Prince William & Harry were ‘completely blindsided’ by this ‘Queen Camilla’ thing?

It’s been less than a month since Queen Elizabeth II used her Accession Day message to embiggen Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. QEII wrote (“wrote”) that when the time comes, Camilla should be named Queen Consort alongside King Charles. Charles had been lobbying for that for seventeen years, and I believe Charles only got his way because of a blatant quid pro quo with his mother. In exchange for the Queen’s blessing for Queen Consort Camilla, he authorized the Queen to pay off Prince Andrew’s rape victim. It’s that simple. What followed the Queen’s statement was a lot of lukewarm support for Camilla, including royal commentators insisting that Prince William was vaguely supportive. Charles reportedly told Harry and William before the announcement, but Harry still hasn’t released a statement of support (nor does it look like he will ever publicly support Queen Camilla).

Not that any of that matters. As one royal insider told People: “There will always be some backlash but you can’t please everybody all the time. There will be people from certain constituencies who might complain.” Certain constituencies = Diana’s sons? So says Us Weekly’s go-to royal commentator Christopher Andersen.

Not everyone is on board. Following many ups and downs within the royal family, author Christopher Andersen addressed new issues that may be causing a divide for Prince Harry and Prince William with other family members.

“It’s just whether or not they can get over this bad feeling. Then, of course, Queen [Elizabeth II]‘s health and these other considerations are there. I don’t think it helped with the queen announcing that Duchess Camilla will be Queen Consort and that’s another issue,” Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 22, while promoting his book Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan.

The royal author claimed that the decision is “driving a wedge” in the royal family, adding, “I can tell you right now that the boys were completely blindsided by this.”

Earlier this month, the monarch, 95, announced her hope for Camilla, 74, to be given the title Queen Consort when Prince Charles takes the throne. According to Andersen, the queen’s son, 73, was “relentlessly” pushing for his wife to gain the title.

“Charles just wore her down on this too. I also think that since the death of Prince Philip, Charles has stepped up his effort to make it clear to the queen that he too needs [a partner],” he claimed, referring to Philip’s April 2021 passing. “If he’s going to reign, he’s going to need the support, the kind of support that she got from [her husband].”

[From Us Weekly]

Do you think Harry and William were “blindsided” by the Queen’s announcement? I do not, although I believe both brothers probably have mixed emotions and maybe even strongly negative feelings about it. I think Charles has exhausted both Harry and William with the “do you support Queen Camilla” question for years now. It’s been Charles’s permanent mission, to legitimize and codify Camilla’s position within the family. And Diana’s sons are like… jeez, give it a f–king rest. But yeah, I think William especially knew what was coming. William likely got something in return for his vague support too – that might even be why Charles is clearing the path for the Cambridges to move to Windsor.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.