The Duchess of Cornwall Current Events 12: July 2008-December 2009

[Opal]

She does look like she enjoys visits with children.

 

[seajat]

Camilla's Lack of Engagements

This is from the Daily Star.
It's the same every year. Does she ever plan on picking it up a bit? It's becoming embarassing...

"THE Duchess of Cornwall will be dubbed “Her Royal Idleness” this week when official court circular documents are set to expose her as the least hard-working senior royal.

Royal records show Camilla carried out only 153 official engagements this year – a handful more than the year before.

Many of the listed jobs were simply attending one of husband Prince Charles’ events, hosting tea parties at home, or getting on and off a royal plane.

By contrast, in 2008 the Queen carried out 417 engagements and even Prince Philip – 88 and fighting rumours of ill health – performed 354 royal jobs."

 

[Saragli]

Treemendous day out with Duchess (From Oxford Mail)

 

[Iluvbertie]

Royal records show Camilla carried out only 153 official engagements this year – a handful more than the year before.

These figures for Camilla seemed a bit low to me and guess what - they were.

Tireless Queen shows no sign of letting up at age 83 | Mail Online

This says she did 209 up from last year with Anne regaining the crown of top worker just from Charles.
Most have reduced their workload from last year but Anne, Camilla and Sophie have all done more this year.

 

[scooter]

The present consort of the spouse managed 350 engagements at his advanced age. If Camilla's going to be whatever-consort she's going to need to extend herself a bit more than 240 (at 61).

 

[AuroraB]

I'm guessing you like to compare apples and oranges.

The DOE has been on the job for over 62 years and is patron or involved with over 800 organizations. I would assume he acquire them over a number of years.

The DOC has been on the job less than 5 years and according the the official website royal.gov.uk, she is patron of 48 organizations.

Usually, more organizations = more engagements.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The present consort of the spouse managed 350 engagements at his advanced age. If Camilla's going to be whatever-consort she's going to need to extend herself a bit more than 240 (at 61).

She has been increasing her number of engagements as she has grown into the role of consort of the heir and what a great job she is doing in support of him in his role - a perfect consort for the heir and eventualy perfect consort for the monarch.

The consort of the monarch should be doing more than the consort of the heir due to the very difference in their positions but as Philip is aging he is dropping back and Camilla is increasing - just the way it should be.

 

[scooter]

DofE managed 50% more at..is it 88? And Camilla is now into her 4th year as wife of the heir. The first wife at that point in the marriage was working tirelessly at what ever it was 'suggested' by the crown and whomever the PM was at that point. And had 2 children under 3, at the same time.

 

[Charlotte1]

DofE managed 50% more at..is it 88? And Camilla is now into her 4th year as wife of the heir. The first wife at that point in the marriage was working tirelessly at what ever it was 'suggested' by the crown and whomever the PM was at that point. And had 2 children under 3, at the same time.

Your math is wrong, 50% more of the 257 official engagements that Camilla carried out in 2009 ( see official total in The Times, the Daily Mail one was unofficial and incorrect for all members except for the Queen, DoE and Countess of Wessex) is 514. The DoE DID NOT carry out that many official engagements in 2009! The first wife in her first years of marriage carried out around 100 official engagements a year, in her first year of marriage she carried out very few official engagements and none at all for the first 3 months she was married! Unlike Camilla who did official engagements after a month!
Math still wrong, Camilla is now into her 5th year as a royal.

Camilla each year she had been a member of the royal family has increased the number of engagements she had carried out, she is doing very well for a woman marrying into the royal family in her 60s. In 2009 she carried out more official engagements than Princess Alexandra, The Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Countess of Wessex (nearly double to Sophie's).

 

[scooter]

Your math is wrong, 50% more of the 257 official engagements that Camilla carried out in 2009 ( see official total in The Times, the Daily Mail one was unofficial and incorrect for all members except for the Queen, DoE and Countess of Wessex) is 514. The DoE DID NOT carry out that many official engagements in 2009! The first wife in her first years of marriage carried out around 100 official engagements a year, in her first year of marriage she carried out very few official engagements and none at all for the first 3 months she was married! Unlike Camilla who did official engagements after a month!
Math still wrong, Camilla is now into her 5th year as a royal.

