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It’s long been thought that Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla have a pretty good relationship, but more than one insider has suggested that there’s more to it than their public appearances may suggest. In fact, according to some in the know, Kate and Camilla have had some serious tension on occasion.
Speaking to Us Weekly in late November 2024, an insider claimed of the queen consort and the Princess of Wales, “They’ve always had a tense relationship.” The source didn’t go into much more detail than that but hinted at it having a lot to do with Camilla wanting to hold tight to her duties rather than delegate to her stepdaughter-in-law. It does bear mentioning that there was some chatter about tension between the in-laws in October 2021, with some wondering if Kate’s close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II bothered Camilla. However, they moved past that pretty quickly, and a few months later, all signs pointed to Camilla and Kate’s relationship being as strong as ever. What’s more, even if Camilla was concerned about sharing duties she’d rather complete herself, Kate has made it clear that her kids are her first priority, so we doubt she’d want to take on more duties than necessary, anyway — and that’s not even taking into account her decision to scale back on some duties in wake of her cancer diagnosis and treatment in early 2024.
Even so, there certainly have been other rumors of a rift between the two royals in the past. Case in point: the supposed drama between the two leading up to the coronation.
Some claimed Kate didn’t curtsy to Camilla on purpose
While King Charles and Queen Camilla’s 2023 coronation saw the queen consort and her stepdaughter-in-law coordinate their outfits, some may remember that there were also murmurs of a rift between them leading up to the big day. This, after Kate Middleton and others present didn’t curtsy to the newly crowned Camilla.
Speaking to GBNews, controversial royal author Tom Bower claimed, “If you look at the coronation footage, as the king and queen leave the thrones and head for the exit of Westminster Abbey … you’ll see that everyone bows and curtsies to the king, and no one moves a limb, a muscle when Camilla passes.” Bower went on to explain that part of the reason for that was because Camilla had invited 20 of her family members as her guests, while the Middletons were allocated just four seats. Sure enough, while Kate’s parents and siblings were in attendance, Pippa Middleton’s husband James Matthews and James Middleton’s wife Alizee Thevenet were not.
In fairness to Kate, we seriously doubt the protocol-conscious Princess of Wales would have intentionally made a statement against the new queen with all the world’s cameras on her. After all, who could forget the drama that ensued between Meghan Markle and Kate when Meghan opted to go against convention by not having her bridesmaids wear tights for her wedding? Plus, it’s highly unlikely the future queen consort would have gotten everyone else in attendance to disrespect the current queen on her behalf. With that in mind, we have to assume that the lack of bows and curtsies was protocol in itself — and honestly, it would make sense. Camilla may be queen, but she’s not the monarch, herself.
There were rumors that Camilla broke Kate and William up
While the rumors of tension surrounding the coronation may have been embellished somewhat, it is worth noting that it wasn’t the first time the stepmother and daughter-in-law’s relationship has come into question. Au contraire, back in 2016, yet another controversial royal writer made a bold claim about tension between the women. This time it was Christopher Andersen, and he told The Daily Beast that Queen Camilla had had a hand in Kate Middleton and Prince William’s post-college break-up. Of the reason for her purported meddling, Andersen said, “She did not look at Kate as someone who was worthy of joining the Royal Family.”
Andersen also spoke of Camilla’s involvement in Prince William and Kate’s past break in his book “Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate and the Throne,” noting that the current consort was jealous of the amount of adoration the couple got. Quoting a former Clarence House employee, he wrote that Camilla had been “disgusted with William and Kate sucking up all the attention.” Strong words, there.
Whether or not there was any truth to that, it certainly seemed as though the queen consort and her future successor were a-okay by the time of the now-Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding. After all, Kate and Camilla were even spotted grabbing lunch together a few months before the big day. Granted, Kate came under fire for her order, which included foie gras (a big no-no for King Charles III for ethical reasons). Surprisingly, no stories were run about Camilla urging her future stepdaughter-in-law to order it as a last-ditch attempt at sabotage. Either way, something tells us that many of the possible red flags in this relationship have been a little exaggerated.
