Queen Camilla’s 6-Word Response After Meeting Prince William For The First Time Resurfaces
Queen Camilla was anxious when she waited for Prince William for their first meeting, according to a report.
The Prince of Wales and his stepmother are going through the same ordeal amid their spouses' cancer battles. Both King Charles and Kate Middleton announced earlier this year that they were diagnosed with cancer. Queen Camilla and Prince William have developed a closer bond over the years, and details of their first meeting have resurfaced.
Royal author Penny Junor wrote about Queen Camilla and Prince William's first meeting in her 2019 book "Queen Consort: The Life of Queen Camilla." According to the biographer, their encounter wasn't expected because he was away at Eton and only informed his dad he was coming back to York House in London for the weekend. The King was reportedly caught off guard because he was with Camilla. She offered to leave before Prince William's arrival, but His Majesty insisted she stay. Instead, King Charles informed his eldest son that Camilla was with him when he got back.
Junor claimed Camilla was "decidedly anxious" while waiting for Prince William to arrive at 7 p.m. The feeling intensified when the heir apparent arrived four hours earlier.
"He's here," King Charles reportedly told Camilla and suggested they "just get on with it." He left her and Prince William alone for half an hour to get to know each other.
After their encounter, Camilla reportedly made a six-word remark, "I need a gin and tonic." The writer, however, clarified that she was only joking because her first meeting with the future king turned out fine.
Prince William was reportedly "friendly," and she was happy to move at his pace. Camilla also knew it would take time before Prince William and Prince Harry warmed up to her. However, she occasionally met Prince William for lunch or would drop by York House when he was there.
Read also: 'Disappointed' Kate Middleton Warned Husband Prince William About This 'Reckless' Move: Report
PR expert Mark Bolland spoke with Junor about King Charles' sons' public outing with Camilla. He said it was initially "awkward," but they managed.
"It was difficult for them; it was a natural thing. You want your mum, you don't want her, and she had her own family. To be fair to Camilla, she never tried to be mummy, but she was the 'other woman,' and she was there taking daddy's time," Bolland explained.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has been open about his dislike toward his stepmother. In his memoir "Spare," he called her "dangerous," a "villain" and the third person in his parents' marriage. He also shared that he and his big brother didn't want their dad to marry her but eventually agreed because they saw him happy with her.
Prince William has become increasingly closer to their stepmom. The stepmother and stepson have developed an "unlikely" bond due to the recent events that brought them closer, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK magazine earlier this year.
However, Tom Quinn, a royal biographer and commentator, claimed that Prince Harry would feel "betrayed" by his brother's bond with their stepmother.
"He [Harry] really distrusts that William actually gets on rather well now with Camilla -- Harry will see this as a betrayal," Quinn told the Mirror. "He was shocked when William realized that Camilla, far from being the monster they thought her when they were children, is actually a rather nice woman."