Camilla each year she had been a member of the royal family has increased the number of engagements she had carried out, she is doing very well for a woman marrying into the royal family in her 60s. In 2009 she carried out more official engagements than Princess Alexandra, The Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Countess of Wessex (nearly double to Sophie's).

As the wife of the Heir, Camilla SHOULD, of course, be carrying out many more engagements than Pss Alexandra, The Kents and Gloucesters, and the Countess of Wessex...AS A GIVEN. Of course, the Countess of Wessex has two small children at home, as did Charles' first wife.

The Duke of E has been maintaining this pace year after year for decades right up into his late 80's. Is it too much to ask for Camilla to do as much? She is, after all, nearly thirty years younger.

Wasn't it Marc Bolland who famously described Camilla as the laziest woman in Britain?

 

[Mermaid1962]

To be fair, Diana was on honeymoon until the tour of Wales in the fall of 1981; and unknown to us, she was pregnant even then. Once her morning sickness kicked in, she looked unwell when on official engagements and some had to be cancelled. She was newly married, had a difficult pregnancy, and was setting up the new marital homes. In spite of all that personal activity, I seem to be able to remember more than "very few official engagements" in that first year.

The first wife in her first years of marriage carried out around 100 official engagements a year, in her first year of marriage she carried out very few official engagements and none at all for the first 3 months she was married!

 

[Vicki J]

As the wife of the Heir, Camilla SHOULD, of course, be carrying out many more engagements than Pss Alexandra, The Kents and Gloucesters, and the Countess of Wessex...AS A GIVEN. Of course, the Countess of Wessex has two small children at home, as did Charles' first wife.
Wasn't it Marc Bolland who famously described Camilla as the laziest woman in Britain?

I don't know was it or was that a rumour thats now a misquote or taken out of context, I mean why not just quote it if you think its true, it seems more like a snarky comment from someone who hates the Duchess. Why should the wife to the heir be doing more engagements, I mean is there a rule somewhere? I reckon a wife is there to support her hubby, whether thats doing solo stuff or not.

You all go on about Sophie Wessex having 2 small kids and Diana having children and setting up a home. Are you kidding, neither of them have any idea about setting up a home or looking after their own kids, they both have servants who do all that for them. They don't feed the kids, change the kids, wash the kids, change the beds, vac up, dust, tidy away the toys, cook or do any of the things most mums have to do, without any paid help, so they both should have done a lot more work if your rule book is anything to go by.

 

[Lumutqueen]

You all go on about Sophie Wessex having 2 small kids and Diana having children and setting up a home. Are you kidding, neither of them have any idea about setting up a home or looking after their own kids, they both have servants who do all that for them. They don't feed the kids, change the kids, wash the kids, change the beds, vac up, dust, tidy away the toys, cook or do any of the things most mums have to do, without any paid help, so they both should have done a lot more work if your rule book is anything to go by.

Just because they have servants doesn't mean the servants are going to look after the kids for them.
Sophie and Diana were and are both very hands on mothers.
I agree however that the time Sophie took off after having James was ridiculous, I understand she's not a senior royal but she is a royal.

As Mermaid1962 pointed out, Diana had a difficult pregnancy; after Sophie's scare with the ectopic pregnancy and Louise being premature any mother would be cautious when carrying a child.

Does anyone know how many engagements Diana did in her first year of marriage, if it was low I can understand why.


As for Camilla's lack of engagements, thats just not on. With Prince Phillip doing more than her is disgraceful. Camilla should have more organizations and more engagements, wife of a future monarch. Just because she's only been a royal for 5 years is no excuse.

 

[MARG]

Thank you for such a pithy and succinct response. I like the way you called the differences between apples and pears. Yes the younger princesses did more but had absolutely no "household" responsibilities whatsoever! No additional music lessons or sports practices to "squeeze" into the already overloaded housewife and mother routine.

To be honest, I think things become so polarised between the extreme "I adore Diana / I detest Camilla" and vice versa, that it is easy to overlook the fact that the arguments are actually a lot deeper than that. I mean, let's just look at health and age. Any way you look at it, marrying into the BRF at the age Camilla did is a lot harder than it was for Diana, Sarah and Sophie. Health is also a factor, and we became aware that early on in the marriage Camilla had obviously had a significant "health issue" that can and has debilitated thousands and led to untold breakdowns. Camilla just kept on going, and let's be honest here, it isn't as if she had the biggest cheering squad to back her up in the media.

