Royal expert Angela Levin has claimed that the Queen Consort faced intense public backlash following the revelation of her relationship with King Charles. According to Levin, who authored a biography of Camilla in 2022, the Queen Consort had to largely remain at home to avoid the public’s harsh reactions. She reportedly felt unsafe doing everyday activities like shopping and often relied on friends to run errands for her.
Levin shared with OK!: “It was very difficult for her, as she was portrayed as the most wicked woman in the world. She was constantly called nasty names like ‘rottweiler’ and it must have come as a huge shock that people were so vile about her.”
The affair between Charles and Camilla is believed to have started in 1986, five years after Charles married Diana. However, their relationship wasn’t publicly confirmed until 1993, following the leak of an intimate phone conversation that quickly became known as “camillagate.”
Despite the widespread criticism, Levin noted that Camilla “didn’t complain or make a big fuss” and chose to “stay home and didn’t go out” during that challenging time.
Angela explained: “I don’t think Charles realised how awful it was for her. He was often away on engagements and working hard for the country and Commonwealth, and at the time Camilla didn’t have protection officers because she wasn’t part of the Royal Family. But when Charles finally realised, he did get protection for her, which he paid for himself.”
It has been reported that Charles covered the cost of Camilla’s security by personally funding two full-time protection officers until their marriage in 2005, after which she became eligible for publicly funded security.
In June 1994, Charles openly acknowledged in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby that he had been unfaithful to Diana during their marriage. However, the identity of the woman involved was not publicly confirmed until excerpts from his authorised biography, also written by Dimbleby, were released in the Sunday Times later that same month.
At the time, Dimbleby noted, “That they loved each other was not in any doubt. In Camilla Parker Bowles, the prince found the warmth, the understanding and the steadiness for which he had always longed and had never been able to find with any other person.”
While the public backlash against Camilla gradually diminished over the years, Angela Levin suggested that the experience likely left lasting impacts. She remarked that Camilla “must still bear the scars of it all.”
“She still gets nervous about things,” Angela explained, mentioning that Camilla will “probably be anxious” about Charles’ Coronation, scheduled for 6 May 2023.
“She can never be sure how people are going to react towards her,” Angela added. “There’s a small but very harsh group of people who still think she’s the wrong woman for him.”