Camilla is perhaps the greatest example that life can take you in some unexpected directions. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, she was mostly known for being “the other woman” who drove a wedge between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, ultimately leading to their divorce. These days, she is married to King Charles and sits beside him as Queen!
Life also took Meghan Markle in some unexpected directions, including her marriage into the Royal Family. But what was the relationship between these two unconventional women like when they first met, and what is their relationship like now? Keep reading to discover the answers!
The first meeting
Sometimes, it can be difficult to relate to someone as rich and powerful as Meghan Markle. However, she has experienced one thing most of us can relate to: freaking out about meeting the parents of the person she was dating!
At the time, she was a prominent actor on the show Suits, but she disclosed to The New Yorker that the idea of meeting royalty was nothing like the idea of running into a fellow celeb. “I grew up in LA, you see celebrities all the time—this is not the same. But it’s very easy, especially as an American, to go, ‘Oh, these are famous people.’ No. It’s a completely different ballgame.”
Still, she got the courage to go meet Charles and Camilla. In typical royal fashion, those two kept details of the first meeting under wraps. But based on what happened next, it looked like Camilla and Meghan really hit it off…at first.
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Bonding with Camilla
How does a future Duchess bond with a future Queen? Simple: these two discovered they have mutual interests and began bonding over them.
What kinds of mutual interests? According to the Mirror, the two women have a real love for fine wine and yoga. Across social media, Meghan had been very clear about her own love for these things. But she was likely surprised to discover that Camilla was equally-passionate about these subjects.
Still, the biggest hurdle was yet to come. It’s one thing for Camilla to approve of Prince Harry’s latest girlfriend. Still, Meghan was likely dreading how Camilla would react to the news that she and Harry were now engaged.
Camilla’s public support for Meghan joining the family
Camilla was very supportive of Meghan Markle joining the Royal Family. And she went the extra step: instead of simply being supportive behind closed doors, Camilla announced her enthusiastic support to the entire world!
As reported by the Mirror, she gave a surprisingly positive and upbeat statement to reporters. “America’s loss is our gain. We are all absolutely delighted. As you can see, they’re so happy.”
Of course, given Meghan’s later statements about family behavior after her royal relationships began deteriorating, not everyone in the family was “absolutely delighted” to see her join the family. However, Camilla seems to have taken the initial view that Meghan was a breath of fresh air around the palace. “Sometimes in a climate where we’re surrounded by a lot of bad news, it’s a real joy to have a bit of good news for once.”
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Unexpected support when Meghan needed it the most
A cynical person might look at Camilla’s public support as something that benefited her as much as it benefited Meghan. After all, Meghan did not yet have a bevy of scandals and media detractors, so it cost Camilla nothing to enthusiastically support the younger woman. And Camilla may even have been playing the long game by making nice to Meghan, so she could stay on the good side of Harry and, by extension, Charles.
However, it seems that Camilla was supportive even when the cameras weren’t rolling. And she even offered Meghan support during a time when she needed it the most!
As Vanity Fair points out, Camilla was a “pillar of support” for Meghan when the younger woman was dealing with frenzied media attacks against her. These attacks, along with other stresses, eventually led Meghan to have suicidal thoughts. But Camilla, herself no stranger to media scrutiny, offered Meghan major support. As a source close to Camilla said, “She doesn’t want to see anyone struggling and she is fond of Meghan and she could be a very good ally too.”
In other words, Meghan and Camilla enjoyed a great relationship…right up until everything fell apart.
Everything falls apart
Those British tabloids Meghan hates so much never wasted an opportunity to blame different things on “Megxit.” However, Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals and leave England altogether is squarely to blame for Meghan falling out of favor with Camilla.
One reason for this is that Camilla is very supportive of Charles. As Vanity Fair reports, the couple’s decision seriously harmed the relationship between Charles and Harry. Camilla, likely seeing Meghan as the cause of this disruption, began resenting Meghan for the harm she caused the family.
And one insider told The Telegraph that Camilla considered this a kind of personal betrayal as well. “I don’t think the duchess will ever forgive Megan for what she’s done to the Prince of Wales.” Ultimately, it looks like the chances of these women mending their relationship are about as high as the chances of Harry and Meghan ever returning to England!
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