A rocky road. Prince Harry has been candid about his ups and downs with members of the royal family, including stepmother Queen Consort Camilla.
King Charles III welcomed his second son with the late Princess Diana in September 1984, two years after son Prince William was born. The former couple separated in 1992 amid speculation of marital issues — and allegations of infidelity on both sides. Their divorce was finalized in 1996, one year before Diana died in a Paris car crash.
Ahead of her death, Diana spoke about her split from Charles in a now-infamous interview with the BBC’s Panorama in 1995. Referring to Camilla, who grew close to Charles in the 1970s, the late Princess of Wales said: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Harry echoed his mother’s words in his debut memoir, Spare. “My mother legendarily said there were three people in her marriage. But her math was off,” he wrote. “She left Willy and me out of the equation. We didn’t understand what was going on with her and Pa, certainly, but we intuited enough, we sensed the presence of the Other Woman, because we suffered the downstream effects.”
During a January 2023 sit-down with Good Morning America, he expanded on his comments. “I have a huge amount of compassion for her, you know, being the third person within my parents’ marriage,” the Duke of Sussex said.
When asked where he stands with Camilla, the British veteran confessed that the twosome aren’t close. “We haven’t spoken for a long time. I love every member of my family, despite the differences,” he noted. “When I see her, we’re perfectly pleasant with each other. She’s my stepmother. I don’t look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution and [has] done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake.”
In an excerpt from his book, Harry described his “complex feelings” about Camilla, claiming she “sacrificed me on her personal PR altar” after her affair with Charles was exposed. He even went so far as to call the former Duchess of Cornwall “dangerous,” explaining his perspective during an interview on 60 Minutes.
“[She was] dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press,” Harry told Anderson Cooper in January 2023. “There was open willingness on both sides to trade information. And 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.”
The California resident revealed in Spare that he and William both expressed concerns to Charles about marrying Camilla. The king went ahead with the wedding, exchanging vows in a civil ceremony in April 2005.
“No hard feelings,” Harry wrote. “We recognized that he was finally going to be with the woman he loved, the woman he’d always loved, the woman Fate might’ve intended for him in the first place. … Whatever bitterness or sorrow we felt over the closing of another loop in Mummy’s story, we understood that it was besides the point.”
Before he and wife Meghan Markle announced their step down as senior working royals in January 2020, Harry attended several outings with his stepmother over the years. Camilla, however, has remained more tight-lipped about her status with her husband’s children. (As of January 2023, no royal family members have publicly commented on the details laid out in Harry’s memoir.)
Scroll down for a look back at Harry and Camilla’s relationship through the years:
In his book, Harry recalled meeting Camilla. "Willy went first. He'd bumped into the Other Woman, once, at the palace, but now he was formally summoned from Eton for a high-stakes private meeting. At Highgrove, I think. Over tea, I believe," he wrote. "It went well, I gathered from Willy later, though he didn't go into details. He merely gave me the impression that the Other Woman, Camilla, had made an effort, which he appreciated, and that was all he cared to say. My turn came next. I told myself: No big deal. Just like getting an injection. Close your eyes, over before you know it. I have a dim recollection of Camilla being just as calm (or bored) as me." Ken McKay/Shutterstock
Harry and William attended Charles and Camilla's intimate wedding at Windsor's Guildhall. In his 2023 memoir, Harry recalled "urging" his father not to wed Camilla. "No hard feelings," he wrote, noting that he and William both wished their father well before the ceremony. "We recognized that he was finally going to be with the woman he loved, the woman he'd always loved, the woman Fate might've intended for him in the first place." Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock
The Invictus Games founder rode with Camilla and sister-in-law Kate while celebrating Trooping the Colour in London. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Shortly after the Sussexes tied the knot, they stepped out to celebrate Charles' 70th birthday at a family garden party. Harry gave a glowing speech in his father's honor and got a few laughs out of Camilla. Shutterstock
One month after welcoming son Archie, Harry and Meghan were joined by Camilla and other senior royals for the infant's christening. Shutterstock
One of many royal outings Harry had with Camilla was the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph War Memorial in London. Shutterstock
When her stepson and Meghan welcomed daughter Lilibet, Camilla sent her well-wishes. "Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana," she and Charles wrote in a joint statement. "Wishing them all well at this time." Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
After the queen officially announced her plans for Camilla to reign beside Charles as Queen Consort, royal author Christoper Andersen told Us he thought Harry and William were "completely blindsided" by the news. Shutterstock
Harry and Meghan sat in the second row of mourners at Elizabeth's funeral behind Charles, Camilla, William and Kate. Shutterstock
Ahead of Spare's release, Harry shared insight into his relationships with several royal family members, Camilla included. "She was the villain," he said on 60 Minutes. "She was the third person in [my parents'] marriage." The prince went on to call Camilla "dangerous" due to her connections with the British press. "There was open willingness on both sides to trade information," he claimed. During a sit-down with Good Morning America, however, Harry noted that he has "compassion" for his stepmother. "We haven't spoken for a long time ... I don't look at her as an evil stepmother. I see someone who married into this institution and [has] done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake," he said. Shutterstock
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