Telegraph: Queen Camilla is ‘practically ruling solo’ as the ‘last one standing’

9 months ago 53
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Queen Camilla was pretty much the only senior royal out and about in the month of January. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also did a handful of events (Edward was even abroad), but ever since King Charles and the Princess of Wales’s dual medical issues were revealed, it’s been all about Camilla. Camilla out and about, doing events. Camilla making sure to be seen visiting her husband repeatedly in the hospital. Camilla holding down the fort and giving updates about Charles’s condition, while mysteriously never being asked about Kate’s condition. Everything’s coming up Camilla! Which is the point of this latest Telegraph piece – it’s mostly a summary of previously reported, positive PR for Cam, but the framing of it is very “Camilla is the last one standing.” Some highlights:

Last woman standing: The King is recovering from hospital treatment for an enlarged prostate, the Princess of Wales is convalescing at home, and the Prince of Wales is focused on supporting his wife and taking care of their three children. That leaves just one woman standing: Queen Camilla, holding the fort… This means the 76-year-old Queen – who has been out and about every day this week – is practically ruling solo, with support from the other “women of Windsor,” the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Edinburgh.

A busy schedule?? The ever-capable Camilla has ploughed on with a busy schedule of public engagements, too. On Wednesday, she opened a new Maggie’s cancer support centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London. She promised to pass on well wishes for the King, who she said is “getting on” and “doing his best”.

Camilla’s shoes: The secret to smiling in the face of a never-ending list of engagements? Comfortable shoes. “Camillla has found a way to dress elegantly for royal engagements without sacrificing on comfort. You’d never see her in a spindly stiletto – all her shoes tend to have the same sensible low block heel which the late Queen Elizabeth relied on into her 90s,” says Bethan Holt, Telegraph Fashion Director and author of The Queen: 70 years of Majestic Style. “She favours British brands like Sole Bliss, Eliot Zed and Russell and Bromley whose shoes and boots are crafted to withstand long periods of standing while looking good, too,” Holt adds. “The Queen’s longtime dresser Jacqui Meakin works with a small circle of designers including Anna Valentine and Fiona Clare to source outfits which will make Camilla feel effortlessly good.

Stoicism & good humor: A double Royal health blow presents unprecedented circumstances. But the Queen’s approach is nothing different to her usual attitude of stoicism and hard work coupled with good humour. “She has a great twinkle, and it comes out very readily… it puts people at their ease very quickly,” said Lady Lansdowne, a close friend of the Queen’s, in a recent BBC documentary about the Coronation year.

A stiff drink: Indeed, as a voracious reader and the patron of several literary charities, relaxing with a good book (with or without a gin and tonic, said to be her favourite tipple) is one of the ways the Queen takes care of her own wellbeing when faced with a busy and demanding schedule. Another is riding or walking, either at Clarence House or the private Wiltshire residence she has owned since the mid-1990s – although it is doubtful there is much time for a countryside retreat at the moment.

Running the show: Not long ago, it would have seemed impossible that the Queen would be running the show solo. And yet she has proved she is a very safe pair of hands.

[From The Telegraph]

What’s also sort of funny about the whole “Camilla is holding down the fort/she’s the last woman standing” thing is that before January, it felt like Camilla was being slowly downgraded in importance. She didn’t do well during the Kenya trip, and the trip to France wasn’t a galloping success either. There were more and more stories about how she didn’t want to travel, how she and Charles were spending more time apart, and she was “overwhelmed” by the workload and expectations of being queen. I got the feeling that she missed having more downtime to day-drink at Ray Mill. But something about Charles and Kate’s medical issues has given Camilla a spring in her step. She’s always happiest when she’s playing some kind of angle and screwing over one of her enemies. Something to keep in mind.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

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