 

[Charlotte1]

As the wife of the Heir, Camilla SHOULD, of course, be carrying out many more engagements than Pss Alexandra, The Kents and Gloucesters, and the Countess of Wessex...AS A GIVEN. Of course, the Countess of Wessex has two small children at home, as did Charles' first wife.

The Duke of E has been maintaining this pace year after year for decades right up into his late 80's. Is it too much to ask for Camilla to do as much? She is, after all, nearly thirty years younger.

Wasn't it Marc Bolland who famously described Camilla as the laziest woman in Britain?

Well Marc Bolland is obviously being made to eat his words now as Camilla is working well in the royal family and at an age where most people are cruising into retirement. (And exactly who appointed Marc Bolland as the oricle of workloads!? Plus he said this in the late 1990s, over 10 years ago, not really relevant today)

The DoE hasn't been keeping this pace year after year and if one bothers to check the official totals from the Court Circular the past few years he has been reducing his workload. Including 2009, he did fewer engagements than 2008. (In the past 7 years he has dramatically cut down on the amount of official engagements he carried out)The DoE also has been a member of the royal family for over 60 years, he has far more patronages than Camilla, in his first 5 years he didn't have 100+ patronages either! Infact he had very few as he was a fulltime naval officer, he wasn't doing 257 royal engagements a year in his 5th year of marriage. If you're going to compare at least compare with some accuracy!

Your original arguement about the work level of Charles' first wife was at the same length of time that Camilla is now was that she was doing far more engagements, but she wasn't! The small children is a red herring thrown in for desperation to pad out a distorted view point. Sophie Wessex still with one small child at home was doing 200+ engagements in 2006, and 2005, Louise is at fulltime school, James obviously at home but she has nannies.

To be fair, Diana was on honeymoon until the tour of Wales in the fall of 1981; and unknown to us, she was pregnant even then. Once her morning sickness kicked in, she looked unwell when on official engagements and some had to be cancelled. She was newly married, had a difficult pregnancy, and was setting up the new marital homes. In spite of all that personal activity, I seem to be able to remember more than "very few official engagements" in that first year

In the first year of marriage (July 1981 to July 1982) Diana did no engagements until October (Married July, Balmoral August and September) she then did a 2 day trip to Wales, with Charles! She then did some engagements in London, opening of Parliament, official engagement at the V&A which sticks in my mind as she wore an Emmanuel dress which made her look like a fairytale princess, but looked painfully bored! Then the Christmas and January break, some more engagements, but by now Diana was heavily pregnant by May she was on maternity leave. William was born in June and Diana did no royal engagements until October 1982. (So that's about 5 months of no engagements)When one actually checks the first few years of Diana's royal life, with the 2 pregnancies and maternity leave she had long periods of time where she carried out no engagements. Not being critical, just pointing out the obvious so lauding Diana for the fact that she did far more than Camilla in her first few years of marriage doesn't have a great deal of reality behind it.

As for Camilla's lack of engagements, thats just not on. With Prince Phillip doing more than her is disgraceful. Camilla should have more organizations and more engagements, wife of a future monarch. Just because she's only been a royal for 5 years is no excuse.

What lack of engagements!? Have you bothered to see how many she's done? Each year she has been married Camilla has increased her yearly total, those same years Philip has decreased his, at this rate in 2 years, Camilla will be doing more engagements than Philip. This year Camilla did 237 engagements, Philip 347. The only people who did more engagements than Camilla this year are those 'born royal' The Queen (although decreasing as well) Charles, Anne (decreasing, she still does a lot but after spiking in the low 600s 4 years ago, she's down to the low-mid 500s) Andrew and Edward, that's it! (Andrew and Charles hover in the mid 500s and Edward the low 300s, lower than his parents!) The minor royals all carried out fewer engagements than Camilla, other than Sophie and the Duchess of Gloucester the others are also 'born royal' and not 'married in'. So looking at the numbers there is nothing to castigate Camilla for, she's doing well, at her age and length of time in the royal family.

