Camilla and The Public

[Lady74]

Whew! I'm not sure how what is written is actually meant, but there's something disquieting hearing someone wishing or 'hoping' for someone's demise. I can't believe that this is a healthy thing - especially towards a stranger. This goes too far. I don't know what to make of it. Perspective....

I never said I hoped or wished for her to die I was asking a question !!!!!!

 

[Tyger]

I never said I hoped or wished for her to die I was asking a question !!!!!!

I am heartened - because I really found what I thought you were saying to be disturbing.

Genes are not determinative - cutting edge medicine is discovering. People are routinely defying their genes.

Wish her a long life. Wish her happiness and joy. Wish her continued presence in the lives of those who love her and for whom she is clearly a blessing. Hope for her husband that she will be there beside him as his Queen when he is King. Life and death are never certain no matter genes - events happen - so we need each other's goodwill, light and care. I'd want to send those vibes. But that's me.

 

[Kataryn]

I was one of those people who was a Diana fan and had absolutely no use for Camilla - the third person in the marriage.

I think a lot of people realise now why Camilla could be the third person in that marriage, even though she is no beauty à la Diana. But she is compassionate and obviously is able to love Charles more than she loves herself, so is a trusted and ultraloyal supporter. She willingly accepts that Charles is not only her husband, but her future king and so she serves her mother-in-law and will serve her husband as a kind of "first subject". Which for a monarchist is no problem at all. It's an honour.

 

[Lady74]

Goodness I'll have to leave this thread I'm feeling a little sick from all this sweetness a tad of the top for me. JMO

 

[Tyger]

Goodness I'll have to leave this thread I'm feeling a little sick from all this sweetness a tad of the top for me. JMO

Puzzling. People speaking well of another is a cause for 'feeling a little sick'? You are a puzzle, Lady74.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Not a puzzle but shows the sad legacy of her hero - the inability amongst a lot of her fans to move on and to forgive the past.

 

[Lady74]

Puzzling. People speaking well of another is a cause for 'feeling a little sick'? You are a puzzle, Lady74.

MO too much gushing about someone they have never meet it happens a lot here

when I say Camilla might not out live the Queen I'm told I'm wishing her dead

IMO some people go way over the top

 

[Lumutqueen]

It's a shame that people think like this, but perhaps certain people wouldn't think like that if it were Diana by Charles' side and not Camilla.

 

[Lady74]

It's a shame that people thing like this, but perhaps certain people wouldn't thing like that if it were Diana by Charles' side and not Camilla.

Sorry I don't know what you mean ,was that meant for me.? If it was I haven't any idea what you mean

 

[Lumutqueen]

Sorry I don't know what you mean ,was that meant for me.? If it was I haven't any idea what you mean

It was not meant for anyone, it was a statement on the topic of Camilla and the public.

 

[Lady74]

It was not meant for anyone, it was a statement on the topic of Camilla and the public.

Well of course if Diana was alive and beside Charles there would be no talk of Camila and the public she wouldn't be in the news at all Well she might be I suppose who knows what she would have done with her life

 

[MARG]

Goodness I'll have to leave this thread I'm feeling a little sick from all this sweetness a tad of the top for me. JMO

Please feel free to depart and allow us to enjoy the thread in peace. After all, we wouldn't want to rot your teeth!

 

[Lumutqueen]

Well of course if Diana was alive and beside Charles there would be no talk of Camila and the public she wouldn't be in the news at all Well she might be I suppose who knows what she would have done with her life

That wasn't my point. Posters talk about Charles not being fit to be a King, and that he should be passed over for his son simply because he is younger. My point was, that would posters be talking about Charles in this manner if it were Diana by his side and not Camilla. Would people still want Charles and Diana skipped over for William?

Please feel free to depart and allow us to enjoy the thread in peace. After all, we wouldn't want to rot your teeth!

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Dierna23]

MO too much gushing about someone they have never meet it happens a lot here

when I say Camilla might not out live the Queen I'm told I'm wishing her dead

IMO some people go way over the top

I would agree with you about this. I think staying a bit critical can be helpful sometimes.

