Little known Queen Camilla trait laid bare as ‘she’ll say what she wants’
Queen Camilla has been doing a sterling job representing the Royal Family while King Charles is treated for cancer. One of Queen Camilla’s lesser-known personality traits has been discussed by a royal expert, who claims that the Queen does not always stick to royal protocol. Speaking on this week’s episode of Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English explained how members of the Firm receive training on how to handle themselves when meeting the public.
Ms English referred to Camilla’s outing to Shrewsbury on Wednesday, where she was on a walkabout when she spotted a group of girls holding up signs with get well soon message to Princess Kate, which the Queen expressed gratitude for and promised to pass on. The editor insisted these moments are not set up, adding: “They [the Royal Family] are talked through what to expect if someone says something to them in a certain scenario, but the one thing I know about Queen Camilla is that she doesn’t always listen to them and she really will just go off and say what she thinks.”
Camilla has been undertaking several royal engagements solo this year while King Charles remains off work due to his ongoing cancer treatment. In Shrewsbury, Camilla spent some time speaking with Harriet, 10, and Lois, six, who had made posters for Kate after hearing that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Camilla promised to pass on the supportive messages to her daughter-in-law, saying: “I know that Catherine is thrilled by all the kind wishes and support.” While in the town Her Majesty visited Shrewsbury’s Farmers’ Market where she took a tour of its many stalls, including food, artisan, jewellery and craft stalls.
The following day Camilla travelled to Worcester Cathedral for the Royal Maundy Thursday service, once again without the King although he shared a message via video link. The Thursday before Easter is a significant date in the Christian calendar, as it commemorates Jesus’s Last Supper when he washed the feet of his disciples as an act of humility the day before Good Friday. It is a royal tradition for the monarch to hand out Maundy money to members of the public who have served their community exceptionally, but for the first time this year, that role was carried out by the consort.
She handed out two purses, one red and one white, to 75 men and 75 women, with the number of those receiving the money reflecting the age of the monarch in that year. The red purse contains a small gift of ordinary coins totalling £5.50: £3 in lieu of clothing, £1.50 in place of food and £1 representing money for redemption of the monarch’s gown.
This year it was made up of a £5 coin featuring the image of a Tudor dragon and a 50p coin especially designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the R.N.L.I (Royal National Lifeboat Institution). The white purse contains 75p in silver Maundy coins, amounting to the same number of pence as the years of the sovereign’s age.
