Even decades after Princess Diana's death, fans of the royal family are resistant to accepting Camilla Parker-Bowles as their future queen. While the public is much warmer than they were at the height of Prince Charles and Camilla's affair that allegedly caused the breakdown of his marriage with Diana, the Duchess of Cornwall finds it difficult to reach the same level of acceptance and popularity as the late princess. In the days following the divorce; however, it was recently revealed that Prince William became a tool to court public approval.
In a recently released documentary entitled Reinventing the Royals, it was revealed that Prince Charles tried to set up a meeting with his eldest son Prince William and his then-lover Camilla Parker-Bowles a year after the divorce. However, the plan did not pull through because of Princess Diana's sudden death. The meeting finally happened in 1998.
According to journalist Steve Hewlett, when the news was released, Prince William was displeased and felt like he had become a tool to court public approval of his father's relationship with Camilla.
"It was an important moment for a young man from a family divided by divorce and traumatized by the loss. It was a sign that Prince William had accepted his father's mistress as a permanent fixture. It was a major milestone," he said.
In his account, royal author Penny Juror, who wrote the book Prince William: Born to be King described how William felt at the time. Being a levelheaded royal, Juror said that while Prince William may have heard a lot of horrible things about Camilla and his father but he was willing to give Camilla a chance as he realized that not all of them were true, reported Express UK.
The meeting took place when Camilla was staying for a couple of nights at the Palace with Prince Charles. Based on the accounts, it was William who asked his father to meet his girlfriend. In their conversation, Prince Charles asked his son if it would be a problem where she was staying, but William said it was not an issue.
The meeting between William and Camilla took place without many problems but what upset the Prince was that it was made public and he felt used.
Over twenty years after Princess Diana's death, the royals seem to be on better terms, but the latest YouGov survey indicates that Camilla still has a low approval rating at 29 percent. Palace insiders expressed bafflement over the numbers since the Duchess of Cornwall has become better liked and accepted in recent years as she dutifully performed her royal functions as the Duchess of Cornwall.