I have always been neutral regarding Camilla. Over the years I rather started to like her, but I must admit I never read a lot about the whole Diana-Charles-Camilla story (I caught up on in the last months). However, by chance I met someone in my private everyday life who happened to know the Duchess of Cornwall quite well when she was still Mrs. Parker Bowles. He told me many interesting stories and among other things he said that he's amazed about how friendly and smilingly she appears nowadays. He says that she has been rather cold and harsh when he knew her. Among other things she wouldn't greet "normal people" when they said hello, good morning or whatever.

I'm still trying to stay neutral as I haven't met Camilla personally after all, but this actually surprised me a lot as to me Camilla appeared as a warm and friendly person, too. It reminded me again that royals, like most other persons of the public life, act a lot for the cameras. Many of you here will know that of course, but just because a person is smiling a lot and seems nice, they don't have to be genuinely nice. On the other hand, a person who's always described as arrogant from the press could actually be a very nice person when meeting him or her personally. I've met a few royals and I must say that every time they appeared totally different to me than I would have imagined them (mostly I was pleasantly surprised).

However, if my friend is right, then Camilla's PR team for sure does a good job. I would think so anyway - she seems at least tolerated by many and also liked by many nowadays. I think the opinion of the public is divided - many just don't care, that's right, many tolerate her, a few adore her and a few can't forget what has happened. JMO of course.

 

[Iluvbertie]

I have a couple of cousins who have known Camilla all their lives and they have found her warm and friendly at all times. She is very shy with strangers particularly after 1992 and became very wary when meeting strangers particularly if not in the company of people she knew because she didn't know how they were going to re-act to her.

 

[MissJanet]

The press people see the future and they won't mess with Camilla anymore. It's unlikely that Charles will pass on being king and so Camilla will be in a powerful position one day. Like her or not, press and people WILL have to repect her because of her title and her function. And there is nothing wrong with that, we all made mistakes and it isn't that she has not payed for hers, judged from some posts here, she is still paying.

People should get over it, forgive both Charles and Camilla, it is the past and everyone can learn from mistakes and become a better person.

 

[sirhon11234]

It may be hard for some people to understand but there are fans of Diana who actually like Camilla.

 

[antonieta]

Very true. I´m one of them!

 

[Warren]

I've removed the more narky posts (and some replies to them) so hopefully the thread can return to it's previous good-naturedness.

thanks for everyone's cooperation.

Warren
British Forums moderator

 

[Grandma828]

I keep going back to the fact that Charles wanted to marry Camilla long before he married Diana, but wasn't allowed to. It was a long and complicated story. I often wonder if he would have been preceived differently if he had married his true love. We will never know, but everything would have been different.

 

[Zonk]

The topic of this thread is Camilla and the Public.

And while Camilla is/can be viewed in either a negative or positive way as a result of the Charles and Diana marriage and divorce, as well as Charles and Camilla's subsequent marriage can play a role in such a discussion we are NOT going to rehash the Charles/Diana/Camilla triangle with the usual nastiness, who is at fault, who cheated first, etc.

We have been down that road before and it leads nowhere.

Any and all posts that are determined to rehash the past will be deleted.

 

[PrincessKaimi]

I'm not sure if there is one "public," although when Her Majesty passes, perhaps people will feel united in grief across Great Britain or even the Commonwealth. I've been engaging penpals in Australia and England in conversation about the monarchy and am a little surprised (especially from the Australia) at the outright lack of interest. So it remains to be see how far the "public" response to Camilla goes (as someone upthread said, most people don't care about the royals). Just finished watching the 1990's documentary "London" where it was made to seem that the royals are not only ephemeral but perhaps beside-the-point for some English. I read several British papers daily and celebrities from America seem to get more press (even if it's not the DM).

But, if we consider ourselves here at the Royal Forums a kind of "public" (super-public?), then we can see that we have differing opinions about Camilla. I have to say that The Queen and Prince Philip have grown on me steadily as they've aged - their sheer intrepidness at carrying on with all they do has gained my interest and loyalty. I certainly didn't have much of an opinion QEII back in 1975, she was barely a presence on the world scene for me (so speaking as part of a "world public" now).

