'There's a Lot to Overcome': Prince William 'Never Felt Comfortable Opening Up to' Queen Camilla
Though Prince William and Queen Camilla's complicated relationship has evolved over the years, an insider claimed the former still has his gripes with King Charles' wife.
"William has warmed up to Camilla over time,” a source told an outlet, adding that they have “a familial relationship these days.”
Still, "there’s a lot to overcome,” the insider noted. “William and Harry had always distrusted Camilla and felt resentment toward her because of their devotion to their mother. They never felt comfortable opening up to her in any real way.”
Princess Diana famously dubbed Camilla the third person in her marriage to Charles, and the king and queen's affair impacted her connection with William and Prince Harry.
“William and Harry’s distrust grew when they found out Camilla was leaking stories to the press to make herself look better," a source revealed.
“Despite Willy and me urging him not to, Pa was going ahead,” Harry wrote in Spare of Charles and Camilla marrying, adding that his brother “had been suspicious of the other woman for a long time, which confused and tormented him.”
Despite their rocky history, Kate Middleton and Charles' health challenges shifted the Prince of Wales' perspective.
“It brought them closer. William and Kate don’t want any extra drama or tension in the family — they have enough of that with Meghan [Markle] and Harry," the insider shared. “It was really Kate who warmed William to Camilla.”
“They both like the fact that Camilla’s normal and makes Charles less stuffy,” Camilla's family friend admitted. “Kate likes her because she brings a real-life relatability into the family. She’s not all about the courtiers waiting on hand and foot. Camilla’s real like Kate is.”
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As OK! reported, the former Duchess of Cornwall was anxious meeting her stepsons for the first time due to her rocky history with their mother, Diana.
"Camilla was so terrified at the prospect of meeting William that when she finally met him at Clarence House, she was trembling like a leaf and needed a vodka and tonic afterward," Christopher Andersen claimed. "That seems perfectly understandable since Camilla — and the world — knew she had destroyed the marriage of William’s parents, Charles and Diana."
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Camilla and Charles wed in 2005, but the stepparent didn't try to take Diana's place in William and Harry's lives.
"William was very cordial to Camilla, and their relationship has always been civil," Andersen said. "That is in part because Camilla has been shrewd enough not to ever try to instruct William in any way."
"The fact is, despite her earthly reputation, Camilla is not a mom type. She was never a hands-on mother with her own children and certainly would not have interfered in Charles’ relationship with his children," he added.
Us Weekly. reported on William and Camilla's relationship.