parker Bowles is a divisive figure – with many still blaming her for the collapse of Prince Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana. And it seems that even the royal staff had reservations about her – until she won them over.
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According to royal author Penny Junor in her book The Duchess: The Untold Story, Camilla faced suspicion when she first became a part of the royal household. Many staff still has loyalties to Diana, but Camilla eventually overcame their resistance by becoming their ‘secret weapon’ in dealing with a grumpy and difficult Charles.
‘The diary meetings were always a painful process,’ Junor quotes one royal household source as saying of the nightmare of working with Charles. ‘It was always freezing cold because the prince is always hot, so the windows are always flung open and it’s snowing outside and everyone is sitting there shivering.’
Camilla’s calming influence and ability to reason with the prince became a great help to staff, who then became loyal to her.
‘She made our lives a lot easier – including getting the windows shut!’ said the source.
‘It did make him behave a little bit better, because when she wasn’t there, boy could he kick off!
‘But when she was there, it was a bit calmer, a bit warmer, a bit more civilised.’