Like many people, I became more interested in British royals during the Diana years (stayed up all night to watch her wedding, knew many people who were completely disinterested in world events who did likewise, became disillusioned with Charles and his Camilla-affair as so many did, etc., etc.)

But in recent years, I've been very impressed with Charles's public speeches on the environment - and with Camilla's down-to-earth, steady presence in the lives of her husband, her stepchildren and her own children. She has come through some stormy times with her integrity intact and with a strong public image, I think (unlike Sarah Ferguson who keeps dropping bombs on her own toes).

It will be jarring to have any new monarch, and because we'll be going from seeing a Queen Regnant to a King with a Queen Consort, it's impossible for Camilla to in any way think about being a queen as HM has been a queen - she best just stay where she's been (behind and to the side of Charles). The public's perception of Camilla will be closely tied to the public's perception of Charles.

Is there a similar thread for Charles (can't remember)? I have no clue how to judge the public perception of Charles (worldwide) but I'd be very interested in a discussion of how he is perceived (and whether he's at all important) in the British public's mind.

Or from other Commonwealth members...

 

[Mirabel]

I have always liked Charles, and never quite stopped liking him, even through that mess dubbed the War of the Waleses!
I've been neutral about Camilla, but she does seem to be trying very hard to ingratiate herself with both the RF and the public, and I believe her hard work is having a positive effect for all but the real Diana fanatics.

 

[Dianas Ghost]

I can't even force myself to like Camilla. She just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[VictoriaStyles]

I was one of those people who was a Diana fan and had absolutely no use for Camilla - the third person in the marriage.

But Camilla has worked very hard since she became the DoC. She always seems to be dressed appropriately and does not try to be the star of the show. She's a wonderful support for Charles and they always look so happy together. IMO Camilla has made him a better PoW.

I loved the pictures in the DM...Camilla just looks like such a nice person. And she must be...even William and Harry seem to really like her. I know that my opinion has changed and I would guess that generally public opinion is changing and the DM as you say, has picked up on that. Camilla is a hard person not to like.

I completely agree. Seems to me that Camilla has ended up in a rough position and has done a wonderful job making the best of the situation... one that she doesn't really seem to want much but accepts as it goes with the man she loves. She seems to put her best efforts forward and that's what I think should count for a Royal when all is said and done. (And maybe not for just Royals either.)

 

[Duchess of Darwin]

I can't even force myself to like Camilla. She just doesn't appeal to me.

That's extremely harsh

I'm not going to debate the soap opera with you because this isn't the place, but since marrying Charles, what has Camilla done that could possibly make her unappealing to even the most passionate of Diana's admirers? I don't want to hear about the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, or the years between the death and the wedding. I want to hear about Camilla's time as The Duchess of Cornwall, because that is what this thread is about. She has been an exemplary representitive of The British Royal Family, and will be a wonderful Consort. You can hold the view that she was the only problem Diana ever had, for all I care, but your assertion that her warmth and work ethic haven't won you over can't go without elaboration.

 

[PrincessKaimi]

It's possible Camilla has done nothing in her time as Duchess to make people dislike her - but that she is disliked anyway due to her past. OTOH, perhaps it is due to something else (someone suggests that it is her appearance, that's what all the old jokes are about from the Camilla-detractors).

So I doubt we'll get an answer that fits the "only what she's done since she's a Duchess" rubric.

This thread is about the public (that's us) and Camilla...there do seem to be at least four different opinions regarding the matter, from what I can see on this thread.

 

[Tyger]

This thread is about the public (that's us) and Camilla...there do seem to be at least four different opinions regarding the matter, from what I can see on this thread.

What are the four different opinions?

 

[PrincessKaimi]

Well, there are the "I never liked her and I still don't like her" group, the "I didn't like her, but she's won me over" group, the "I always liked her" group and the "I don't care a fig about royalty" group.

There could be others!

 

[VictoriaStyles]

Err, mind if I add my slightly variant "group", please? I didn't really care much one way or the other about the now Duchess before but I have to concede that her various good qualities have won me over. I have to agree with the word chosen by the Duchess of Darwin... exemplary. That's a most suitable word for Camilla during her tenure as Duchess and I see no reason to believe that will change.