Charles and Camilla: The Marriage (2005 and on)

[Elenath]

^^ True. My father is the exact same way. He never wants a present and when he does get one he's hardly ever truly happy with it.

[HighnessN]

Males are difficult to shop for. I never have problems buying gift for my mom; jewelry, perfumes, handbags etc.
My dad on the other hand

[Osipi]

From reading this short interview Camilla gave, it instantly comes through just hope open and down to earth she is and she's very much in love with Charles the man. She knows him well, accepts him as he is complete with warts and all.

If I had a bit of spare cash to place a hefty bet, I'd be betting Camilla's gift is a china frog as he collects them.

[camelot23ca]

Charles seems like a good man but very high maintenance. Camilla, OTOH, seems relaxed and low key, and that may be why their relationship works. I think a lot of marriages struggle if both partners are high maintenance.

I also think Camilla realizes there's a limit on what she can expect from Charles, and accepts that.

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Osipi

From reading this short interview Camilla gave, it instantly comes through just hope open and down to earth she is and she's very much in love with Charles the man. She knows him well, accepts him as he is complete with warts and all.

If I had a bit of spare cash to place a hefty bet, I'd be betting Camilla's gift is a china frog as he collects them.

I got this impression as well. This woman is perfectly happy with the way she is, and with the way her husband is, as well as with their life together. It's interesting to read something from her perspective. She does have a way of bringing humor into a situation, and I like that about her. It helps break the ice. If she did get him a china frog, I hope it's Kermit. I always had a soft spot for that particular Muppets character, and I think Charles would relate to him a well. It's not easy being green…who would know that better than Charles ?

[Baroness of Books]

Green is certainly Charles' color, considering that he's an environmentalist!

[Queen Camilla]

IMO, I think a perfect day for Camilla would be to spend a day alone with her husband without his paperwork. She wants Charles to relax a little.

Her perfect day:
Breakfast on the terrace.
A mid-morning stroll through the gardens.
Lunch in the garden.
An afternoon slow horseback ride around the property.
A moonlite dinner on the patio.
Followed by cuddling infront of the fireplace.
Repeat.

[Baroness of Books]

^^^Queen Camilla, that sounds like my perfect day!

[Daria_S]

I'm with this plan. I think Prince Charles could benefit from a day (or ten) of leisure.
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[Nico]

The DM

AMANDA PLATELL: Has the Prince of Petulance come of age at last? | Mail Online

[Dman]

I think there's no doubt Camilla makes Charles happy but I also think he has matured with age and gained some wisdom with experience.

[Ish]

On the marriage of C and C I'll say that what I love to see between them most is how compatible they are - they really balance each other out. So Charles is more high maintenance and expects to be in the spotlight, while Camilla is more low maintenance and is content to be in the background more. He is always on the go while she knows how to relax - and very likely makes him relax a bit too.

I also like how Charles is a man who likes to poke and tickle his spouse, and Camilla is a woman who seems to enjoy being poked and tickled and understands what it means coming from him. Not all women like or appreciate this - it's not a flaw on their part, just incompatibility.
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[VictoriaB]

Originally Posted by Ish

So Charles is more high maintenance and expects to be in the spotlight, while Camilla is more low maintenance and is content to be in the background more.

I think Charles has every right to expect to be in the spotlight - he is the heir to the throne after all. I think one of the reasons this marriage works so well is because not only is Camilla content to be in the background, I think she accepts that as the spouse of the heir she should be more in the background than her husband. She understands that her role is to support him and not to be the centre of attention.

[COUNTESS]

Charles needs to be first. He was raised that way. Camilla is not a spotlight figure for many reasons. Diana was. Too bad for her. Too bad he never saw the value. Look they are happy. So, Diana is dead. Let it go.

[Ish]

Originally Posted by VictoriaB

I think Charles has every right to expect to be in the spotlight - he is the heir to the throne after all. I think one of the reasons this marriage works so well is because not only is Camilla content to be in the background, I think she accepts that as the spouse of the heir she should be more in the background than her husband. She understands that her role is to support him and not to be the centre of attention.

I agree completely. I think one of the things that makes a consort a great one is knowing when to be in the background and when to shine themselves. Camilla is more and more coming into her own regarding the latter, but her strength has always been that she knows how to support Charles - and she knows how to get the support she needs from him.

One of the flaws of Charles' first marriage was that both parties wanted the spotlight and both needed support, but neither knew how to provide the support that the other needed. I think it's a failing on Diana's part that she didn't know how to be in the background when with her husband or his family (certainly not as a person, that's another matter, but rather a failing as a royal consort). At the same time it's a far greater failing that Charles didn't know how to provide the support that Diana needed, and Diana didn't know how to provide the support that Charles needed.

Originally Posted by COUNTESS

Charles needs to be first. He was raised that way. Camilla is not a spotlight figure for many reasons. Diana was. Too bad for her. Too bad he never saw the value. Look they are happy. So, Diana is dead. Let it go.

I think sometimes we could say the same to you on this issue.

I don't doubt that Charles saw the value in Diana - he did chose to marry her after all. That said, the two of them had a huge issue in that neither was able to provide the support that the other needed, it's that simple. Diana's death has absolutely nothing to do with Charles' current happiness, so I'm not sure what the connection you're trying to make here is. His happiness is owing to the fact that he is with someone who knows how to support him, and in turn who he knows how to support. Theirs is a love that is built on mutual love and understanding, something that he failed to have in his first marriage.

That said, I see absolutely nothing wrong with a man who is one day going to be head of state being raised to expect to be in the spotlight, or wanting to be in the spotlight. Being in the spotlight is a part of the role, and I'd rather have a monarch who embraces and enjoys it than one who resents it and does what he can to avoid being in it.

Consider the American president. Often there's the President and the First Lady - and even the extended First Family. It's the role of the President's wife and family to be seen supporting him and to fill a background role, but at times they may choose to fulfill other roles in the spotlight that contribute both to their own legacy and that of their husband's. However, none of it works if the President himself doesn't like being in the spotlight. A monarch' role and title may be different, as is how they end up in their position, but in many ways they fill the same function and it doesn't work if they don't want the spotlight, or if they're overshadowed by their spouse or family.
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[Dman]

Charles may appear stiff sometimes but there's another side to him. He can be fun and silly.
The videos from his college days will tell you a lot about him.
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