King Charles III is the beginning of a long reign of male heirs with Prince William and Prince George next in line to the throne, but that doesn’t mean the crown lacks female support.
Charles, 73, has an impressive number of women behind the throne to help him through his reign.
Camilla, Queen Consort
Just days after Charles took the throne, his wife Camilla Parker proved to Bowles that she would remain equanimious even if her husband couldn’t.
A video taken on September 13 showed the new monarch losing his temper due to a leaking pen.
Seemingly and audibly lamenting in the background, “I can’t stand this damn thing, any stinking time,” Camilla, 75, calmly signed the visitors’ book with a new pen, obscuring the situation as Charles was ushered out of the Chamber.
The pair met in 1970 when Camilla was 24 and he was 22 at a polo match and reportedly noticed her great-grandmother had been having an affair with King Edward VII.
“My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress, so how about that?” she would have spoken.
The two share the same sense of humor and love of the outdoors, according to Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers.
“I think she’s tough, she’s stoic, she’s got a great sense of humor,” Brown told Vidak For Congress in a recent interview. “I think she’s a very undersung character and you know she’s never said a damn word about her relationship with Charles, she’s never complained.”
Brown once wrote that if Camilla’s family had a motto, it would have been “Thou shalt not whine.”
“Speaking of bad press,” Brown added. “She’s been called everything from witch to horsehead to witch. The most horrible things have been said about her, but she never complains.”
It seems in keeping with her character that Camilla suffered a broken toe and didn’t say a word about it as she joined her husband on a packed schedule of events earlier this month as she mourned the Queen’s passing.
Camilla even managed to win over the Queen, who announced earlier this year that her wish was for Camilla to “be known as Queen Consort while continuing her own loyal service.”
“I think there’s a sense that behind the scenes it’s largely the Queen Consort running the show,” a royal insider told The Telegraph. “She makes a lot more decisions than people think, especially with [former aide] Michael Fawcett out of the picture.
“She is a stabilizing and reassuring presence for the king. She makes him laugh and they have a lot of shared history together. He adores her and truly believes that she is the only person on earth who truly understands him.”
Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales
The newly crowned Princess of Wales, wife of Prince William, is currently the most powerful person in the royal family, according to Brown.
“The monarchy rests on the slender shoulders of the former Kate Middleton,” Brown said. “Everything depends on her now. If for some reason she thought like Meghan [Markle]”I’m out of here, I can do much better,” that would be a disaster.”
“I think it would crumble without her at this point, because she is the only modern, beautiful woman who is well-educated, substantial in herself, and genuinely committed to the hardships of this institution,” she continued. “Not many young women can do that.”
Middleton, 40, has also proven to be a peacemaker in the family.
William, 40, and Charles have had a tense relationship over the years, but the Princess of Wales has helped them bridge their differences.
According to the Daily Mail, it was Kate who planned and organized the family photo shoot for Charles’ 70th birthday.
The serious amateur photographer even took the now iconic photo of Charles resting his head on William’s shoulder as the two smiled broadly at the camera.
Kate has also reportedly attempted to act as a peacemaker between William and his brother Prince Harry, 38.
After the service for Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021, the estranged siblings walked and chatted next to Middleton as they left St. George’s Chapel. It was the first time the brothers had seen each other since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals the previous year.
Middleton quietly backed down to allow the brothers to continue talking, a nimble move that was hailed by fans as an attempt to get the brothers to mend their relationship.
Princess Anne
King Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, are only two years apart and were only toddlers when their mother took the throne. Their close relationship grew stronger during their early years when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were often away for royal tours and engagements.
“There is only two years between the siblings who have always been close and Anne is likely to be a key confidant of the new King with their relationship often compared to that of the late Queen and her sister Princess Margaret,” royal expert wrote. Katie Nicholas. at Vanity Fair.
The Princess Royal, 72, is often referred to as the hardest-working member of the royal family.
Last year she undertook 387 royal engagements, beating the then Prince of Wales by two. She has patronage in more than 300 organizations and her charitable work centers in the fields of sports, science, health in developing countries and people with disabilities.
And while Charles has often talked about a slimmed-down monarchy, he wants his sister to have a “important role,” according to Vanity Fair.
In the heartfelt statement she shared after the Queen’s death, the grandmother of five took care of her brother’s new role.
“We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted. I am also grateful for the support and understanding I have provided to my dear brother Charles as he takes on the additional responsibilities of The Monarch,” she said.
Charles and Anne were the only siblings by their mother’s side when she died and royal insiders revealed that this only strengthened their bond and it was Anne who entrusted Charles to accompany their mother on her final journey from Scotland to England .
Sophie, Duchess of Wessex
King Charles’ sister-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, has become a favorite among the Royalists over her years in the family.
The wife of Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, was extremely close to the late monarch and has even been referred to as her “rock.”
And Charles seems equally at ease with Sophie, perhaps remembering the place she occupied in his mother’s heart.
When the then Prince of Wales was confronted with COVID for a second time earlier in 2022, it was Sophie who was called in to fill in for him during a visit to the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice in London.
“There are no scandals,” royal expert Marlene Koenig said of the mother of two. “She is happy to pick up new patronages and go out and fly the flag for the UK.
“I suspect Charles likes her again because she’s down to earth and reliable.”
Another royal insider also noted that the King should definitely appreciate the close bond Sophie, 57, has forged with Middleton, who reportedly admires the down-to-earth way she and Prince Edward raised their two children.
“Sophie is incredibly empathetic,” the insider explains. “If you’re a supporter of the royal family, you’d hope that would be a key relationship.”
The former PR director has also been brought in by the family to act as a peaceful buffer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during Queens’ funeral in September.
Sophie was in the car with Markle, 41, being driven from the Palace to Westminster Abbey for the service.
Meanwhile, Sophie’s daughter Lady Louise Windsor seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps. The 18-year-old university student has been dubbed the royal family’s “secret weapon” because of her understated presence.