Camilla, Queen Consort, Often “Calls the Shots” for King Charles III, Book Claims

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published 1 October 2022

According to a new book by royal expert Katie Nicholl, Camilla, Queen Consort has not just a personal influence over King Charles III but a professional one, as well.

In her book The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown (which hits shelves on Tuesday), Nicholl writes that there are times when Camilla “calls the shots” and has influenced Charles to make major decisions like firing Charles’ closest aide, Michael Fawcett, in 2021. Camilla also disagreed with Charles’ son, Prince Harry, on how to handle family issues, per Insider.

Nicholl adds that Charles practices his speeches for Camilla and runs ideas by her. She also can lay the hammer down with her husband, like in 2021, when she told Charles to fire Fawcett after he was accused of offering a Saudi tycoon a knighthood in exchange for $2 million in donations to The Prince’s Foundation. Following the allegations, Fawcett ultimately resigned from his role as CEO of the Foundation.

An unnamed friend of Camilla’s told Nicholl for the book that the new Queen Consort told her husband to axe Fawcett, saying “she said Michael had to go. She essentially ousted him. She was never really a fan of Fawcett, and she could see how damaging this could be to Charles’ reign.”

Also in the book, Nicholl details how Camilla asserted herself to Harry after he suggested the royal family hire a third party to try to resolve their issues as a family.

“He actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out, which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea,” Camilla’s friend told Nicholl. “She told Harry it was ridiculous and that they were a family and would sort it out between themselves.”

Marie Claire reported back in February that Charles’ coronation plans call for he and Camilla to be crowned side-by-side. And, despite her new role as Queen Consort, Insider reports that Camilla will retain a piece of her independence, writing “she plans to keep her own private residence even though her husband is king.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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