King Charles III is the beginning of a long reign of male heirs with Prince William and Prince George next in line for the throne, but that doesn’t mean the crown is lacking in female support.
Charles, 73, has an impressive roster of women behind the throne to help guide him through his reign.
Just days after Charles ascended the throne, his wife Camilla Parker Bowles proved that she would remain even-tempered even when her husband couldn’t.
A video taken on Sept. 13, showed the new monarch losing his temper over a leaky pen.
As he seethed in the background and can be heard complaining, “Can’t bear this bloody thing, every stinking time,” Camilla, 75, calmly signed the visitors’ book with a new pen, diffusing the situation as Charles was lead out of the room.
The couple famously met in 1970 when Camilla was 24 and he was 22 at a polo match and reportedly noted that her great-grandmother had had an affair with King Edward VII.
“My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather, so how about it?” she is said to have uttered.
The two share the same sense of humor and love of the outdoors, according to “The Palace Papers” author Tina Brown.
“I think she’s tough, she’s stoic, she’s got a great sense of humor,” Brown told Page Six in a recent interview. “I think she’s a really undersung character and you know she’s never said a damn word about her relationship with Charles, she’s never complained.”
Brown once wrote if Camilla’s family had a motto, it would have been “Thou Shalt Not Whine.”
“Talk about bad press,” Brown added. “She’s been called everything from a hag to horse-face to a witch. She’s had the most appalling things said about her but she never complains.”
It seems in keeping with her character that Camilla suffered a broken toe and didn’t say a word about it while she accompanied her husband on a packed schedule of events earlier this month while mourning the Queen’s passing.
Camilla even managed to win the Queen over, who earlier this year, announced that it was her wish that Camilla be “known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
“I think there is a sense that behind the scenes, it’s largely the Queen Consort who is running the show,” a royal insider told The Telegraph. “She makes a lot more decisions than people think, especially with [former aide] Michael Fawcett out of the picture.
“She’s a stabilizing and reassuring presence for the King. She makes him laugh and they have a lot of shared history together. He adores her and truly believes that she is the only person on earth who truly understands him.”
The newly crowned Princess of Wales, Prince William’s wife, is the most powerful person in the royal family right now, according to Brown.
“The monarchy is on the slim shoulders of the former Kate Middleton,” Brown opined. “It all rests on her right now. If for any reason, she thought like Meghan [Markle], ‘I’m out of here, I can do much better,’ it would be a disaster.”
“It would I think crumble at the moment without her because she’s the only modern beautiful woman who’s well educated, substantial in herself who’s actually wanting to commit herself to the rigors of this institution,” she continued. “Not many young women could do that.”
Middleton, 40, has also proven herself to be a peacemaker in the family.
William, 40, and Charles have had a strained relationship over the years but the Princess of Wales has helped them bridge their differences.
According to the Daily Mail, it was Kate who planned and organized the family photo shoot for Charles’ 70th birthday.
The serious amateur photographer even took the now-iconic photo of Charles resting his head on William’s shoulder, as the two smile broadly for the camera.
Kate has also reportedly tried to act as a peacemaker between William and and his brother Prince Harry, 38.
Following the service for Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021, the estranged siblings walked and chatted alongside Middleton as they made their way out of St. George’s Chapel. It was the first time the brothers had seen each other since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals the year before.
Another royal insider also noted that the King must surely appreciate the close bond Sophie, 57, has forged with Middleton, who is said to admire the down-to-earth way she and Prince Edward have raised their two children.
“Sophie is incredibly empathetic,” the insider explained. “If you are a supporter of the royal family, you would hope that that would be a key relationship.”
