William and Kate’s Controversial Relationship With Queen Camilla Through the Years
After Queen Camilla married King Charles III in April 2005, his two sons eventually came around to the idea of having a stepmother.
While the king previously dated Camilla as a teenager, they ultimately married other people. Charles, for his part, wed Princess Diana in 1981 and welcomed sons Prince William and Prince Harry in 1982 and 1984, respectively. Camilla had gotten married eight years earlier to Andrew Parker Bowles. Camilla and Andrew also share two children: Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
Charles and Camilla were later involved in an extramarital affair scandal. They each got divorced in 1996 and later started to publicly date. When the former Prince of Wales was keen to propose to Camilla, both of his sons were wary.
The Prince of Wales and Harry ultimately made their peace with Charles and Camilla, partially due to William’s wife, Princess Kate Middleton. Kate even snapped the queen’s Country Life cover story in October 2022.
Scroll below to revisit William and Kate’s relationship with Camilla through the years:
April 2005
While William and Harry both attended their father’s wedding to Camilla, which was a civil ceremony, they admittedly weren’t enthused about the nuptials at first.
The Archewell cofounder had alleged in his Spare memoir that they both “urged” Charles not to go through with it.
December 2006
One of Kate’s first public appearances was at then-boyfriend William’s Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst, where military cadets graduate from training in front of the reigning monarch. As Queen Elizabeth dutifully inspected William’s uniform, Kate sat beside her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, as well as Camilla and Charles.
April 2011
Camilla attended William and Kate’s Westminster Abbey wedding alongside the king, her children and grandchildren. Her Majesty’s granddaughter Eliza, who is Laura’s little girl, even served as one of the duchess’ bridesmaids.
“I was so proud of her,” Camilla gushed of her grandchild during a charity event later that month, per Hello!, noting she was initially “so worried” about how Eliza would act on the big day. “She is such a lovely little thing and looked so gorgeous in her dress, but it was a very big occasion for a child of her age.”
February 2020
While William and Kate often have separate engagements from the king and queen, the foursome stepped out together to visit the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre in Leicestershire, England.
February 2022
During Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee occasion, in which she celebrated 70 years as the sovereign, the late queen hoped that Camilla would be known as Charles’ queen consort when he becomes king. (Buckingham Palace had previously remained mum on whether Camilla would use the queen consort title.) William and Harry, for their part, felt “blindsided” by the decision.
“It’s just whether or not they can get over this bad feeling. Then, of course, Queen [Elizabeth]’s health and these other considerations are there. I don’t think it helped with the queen announcing that Duchess Camilla will be Queen Consort and that’s another issue,” royal expert Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly, noting it is “driving a wedge” between the royals.
June 2022
William and the Duchess of Cambridge rode in an open-top carriage with Charles and Camilla en route to the Garter Day celebrations.
July 2022
Camilla entrusted Kate — a budding photographer, who shoots most of her kids’ birthday portraits — to helm her Country Life cover story.
“We understand this is the first time a formal portrait of The Duchess of Cornwall has been taken by The Duchess of Cambridge for a magazine,” editor Hedges said in a statement. “And we are honored to have been chosen to be the first to publish this beautiful photograph. The photographs are superb and we would be delighted to offer The Duchess of Cambridge another commission!”
September 2022
Ahead of Elizabeth’s state funeral, William and Kate joined Charles and Camilla at a pre-ceremony reception at Buckingham Palace.
On the morning of the memorial, Kate and kids George and Charlotte rode into the hearse with Camilla. (Both William and Charles marched in the procession to the Abbey.)
December 2022
Camilla and her husband supported Kate’s Royal Carols: Together at Christmas concert in December. At the end of the show, the University of St Andrews grad curtsied to her stepmother-in-law as a sign of respect.
May 2023
Camilla was blessed and anointed as regent alongside her husband on May 6. During the ceremony, both William and Kate walked in the Abbey procession. At the end of the service, the Waleses joined the king and queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony with their three kids. The balcony appearance marked the first time the royals — only the senior working members stepped out — stood on their perch since the late queen’s death.
June 2023
Kate rode in the Trooping the Colour carriage procession alongside Camilla and the duchess’ three children.
Kate, Camilla, George, Charlotte and Louis later joined William and Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the military flypast.
June 2024
William and Kate joined Charles and Camilla on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the annual Trooping the Colour parade. The occasion marked Kate’s first public appearance since she was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
Two months later, a source exclusively offered Us insight into William and Kate’s dynamic with Camilla.
“It was really Kate who warmed William to Camilla,” a family friend told Us in August. “She’s never been dismissive of Camilla and always treated her with kindness. Kate likes her because she brings a real-life relatability into the family. She’s not all about the courtiers waiting on hand and foot. Camilla’s real like Kate is.”
November 2024
A source exclusively told Us in a cover story that Camilla is hesitant about passing her royal duties to Kate. “They’ve always had a tense relationship,” the insider said.
