Princes William and Harry Have ‘Never’ Visited Camilla’s Home

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William and Harry Have ‘Never’ Visited Camilla’s Home

Thursday marks 20 years since Camilla Parker Bowles stepped out in public with Prince Charles after a drinks party at the Ritz, but sources tell The Daily Beast that Princes William and Harry have to this day never visited her home, Ray Mill, in Wiltshire, which she still keeps in addition to the homes she shares with Charles.

Although William and Harry have described her publicly as a “wonderful woman,” there have always been rumors of unhappiness behind the scenes; like many other people (including the queen, who used to forbid Charles from bringing Camilla into her presence) they were said to resent the woman who conducted an affair with their father before, during and after his marriage to their mother and wed her eight years after Diana’s death.

William is known to have had a difficult relationship with Camilla’s daughter, Laura; the two blamed each other for their respective family breakdowns. Author Katie Nicholl reported in her book Harry and William: “William would blame Camilla for all the hurt she had caused his mother, which would send Laura into a rage. Laura was not having any of it. She would take a hard line and fire back at William, ‘Your father has ruined my life.’”

Kensington Palace declined to offer comment to The Daily Beast.

Queen to Flee London If Brexit Goes Bad

If Brexit day—and currently March 29 is earmarked as the day when the UK leaves the EU but that could change—turns into a scene from The Purge,  the royal family will be whisked away from London. A government source tells The Sunday Times: “These emergency evacuation plans have been in existence since the Cold War, but have now been repurposed in the event of civil disorder following a no-deal Brexit.” Conspiracy theorists used to claim the trees on the Mall could fold down to allow a plane from Buckingham Palace enough runway to take off without hitting Admiralty Arch. Will these be dusted down too?

Meghan and Kate Left Off Top Duchesses List

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have been left off a list of Britain’s top duchesses, as adjudicated by society magazine Tatler. In their March issue, Tatler has produced the “Duchess Power List: our guide to the most important, influential and fabulous duchesses in the UK.”

“The Duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge can philanthropize and cause a run on Strawberry totes better than any woman in England, but when it comes to actual material influence, they're less impressive,” writes Tatler, explaining their decision. “How many acres do they oversee? How many jobs have they created? How many hunts, shoots, races, exhibitions and estates do they run?”

Ouch. Instead, Tatler chose five duchesses (Beaufort, Richmond, Marlborough, Rutland, and Northumberland) you have likely never heard of, but do various charity-focused pursuits, as well as hosting fabulously, and knowing simply everyone.

However, the chosen duchesses are not known by millions of people all over the world, their words and actions are not endlessly reported on and analyzed. They are not global fashion icons. And so we can only conclude that Tatler is either being incredibly snobbish, or willfully perverse in the hope that the two royal omissions will guarantee lots of publicity. Richard Dennen, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, did not return a request for comment.

Staying Put

The Daily Beast understands that two people who are thrilled at the announcement that Harry and Meghan will not be taking up residence in palatial Apartment 1 at Kensington Palace are its current occupants, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The queen’s first cousin and his wife have been fighting threats of eviction for decades now, and had manfully volunteered to move out of the apartment when they learned Harry had his eye on it. Now, they are digging back in, and enjoying the splendid facelift given to their part of the building when it was being readied for Harry and Meghan.

Art Choice

Speaking of their new home, Meghan and Harry will likely be decorating it with some very famous artworks, as the queen has given them a free choice from the Royal Collection. The Sunday Times reports that Harry and Meghan will be able to pick from the RC’s stash of over a million works, choosing from masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Vermeer to Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Tracey Emin.

Philip ‘Badly Shaken’ Since Crash

Prince Philip may have been spotted driving around Sandringham in the days after his car crash, but is said to be struggling to recover from the incident. A source told the Sun: “He has been visibly more frail since he was pulled from the wreck,” adding, “The truth is, away from public eyes this has shaken him really badly, as it would anyone…. The idea he may have hurt someone would mortify him.”

Twitter Power

The Kensington Palace Twitter feed is getting overwhelmed with engagements and announcements now it is the official mouthpiece for four busy full time working royals. Will it divide along with its stars? Kensington Palace says there is ‘no intention’ to do so.

They’re Fucking Royalty, Son!

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did well to keep a straight face on Friday when, on a visit to the Bristol Old Vic theatre, one young thespian advised them, “You can’t just be fucking around on stage,” while chatting about acting.

Royal Fashion Watch

Well, hello Audrey Hepburn. It wasn’t the first time Meghan Markle had worn this lovely black Givenchy coat (first sighted on Remembrance Sunday, 2017), but the crowds were wowed and ecstatic to see her at City, University of London, in her role (just taken over from the queen) as Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

This followed her visit to the National Theatre (again, as its new patron) in a Brandon Maxwell mini dress with matching blazer.

Not to be sartorially outdone, Kate Middleton and Prince William went to Dundee, Scotland, with Kate wearing a green Alexander McQueen tartan coat dress.

This Week in Royal History

The year is 1839, and Lady Flora Hastings, lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, begins to experience pain and swelling in her lower abdomen.

The queen’s physician assumes the abdominal growth is a pregnancy, and Victoria, who has already been on the throne for 20 years, and who hates Lady Flora because she worked with her mother to keep her away from her Hanoverian relatives, is quick to join the condemnation. On Feb. 3, the queen writes in her journal that she suspects Sir John Conroy, a dashing army officer whom she also hated, is the father. Things go downhill after rumors start swirling beyond the palace walls and Lady Flora feels compelled to send a letter defending her honor to a national paper.

Indeed, Lady Flora was not pregnant; she died of a liver tumor on 27 June. Victoria visited her before her death in an attempt to make amends and was said to be haunted ever after by the memory of her shabby treatment of Lady Flora.

Watch Out for…

The queen acceded to the throne on Feb. 6, 1952, so this coming Thursday marks the start of her 68th year on the throne. The day is not marked as it is the anniversary of her father’s death, but usually prompts an outpouring of historical features in the British press. The official focus will be on Kate next week: she will undertake two school visits on Tuesday, Feb. 5 “to find out more about the support offered to students, teachers and parents to help with mental wellbeing,” the Palace said.