Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have now been happily married since 2005. However, in the difficult years following Princess Diana’s untimely death in 1997, Camilla faced a frosty reception form the British public and even the Queen herself. At first, Prince Charles’ staff were wary of the future Duchess, too, as they still had “divided loyalties” for their former employer Diana.
However, they soon realised that, unlike Charles and Diana’s “acrimonious” working relationship, Camilla was actually a “civilising” influence on the Prince of Wales.
In her 2017 biography “The Duchess: The Untold Story”, royal author Penny Junor delves into Palace life behind the scenes.
She writes: “[Camilla] became their secret weapon.”
A member of the Prince of Wales’ team told Ms Junor: “The diary meetings were always a painful process.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall (Image: Getty)