The Royal family is never without drama, and the relationship between Kate Middleton and Camila Parker Bowles is a prime example. Queen Camilla is Kate Middleton‘s stepmother-in-law and they’re both working royals, which means they spend quite a lot of time together. But just because they are family and they work together, it doesn’t necessarily mean they like each other. We don’t really know what’s going on between these two royal ladies, but doesn’t it seem as if sometimes Camilla can’t hide her annoyance with Kate?
Dealing with extended family is difficult no matter who the family is. And we don’t even need to go into detail about the horrors of contending with mothers-in-law. So it’s no surprise that there’s a perfect storm of messy familial relations and a high-status tiff causing turbulence within Kate and Camilla’s relationship.
These two don’t always show it, but sometimes they just can’t hide the hints of their drama in the candid photos caught by the press. One can only wonder what exactly is going on.
Didn't Approve
Camilla and Kate’s relationship reportedly got off to a rough start. Game of Crowns author Christopher Andersen claimed that Camilla tried to break up Kate and Prince William because she didn’t like how Kate was “pretty but dim” and came from a “lowly” background. We sure hope that isn’t true!
Title Dispute
Kate Middleton was reported to take issue with assuming the same title that Prince William’s mother, Lady Diana had, after Camilla decided the title wasn’t for her. Apparently, Camilla was next in line to become Princess of Wales after she wed King Charles, but she probably thought the name carried too many memories and chose Duchess of Cornwall in its stead.
Considering all of the tension between Diana and Camilla, it makes sense that Camilla would choose not to assume that iconic name. But why would Kate be questioning it? Probably because she didn’t want to be compared to Diana, who stole the world’s heart as the most beloved royal of all time. Maybe Camilla and Kate actually do have some things in common?
Kate eventually accepted the title and has since represented the royal family as the Princess of Wales with style and grace.
No Common Ground
Throughout this list, you’ll notice that when pictured together, Kate and Camilla are rarely talking to one another. And that may very well be because they don’t have a whole lot in common. Reportedly, Camilla has a hard time connecting with Kate because they don’t share hobbies or interests. “I’d heard that Camilla wasn’t very keen on Catherine,” royal expert Tom Quinn said. “She didn’t shoot, she wasn’t very interested in horses particularly.”
Ignoring Her
At the Order of the Garter Service in 2019, Camilla seemed pretty peeved that Kate was seemingly ignoring her. Kate talked right over Camilla in an animated discussion with Queen Letizia of Spain. And whatever they were chatting about, Camilla apparently couldn’t really interject. It must not have been a convo about shooting or horses, her two fave things.
Know Your Place
Kate is smiling here, but maybe through the pain. It almost looks like Camilla is reminding Kate to walk a little more behind her. Technically, Camilla outranks Kate and should always be allowed to proceed first. Kate got a little too close at this event, and maybe she needed to be reminded of her place?
When Kate's Kids Acted Up
Camilla seems less than thrilled that Kate’s youngsters are treating their grandfather then Prince Charles like a human jungle gym. She might be thinking, “Why is Kate just letting Louis stab my husband in the eye? What kind of parenting is that?” To make matters worse, Kate is laughing like the whole thing is so funny.
What Am I Doing Here?
After Kate gave birth to George, the whole family turned up to see her in the hospital. But Camilla seems like she’s thinking, “Why am I here?” After all, George isn’t her blood relation. Maybe she got pulled out of an important function to go to the hospital at the last minute and she’s annoyed about it.
Side-Eye
Neither woman looked particularly thrilled to be sitting next to one another at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2018 wedding. The annoyance seemed to go both ways, with Kate even seemingly giving Camilla a little side-eye. Kate telling Camilla to keep it in check? We can’t imagine Camilla appreciated that.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Get Out of My Way
Camilla had to lean all the way around Kate to talk to Meghan at the 2018 Trooping the Colour. How rude! Couldn’t the then Duchess of Cambridge see that she was in the then Duchess of Cornwall’s way? Maybe she knew and she just didn’t care. It doesn’t help that Camilla is shorter than Kate, so Kate is nearly always blocking her view.
Tension in the Air
At the 2018 Remembrance Day event, you could practically feel the tension between Camilla and Kate — even through the photographs. We have no idea what’s going on, but they’re both glaring at each other in a particularly frosty way. Even having Queen Elizabeth as a buffer between them at the time didn’t seem to help.