 

[Jacknch]

As the wife of the heir to the throne, the Duchess of Cornwall's role should first and foremost be as a support to her husband during the majority of his engagements. That is how I always thought her role was to be when they first got married and I am sure that is what it says on the PoW website (I'll double check). Naturally as time passes, more and more organisations will want her to be their patron, but probably not as many organisations as say the Queen or Princess Anne who have been royal alot longer than Camilla! Whoever decides on her engagements whether it be the palace or herself, clearly they do not want Camilla to be thrust onto the royal stage by carrying out more duties than anyone else. Afterall, it's not a race to see who does the most - and quite frankly, I couldn't care less how many engagements any of the royal family do, so long as they do them well and we see then out and about from time to time!

 

[Lumutqueen]

The DoE hasn't been keeping this pace year after year and if one bothers to check the official totals from the Court Circular the past few years he has been reducing his workload. Including 2009, he did fewer engagements than 2008. (In the past 7 years he has dramatically cut down on the amount of official engagements he carried out)

The DoE is 88, with declining health and age he has the right to reduce his engagements.

What lack of engagements!? Have you bothered to see how many she's done? Each year she has been married Camilla has increased her yearly total, those same years Philip has decreased his, at this rate in 2 years, Camilla will be doing more engagements than Philip. This year Camilla did 237 engagements, Philip 347. The minor royals all carried out fewer engagements than Camilla. So looking at the numbers there is nothing to castigate Camilla for, she's doing well, at her age and length of time in the royal family.

Yes I have bothered to look how many engagements she has done, If i didn't know the facts I wouldn't make a judgement.
Yes I can see that Camilla is increased her engagements over the years, not saying she hasn't.
I'm saying that she should be doing more than the present DofE. She may have only been an official member of the royal family for 5 years, but she was being groomed for the job of the PoW wife long before that.
You may think that there is nothing to castigate Camilla for, I however do.
But i'm not solely saying this is Camilla's fault, she should be given more oppurtunitys to take on new engagements, by whoever arranges what the DofC does.

 

[Vicki J]

The DoE is 88, with declining health and age he has the right to reduce his engagements.



Yes I have bothered to look how many engagements she has done, If i didn't know the facts I wouldn't make a judgement.
Yes I can see that Camilla is increased her engagements over the years, not saying she hasn't.
I'm saying that she should be doing more than the present DofE. She may have only been an official member of the royal family for 5 years, but she was being groomed for the job of the PoW wife long before that.
You may think that there is nothing to castigate Camilla for, I however do.
But i'm not solely saying this is Camilla's fault, she should be given more oppurtunitys to take on new engagements, by whoever arranges what the DofC does.

Looks like none of us know the facts, all any of us knows is what the papers tell us and that doesn't give anyone the right to judge. What people write on here does allow others to judge them and their characters though. How do you know she was being groomed for the job, she didn't even appear on the Princes' arm in public, least of all get a chance to be groomed, she was even banned from sitting with him at that wedding for gods sake.

All the born royals have had many years to build up charities and patronages, Philip over 60 years and the Queens children from the get go, Sophie Wessex should have more, she's been the wife of a royal for quite a while, while the Duchess has only been in the firm for 5 years. Both her and Diana use/used nannies and other servants, they wouldn't employ them if they didn't do the job they were taken on to do. Blimey, my life would have been a breeze if I'd had a nanny for the girls, people to clean, do the washing, cook, wash dishes, tidy up, dust, vac, clean the house and all the other jobs I had to do on top of earning a living.

I think the Duchess is doing a wonderful job on top of her main job, which is like any wifes, to support her husband!

 

[Renata4711]

Quantity is fine, but should we not also be looking at quality?

Looking at the "donkey" event, Camilla acquitted herself well and came across as caring, not only for the donkeys, but the fundraisers.

