Queen Camilla ‘Hurt’ by Prince Harry Calling Her a ‘Villain’ in Spare

In the gilded halls of British royalty, family rifts rarely play out in public. But when they do, the echoes are felt far beyond palace walls.

Such has been the case since Prince Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, and the interviews that accompanied its release, cast Queen Camilla in a distinctly unflattering light.

Harry’s Explosive Claims

Harry’s words—both on the page and in conversation—were striking. Speaking to Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes, the Duke of Sussex described Camilla as “the villain” and “the third person” in the marriage of his father, the then-Prince Charles, and Princess Diana.

He went further, claiming she “needed to rehabilitate her image” after marrying Charles, and that her efforts to do so were laced with danger.

“Her need for her to rehabilitate her image made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press… And there was open willingness on both sides to trade off information,” Harry said. “With a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being Queen Consort, there was gonna be people or bodies left in the street because of that.”

In Spare, Harry also accused Camilla of leaking stories about the Royal Family to boost her own standing—at his expense. “I have complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar,” he wrote, revealing that both he and Prince William had once “begged” their father not to marry her for fear she’d become a “wicked stepmother.”

The remarks landed like thunder in the monarchy’s usually closed skies. At the time, the Queen’s personal feelings remained unknown. An aide told The Sunday Times her initial reaction was hardly dramatic—“It was not stamping of feet or gnashing of teeth – it was much more of an eye-roll response.”

A Friend Speaks Out

But Fiona, Marchioness of Lansdowne—longtime friend and now one of Queen Camilla’s official companions—has since confirmed the sting. “Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts,” Lady Lansdowne admitted. “But she doesn’t let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, ‘Don’t make a thing of it and it will settle down – least said, soonest mended.’”

This ability to rise above is something Camilla herself has acknowledged. Speaking to British Vogue for her 75th birthday, she said: “It’s not easy. I was scrutinised for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticised. But I think in the end I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You’ve got to get on with life.”

Friends say her approach to being Queen is equally grounded. According to those close to her, she was “never that bothered” by the title and “never in a million years” thought she’d become Queen.

Yet behind her composed demeanor is a steel core. “She’s not going to be pushed about. She won’t have a hissy fit, but she’ll say, ‘No, I want it done this way,’” Lady Lansdowne explained.

That firmness has been visible during preparations for the coronation, with Camilla reportedly ensuring her teenage grandchildren have ceremonial roles—helping carry her train—despite palace convention.

“Getting her voice heard has sometimes been challenging,” a source told The Sunday Times. “But she is making sure her voice is heard… The King wants to make his wife happy – she has earned that right.”

Coronation Under Tense Skies

Still, the coronation brought its own awkward undercurrents. It marked the first time Harry would see his stepmother since the Queen’s funeral—a meeting clouded by his memoir, his Netflix series, and lingering frostiness within the family.

Meghan remained in California with their children, and Harry’s attendance was limited to the ceremony itself.

For some, like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, long seen as Harry’s allies, warm greetings were expected. For others, any interaction would be reduced to the briefest of civilities.

In the end, the public will remember the spectacle—the first UK coronation in 70 years. But behind the velvet and jewels sits a woman who has been, for decades, at the center of royal turbulence, yet remains determined to carry on, chin high, smile fixed, and critics firmly at arm’s length.

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