Is Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, ready for her future role as the Queen of England once Prince Charles becomes the new King? Royal watchers believe that she has been prepared for this huge responsibility for years even though she will most likely become the least-liked queen of recent times.
The duchess has been the most steadfast presence in the life of Prince Charles for the last 40 or so years, even more so than his mother, the Queen. Camilla has been supporting Prince Charles through the ups and downs, especially when his first wife, Princess Diana, tragically died in a car accident in 1997.
Now married for 15 years, Camilla and Prince Charles have proven to the world that they are, in fact, a good team together. Because of this, royal watchers say that their public image has significantly improved and that such a partnership has signaled that she could be more than prepared than ever for her next role as his Queen.
"She will give him [Charles] the strength and the confidence to do the job he was born to do. He will be a better king for having her by his side," royal author Penny Junor told Good Housekeeping.
However, one thing will remain a stain in Camilla's image; her affair with Prince Charles will mark her for life even if she is his rock and his most solid supporter. Because of this, Camilla will have to contend with not becoming the most-liked queen when the time comes.
In addition to her public image, some royal observers worry that Camilla is not hard-working as Queen Elizabeth. Despite carrying on with some duties for the crown since she has been Prince Charles wife, a report from Daily Express stated that Camilla is ranked as the eighth busiest royal family member only. She is five notches below the Queen, while Prince Charles is the second most hardworking royal.
A group on anti-monarchy said that "hard work" doesn't seem to jive with being a royal. After all, most of their duties entail speaking engagements or socials that require them to be around the crowd for an hour. However, if Camilla would like to be regarded highly as Queen Elizabeth, then, she might need to step up and be more active in her royal engagements, especially since, in reality, these don't take up too much effort to do.
