King Charles‘ second wife was once labeled public enemy No. 1 in Britain.
The former Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Consort Camilla was blamed for the downfall of Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage. Therefore people who were fans of Charles’ first wife, certainly didn’t approve of his mistress. But at some point, much of the public finally started to accept her. Now someone who used to work for Charles and Camilla is revealing why he thinks opinions have shifted in her favor.
How ex-butler thinks the queen consort ‘won over the hearts of the nation’
Grant Harrold, who worked as a butler in now-King Charles’ household from 2004 to 2011, met Camilla before she and Charles got engaged because she is the person who interviewed him for the job. He recalled: “She was there the whole time I was there, she interviewed me. I was the last butler to be taken on before she became Duchess of Cornwall.”
Harrold witnessed firsthand how the public’s view of her gradually started to change.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, the former butler said: “What was nice was from the minute I met her on day one until [their relationship] became official, she never changed. You hear people marry into families and they change and become different. She didn’t change one iota, she was the same the way throughout and I really liked her … The view [about Camilla] has completely changed. I hear that from literally everybody now, everybody says the same. I think you could say she’s won over the hearts of the nation. People have accepted her and I think that time’s been a healer … But again it’s one thing for me to tell people how amazing she is and all the things she does but it’s another when you actually witness that.
“I have no doubt she’ll have met real die-hard Diana fans and they will still chat to her and be nice to her and say ‘wasn’t it lovely meeting her.’ Time is a healer but also you see her doing the most moving things. I remember at Clarence House at Christmas, children that are sadly dying are invited to Clarence House to decorate the Christmas tree with her. It was the most heartbreaking thing I have ever been involved in and I had to leave the room because I was crying so much and she carried on doing it. That’s what I think was amazing, she had a tear in her eye but she still carried on doing it and it’s the same when she’s presenting medals to any service persons who came back from Afghanistan, again I was finding it really upsetting hearing the stories and she was moved but able to carry on doing what she was doing, I think people want that.”
What Camilla was like as boss
Harrold also had nothing but praise for the queen consort as a boss.
“What was nice from my point of view was that she always did things to make me feel part of the team,” he remembered. “She was always really kind. She was always caring and compassionate and I saw her about five or six months ago in Scotland and as soon as she saw me she recognized me. She’s an amazing lady.
“I think in carrying out the duties people have seen she’s a very kind, caring, and compassionate lady first and foremost. Another advantage that she’s got, a bit like the Princess of Wales now, because although they’ve got more money than other people I think people accept even more and admire the fact they’ve gone from having relatively normal and peaceful lives to giving their lives up to the job. You do give your life up to do that job, I’ve witnessed it. People say I’d love to be a royal and live that lifestyle but I hate to tell people they don’t sit around in chairs in palaces watching television and eating cereal bars or whatever. It’s not like that. They don’t get that luxury at all. The irony is they are in those rooms to do events and they leave them and that’s it. It’s not quite what people imagine so I think that’s where people probably look at them and think they’ve dedicated their lives to the country.”
