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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

381 replies

LoveInTokyo · 16/05/2018 07:36

AIBU to wonder why so many people seem to think this will not happen?

I can understand why a lot of people abroad seem to think it’s likely that Prince Charles will just hand over the crown straight to William because he’s younger and more popular. Most countries don’t have royal families, and in some European monarchies routine abdication is something that actually happens.

But I was reading some of the completely mental royal wedding threads on here and was surprised by the number of similar comments. I particularly enjoyed one Daily Express reader’s person’s comment about how the public would never accept Camilla as queen.

I don’t think most people give a shiny shit whether Camilla is Queen or not, but those that do have an issue with it will have to get used to the idea. Prince Charles didn’t have to give up his place in the line of succession when he married her, therefore unless the Queen outlives Charles, he will be king and Camilla will be queen!

OP posts:
Butterymuffin · 16/05/2018 09:41

Nineteen is adult.

You should read some of the threads on here where 19 year olds are apparently reliant on a parent to talk them through writing a university essay, or washing their work uniform. But apparently that's an age where you can understand the implications of agreeing to be a high profile wife and mother with no personal freedom. Sure.

HasAnyoneGotAProblemWithThat · 16/05/2018 09:42

I would have known at 19. So would my mum - she was married at 19. Another arranged marriage. She knew it wasn’t love. Diana told her sisters about Camilla & calling it off. They told her it was too late as her face was on the tea towels. She knew. She chose to go ahead.

BossWitch · 16/05/2018 09:44

I think those 19 year olds are a bit pathetic and that their parents need to step the fuck back, but hey ho! However 19 was clearly too young for Diana to fully understand what she was being signed up for. I would want my dd marrying at 19, let alone to a 35 (?) year old man in the public eye.

FranticallyPeaceful · 16/05/2018 09:48

Because not many people seem to like them very much, however... from what I gather, none of them particularly want the crown, so likely Charles would take the burden. I think it depends on a lot of things though - I think it would be better off in the hands of Will/Kate, if not just to give it a fresh breath of air... Because hardly anybody gives a shit about the royal family anymore in the grand scheme of things (including me, I’m not even sure why I’m posting, but it’s like irl drama)

purits · 16/05/2018 09:48

But apparently [19 is] an age where you can understand the implications of agreeing to be a high profile wife and mother with no personal freedom. Sure

Kate was nineteen when she met Will. She knew what she was doing but that's because she has brains. Luckily she had the time to sort out her terms before marrying (having learnt from Diana's mistakes) because her H2B was of a similar age.

The80sweregreat · 16/05/2018 09:48

boss, i can see your point of view, but ( according to this docu ) she really did hang around at every point in their relationship - Diana was young and naive and was probably pleased that someone was on her side a bit - she had to put with a lot of things and all this press intrusion was very full on at the time. She couldnt see the wood for the trees until it was too late - by then she was going off the rails a bit and had the children and was clearly not very well with her mental health and ( i think) Camilla just took advantage of this as she knew that he really didnt love her as he should have done.
he should have married her in the first place - why she was deemed unsuitable is a mystery as she was young and came from a wealthy background with 'blue blood' and money and was quite attractive when she was younger as well - had the right connections and was also a lot more wiser than Diana seemed to be, but they said no and he went along with it and didnt want to commit apparently. history would have been so different if he had of course.

BertrandRussell · 16/05/2018 09:49

There are other threads where people are saying that a sophisticated confident adult woman of 36 with loads of life experience "has no idea what she is getting into" and she is marrying someone 6th in line to the throne and into. Royal family very different to the institution it was 40 years ago. And yet people on this thread are saying that a 19 year old with very little life experience was going open eyed into her marriage to Charles 2 generations ago.......

derxa · 16/05/2018 09:49

But if my figureheads were exposed as behaving in quite such a despicable way as those two did I would find it quite hard to have any respect for them. I agree but Charles will be king and Camilla will be queen. And for the love of God will people stop saying 'King of England'.
Thank you.

TomRavenscroft · 16/05/2018 09:51

It's pure sexism and more than a bit of misogyny if Charles and the rest of the royal family have all forgiven but Camilla is made to continuously atone for what happened to Diana decades later.

I completely agree with this.

I don't think she'd be called Queen; I think the 'moustaches' at Buck House will have made very clear that she will have another, lesser title.

sundowners · 16/05/2018 09:51

Charles is intensely arrogant and would never willingly had over to William- wish he would though as having that man and woman representing our country seriously angers me, as it does a LOT of their public.

The80sweregreat · 16/05/2018 09:54

The thing I dont understand is that the Queen was allowed to marry someone that was seen as a bit of a rascal and not good enough etc , but Charles couldn't marry Camilla Shand! i know things were different back then, but its still a mystery.

Butterymuffin · 16/05/2018 09:54

Kate was nineteen when she met Will.