 

[laduchesse]

I think that's great to hear the Duchess of Cornwall has increased her number of engagements, but sometimes I think it's easy to get caught up on quantity and not quality. She is doing a good job at what she does. Most importantly, one sees a much happier Prince of Wales who appears more confident and happy, in my opinion. She may not perform as many engagements, but I think we shouldn't lose sight that 1) she was not born into royalty; 2) she hasn't been royal as long as the others; 3) most people at her age would not be ramping up their workload, but rather slowing down, and she is indeed adopting a much busier and demanding lifestyle; and 4) most people similar to the Duke of Edinburgh's age wouldn't be able to keep up his lifestyle, nor would many people close to her age be trying to secure as busy a schedule as the Duke. She is indeed becoming more productive each year. She has overcome a more difficult transition than others marrying into the royal family and she has dealt with some medical issues. She is effective in her supporting role and you can see an increased confidence in her as well. Kudos to the Duchess.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Looks like none of us know the facts, all any of us knows is what the papers tell us and that doesn't give anyone the right to judge. How do you know she was being groomed for the job, she didn't even appear on the Princes' arm in public, least of all get a chance to be groomed, she was even banned from sitting with him at that wedding for gods sake.

Sophie Wessex should have more, she's been the wife of a royal for quite a while.

I chose to believe the Court Circular which is published in the times.
If Charles wanted to marry Camilla, it makes sense that she would be prepared for the task ahead before the announcement of an engagement.

She wasn't allowed by his side because she wasn't his wife, grooming doesn't have to involve first hand experience. That wedding if you are referring to the Van Cutsem one, was protocol.

Sophie granted has been a royal since 1999, but she is the wife of the 4th child, I expect Camilla to do more than Sophie.

 

[Saragli]

I have the sneakiest suspicion that if Camilla were doing the same amount of engagments as the DoE people would be up in arms as well. Saying who is she trying to be, stop rubbing her in our face, stop trying to be like Diana, etc etc.

Personally, I would love for the Duchess to do more and Im sure as time goes by she will. But Camilla is in an entirely different postition to the DoE or the blood royals. Camilla was lucky enough to live a easy life up until know. And at an age when many are retireing she has had to do a complete lifestyle change, throw in an illness, her children marrying and starting families, and a not so supportive public. I think the Duchess is doing a fine job balancing everything in her life.

She makes the future King happy, she is always there for her children and grandchildren, she does a quality job with her charitys and patronages. I couldnt ask for more.

Out of curiousity, how many engagments do the other consorts-to-be do, ie Mary, MM, Mathilde, Maxima, Letizia....ha, I just realized how many Queen M's there is going to be.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Out of curiousity, how many engagments do the other consorts-to-be do, ie Mary, MM, Mathilde, Maxima, Letizia....ha, I just realized how many Queen M's there is going to be.

The only way I think is to count them, as far as I know official results aren't published like in the Court Circular.

 

[Zonk]

Princejohnny25...as always you make excellent points.

Prior to marrying Charles, Camilla other than being a homemaker has never had a full time job. And yes, she had made an effort to adapt after what 50 plus years of not working?!

Should she do more engagement? Yes, she should but I think its ridiculous that people would expect her to change her life and within 3 to 5 years do 300 plus engagements a year. Its unreasonable IMO. It needs to be a gradual addition. Plus she did have major surgery to deal with that pretty much sidelined her for two to four months?

And finally, you are very correct. At this point it doesn't matter what Camilla does. If she did 300 engagements a year people would still complain. Anne does that and people complain about her clothes. Diana did that and people focused on her clothes and her personal life (and yes, she did add fuel to that fire). Phillip does it and people focus on a couple of things that he says (which truthfully aren't too PC but he is still working). Charles does that and people are still talking about his first marriage. Honestly, its getting rather tiresome. Diana is dead. Life is for the living and we should all move on.

 

[windsorgirl]

I think that's great to hear the Duchess of Cornwall has increased her number of engagements, but sometimes I think it's easy to get caught up on quantity and not quality. She is doing a good job at what she does. Most importantly, one sees a much happier Prince of Wales who appears more confident and happy, in my opinion. She may not perform as many engagements, but I think we shouldn't lose sight that 1) she was not born into royalty; 2) she hasn't been royal as long as the others; 3) most people at her age would not be ramping up their workload, but rather slowing down, and she is indeed adopting a much busier and demanding lifestyle; and 4) most people similar to the Duke of Edinburgh's age wouldn't be able to keep up his lifestyle, nor would many people close to her age be trying to secure as busy a schedule as the Duke. She is indeed becoming more productive each year. She has overcome a more difficult transition than others marrying into the royal family and she has dealt with some medical issues. She is effective in her supporting role and you can see an increased confidence in her as well. Kudos to the Duchess.

