After 17 years of service to the Royal Family since her marriage to Prince Charles, the Queen has announced that she would like Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to have the title of Queen Consort when Charles becomes King.
‘We are deeply conscious of the hour represented by my mother’s wish,’ Prince Charles said. ‘As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout.’
Camilla and Charles first went public with their romance in 1999 after years of controversy following rumours of adultery between the pair during Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana. In 1994, the Prince of Wales admitted to an affair with Camilla after his marriage had ‘irretrievably broken down’. In 2005 after a long PR campaign to rehabilitate their image, Charles and Diana married.
Of course, scandal like that doesn’t go away easily and many still commentate on the affair decades later. It’s unsurprising given the tabloid frenzy at the time and the untimely death of Princess Diana, but what feels inappropriate now is the incessant need to predict Diana’s thoughts on Camilla all these years later.
It happens almost every time Camilla is in the news, but the latest round of commentary following her future ascension to Queen Consort has resulted in some particularly strong backlash from Diana fans.
Of course, it’s understandable that people have strong opinions on the matter – but must we constantly assume Diana’s opinion, putting words in the mouth of a woman unable to correct or clarify herself?
At best, it’s morbidly uncomfortable, at worst, it’s entirely disrespectful to the memory of a woman beloved by countless people. Because these opinions people feel Diana would have are almost always negative, often the result of peoples personal projections from their own lived experience. Frankly, it’s unfair to dog the reputation of one woman with the memory of another without any real understanding of how Diana might or might not feel today.
Ultimately, this tiresome obsession with there being tension between Diana and Camilla, with people having to ‘pick sides’ and send abuse online in the name of one or the other is one of the most vile narratives to continue in the wake of Diana’s death. Perhaps we should stop speaking for her and allow her legacy of love and positivity to speak for itself.
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