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.
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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Interesting. I have never heard that before. Could you provide a link or photo? It helps to keep things in perspective to get it right.