Well put, laduchesse! I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment.

 

[rmay286]

I have to say that I admire Camilla for taking on a new royal life, including a roster of royal duties, in her fifties. Maybe in some ways that transition might come easier for someone older (than Diana and Sarah were back in the 80s, anyway) but in other ways it must be harder. Considering that Camilla married into the royal family less than five years ago, while some of those born into the family have been doing royal engagements for decades, I don't think she does too little at all.

 

[princess gertrude]

I think that's great to hear the Duchess of Cornwall has increased her number of engagements, but sometimes I think it's easy to get caught up on quantity and not quality. She is doing a good job at what she does. Most importantly, one sees a much happier Prince of Wales who appears more confident and happy, in my opinion. She may not perform as many engagements, but I think we shouldn't lose sight that 1) she was not born into royalty; 2) she hasn't been royal as long as the others; 3) most people at her age would not be ramping up their workload, but rather slowing down, and she is indeed adopting a much busier and demanding lifestyle; and 4) most people similar to the Duke of Edinburgh's age wouldn't be able to keep up his lifestyle, nor would many people close to her age be trying to secure as busy a schedule as the Duke. She is indeed becoming more productive each year. She has overcome a more difficult transition than others marrying into the royal family and she has dealt with some medical issues. She is effective in her supporting role and you can see an increased confidence in her as well. Kudos to the Duchess.

Here! Here! Wonderfully said!

 

[scooter]

I'm having trouble buying into the logic of how someone who married into the family in their 50's should be carrying less workload than some one in their late 80s. Also, if she's not willing/able/inclined to do it now at 61, do you seriously think Camilla will be more willing/able/inclined to pull her weight at 70 or 80 or more when the Queen dies and Camilla will be whatever-consort?

 

[Iluvbertie]

I'm having trouble buying into the logic of how someone who married into the family in their 50's should be carrying less workload than some one in their late 80s. Also, if she's not willing/able/inclined to do it now at 61, do you seriously think Camilla will be more willing/able/inclined to pull her weight at 70 or 80 or more when the Queen dies and Camilla will be whatever-consort?

You seem to have trouble comprehending the fact that she has only been in the family for 5 years and has steadily increased her workload in that time.

She also has to increase the organisations with which she is associated and that too is increasing and as that number increases so to will her engagements. Without organisations asking for her she can't do engagements for thenm. Yes she can seek to work for organisations but the organisations have to also agree to it - and if they are happy with the 88 year old or the other royals, or are holding out for Kate, or some celebrity, then she can't just turn up.

She also sees her job as primarily one in support of her husband rather than striking out on her own so she does a lot with him rather than individually and when he becomes King, as his Queen Consort, she will do even more.

To compare her to Philip is a bit unfair as he has been doing this since about the time she was born and therefore is used to it whereas she has to learn to do things, at an age when most of us are learning to give up work, and that will take her just as long as it does people who retire.

She is doing what she is being asked to do as the heir's consort and doing it very well. She will be a wonderful Queen Consort for one simple reason - she is able to make her husband relaxed and comfortable in his role and that is her first duty.

Philip had two options when, as a man in his early 30s he became the consort to the monarch - to either sit on his backside and do nothing or to carve a role for himself by getting involved in causes that had meaning for him. Camilla is the same - choosing, and being chosen by, causes that have meaning for her.

 

[muriel]

I'm having trouble buying into the logic of how someone who married into the family in their 50's should be carrying less workload than some one in their late 80s. Also, if she's not willing/able/inclined to do it now at 61, do you seriously think Camilla will be more willing/able/inclined to pull her weight at 70 or 80 or more when the Queen dies and Camilla will be whatever -consort?

Lets not forget that the Queen and the DoE often carry out a number of quite short engagements, where they may receive somebodyu at the Palace but not spend too much time. As a result, they may often get quite a few engagememts done in a day, whereas Camilla, being a more junior royal, probably travels a lot more to her engagements, and probably spends a lot more time at them.

That aside, I do think Camilla needs to get the engagement count up, just as she has been, and aim for around 300-350 engagements next year. In her role, it is not just about working hard, but also to be seen to be working hard.