Social Distance
Camilla may have just loved the required social distancing at the 2020 Remembrance Day event. No talking (or even pretending to talk) to Kate, and Camilla got all the space she needed. The two women kept to themselves, just singing when necessary and minding their own business.
No Help
At a June 2021 function, Queen Elizabeth had to cut a ceremonial cake, and she was struggling with the large sword. Camilla quickly stepped in to help, but Kate just stood there giggling. Camilla seemed annoyed that her fellow royal wasn’t jumping in to assist the Queen with this tricky task.
Laughing on the Outside
Sure, the two royal ladies are laughing here, but what are they really thinking about? The laughs could be forced, as maybe Camilla is just ready to get out of the carriage and on with her day. This is just one of the many times she’s had to ride with Kate, and Camilla seems less than thrilled as usual.
Far, Far Away
Camilla couldn’t be farther away from Kate on this balcony, and perhaps that was intentional. Everyone needs a break once in a while, and considering the strange start to their relationship, we wouldn’t be surprised if these two weren’t the complete best of buds. They don’t need to be BFFs, though. They have plenty of other family members to hang out with.
Was It Something I Said?
Kate took to awkwardly playing with her hair during this outing, because she’s basically being totally ignored by Camilla. Conveniently, Charles was there to hang with his wife, but Camilla didn’t really have a pal to chitchat with. And she was keeping extra quiet, it seems.
Witty Banter
Speaking of making idle chitchat, there didn’t seem to be any of that going on at this event either. Kate looks kind of uncomfortable, and Camilla is just grimacing her way through as she stands next to Kate Middleton. Even Queen Elizabeth looked totally dissatisfied with what was happening. They basically can’t wait to get away from one another.
Silent Treatment
Camilla appears to be giving Kate the silent treatment here, and she can’t even use the type of event as an excuse. Sure, this is Remembrance Day, which is typically a solemn day for the royals, but we’ve seen Kate giggling with Sophie Wessex at the same outing. So this is really just a Camilla/Kate problem.
Ice Queen
Another day, another awkward royal carriage journey. This must have been the longest ride in history for Kate to look that miserable. And Camilla could barely muster a smirk at passersby. Why do the royals keep putting these two women together at these events? It certainly seems like they maybe want a break.
Parenting Problems
Prince George just had to have a meltdown with Charles and Camilla looking on. Doesn’t it feel like that happens every single time when our in-laws are around? Kate probably felt pretty embarrassed, and Camilla is beaming — so maybe she was enjoying watching Kate struggle? OK, that’s probably a bit of a reach, but still, no parent wants their child to throw a tantrum while people are watching.
Cellmates
Kate and Camilla often share a carriage. They’re stuck together., and they don’t seem to like it. Kate honestly looks just as annoyed here as Camilla, so there’s perhaps no winning on either side when these two are made to sit together. Can we get a royal seating chart rearrangement, please?
Here We Go Again
Welp, this is a familiar sight. Kate and Camilla never seem to speak to one another when on these long carriage rides. That, or maybe the media is just really bad at taking photos of them being nice to each other. Anyway, it’s too bad Kate can’t take an Uber or something to avoid this at the next royal outing.
Trailing Behind
As the royals walked into this event in order of importance (literally), Kate had to trail behind Camilla, who outranks her. If anything, Kate should be annoyed at Camilla for blocking her view and always getting to go first. But Camilla looks like she’s just thinking in her head, “Don’t seat me next to Kate again. We have nothing to talk about. Not even horses.”
William, the Buffer
The two royal women had a bit of a buffer when William attended this outing with them. But we can’t help but notice that Camilla seemed very insistent on telling William something as Kate looked on. Surely Camilla’s not informing William of any negative opinions she may have of his wife?
Small Talk
As the ladies stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony, they did give chatting a chance for once. But even Camilla’s attempt at small talk with Kate looked forced. Kate seems to be cringing and nervously playing with her hair, while apparently the best Camilla could muster was some sort of, “Oh, look over there,” kind of chitchat.
You First
The ladies seem to be having that classic debate of who should leave a function through the doors first. “You go first.” “No, you go first.” Perhaps they both want to be last to leave the balcony so they look more important to the people watching below? Too bad we’ll never know who won this potential argument.
Wedding Season
The grimace on Camilla’s face during Kate and William’s wedding seems to say it all. Perhaps she’s wondering why her wedding to Charles wasn’t this big of a deal. (Um, that would be because of all the rumored cheating.) Also, we see Camilla wearing a nearly white dress. Didn’t anyone tell her that only Kate and her sister Pippa were going to be in that color that day?