And they had the sense to take their time (didn't they take a break at one point?) and enjoy themselves for a good few years before actually marrying. That wasn't on the table for Diana. It was chop chop, get on with it and produce the babies. Not saying she was always right, just that I can understand why she behaved as she did.

MarshaBradyo · 16/05/2018 09:55

Does it anger the public? I mean that might be the case but how do we know

I’m not fussed. He came across well on The Crown Wink (joke in case wink not enough) maybe he’s a bit shy

It’ll be interesting to see what he’s like when he’s in the limelight

HasAnyoneGotAProblemWithThat · 16/05/2018 09:57

Charles will not hand over to William as it will increase William’s burden on his young family.

Also I don’t think Meghan did know what she was taking on. She’s American & probably wasn’t aware of how the press are with the royals. Diana knew as she was in royal circles from a young age.

Luisa27 · 16/05/2018 09:58

I don’t find Charles one bit arrogant- think he’s a compassionate and humble chap

MiggeldyHiggins · 16/05/2018 09:59

“Me too. Adultery is fundamental dishonesty and not compatible with "a strong sense of royal duty". You can't have it both ways - if you want the freedom of the commoner please abdicate

Er, what about pretty much every other monarch since the dawn of royalty? If adultery is supposed to exclude them from the position you wouldn't have a royal family!

BeyondPink · 16/05/2018 09:59

^" And for the love of God will people stop saying 'King of England'.
Thank you."^

I dunno, all you English mners can keep him if you want... Wink

The80sweregreat · 16/05/2018 10:00

Kate had a sensible family behind her and her and William are close in age and have sort of 'grown up together' was at Uni together and have things in common - Charles was in his early 30s when he married her a complete stuffed shirt and had nothing in common with her at all. i remember them being at the live aid concert in 85 and she was really enjoying it all and he looked so out of place and awkward and didnt know who half the acts were probably.

She should have married a stock broker type or a Sir with money and he should have married the debutante Camilla when he had a chance.

MiggeldyHiggins · 16/05/2018 10:01

And for the love of God will people stop saying 'King of England

He would be King of England. Plus loads of other places!

BalloonSlayer · 16/05/2018 10:03

The thing I dont understand is that the Queen was allowed to marry someone that was seen as a bit of a rascal and not good enough etc , but Charles couldn't marry Camilla Shand!

Prince Philip was royalty.

Charles was supposed also to marry royalty but there were not many princess around. Princess Caroline of Monaco was out because she is a Catholic. There was a Princess Marie Astrid of somewhere who was mooted at one point.

It was thought worthy of comment at the time that Charles was marrying "a commoner." Shock Yes, she was a Lady, but she was not Royalty and therefore a commoner. It was a big thing that he was not marrying a Princess.

He was probably not allowed to consider Camilla for the same reason, that he should be looking for Royalty. Only when it became clear that there wasn't a pool of Princesses for him to choose from did it become OK for him to look "downmarket" at a mere lady. But he was seeing Camilla 10 years before this point.

If Charles and Diana's marriage has achieved one thing, it is that the heir to the throne can pick a woman he loves to marry, the one who is right "for him" and not just one with the right pedigree. I expect that this is Charles's influence here, I imagine him advising William (and Harry) to take his time, to be certain he loves her and she him, and to hell with titles and so-called "suitability."

The80sweregreat · 16/05/2018 10:03

In the documentary i watched there was a snippet of Camilla and Charles dancing and they did look so compatible and happy - i'm no fan of either of them but they do seem to bring out the best in each other.

Its just a shame we all know the history behind it all which takes the shine off a bit.

crunchymint · 16/05/2018 10:04

If Diana had posted a thread on here about her fiancee, she would have had lots of posters telling her not to marry him.
They had a remarkably small number of dates before marrying.
She had to call him Sir.
The Royal family demanded she had a medical examination to check she was still a virgin.
There was a big age gap.
Charles had dated Diana's sister and proposed to her, but she turned him down.

It was obviously an arranged marriage where at that point, Diana held very little power.
And yes, if you support a hereditary monarchy, you can't pick and choose who comes next.

The80sweregreat · 16/05/2018 10:06

Anyway, what is done is done.
Charles is heir apparent still and i cant see him doing anything much when the Queen dies apart from take over the job and just get on with it. The public have had his wife around for years now - they will have to lump it i guess. It will be a brave man or woman to start a revolution once the Queen dies and i really couldnt see it happening anyway., it would be stopped in its tracks before it even got going!

MumofBoysx2 · 16/05/2018 10:06

I don't think she can become queen, can she, if she's been divorced? The Queen is also head of the church, and that does seem to clash somewhat.

Samcro · 16/05/2018 10:07

i like Camilla, she visited to my dc's sn school and was really, not at all patronising, just nice (not set up pictures as Di would have done.)
would be sad if Charles doesn't get to be king, he has been waiting his whole life.

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