Why Is Camilla Already Dreading Prince Charles Becoming King?

When Prince Charles first admitted his infidelity in the 1990s to the late-Princess Diana with his longtime mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles, rumors about the two had already been circulating for years. Although Diana already knew about Charles' affair with Camilla, who was already married in 1973, according to Town & Country, the public perception of the two cheating royals changed once the news broke. 

Following Princess Diana's divorce and her tragic death in 1997, Charles and Camilla briefly paused their campaign to legitimize their relationship but eventually carried on, announcing they were engaged in 2005. While Camilla has since held the title of Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth has given thought about her possible promotion, given Charles is next in line to become king. Usually, the wife of a king gets the title of queen, while a queen's husband is only a prince consort, as was the case with Prince Philip. While Charles once suggested to Brian Williams that Camilla could one day become Queen Camilla, her current intended title is princess consort, given the scandalous nature of public perception of their relationship. 

Regardless of her title, she is already feeling the nerves as Prince Charles' time as king steadily approaches.

Although the relationship between Prince Charles and his mistress-turned-wife Camilla Parker-Bowles has flown relatively under the radar in the years following Princess Diana's death and their marriage, the spotlight will be on them again soon, given that Charles is next in line for the throne after Queen Elizabeth. In an article from The Telegraph, an expert on the royal family, Penny Junor, opened up about how Charles ascending the throne might affect Camilla. "I don't think titles do it for her, and the prospect of being Queen or Princess Consort, the fuss there will be at the time, the comparisons to Diana, it will be a very difficult time for her," Junor said. "She is a normal woman who, because of her relationship with Charles, has found herself in an abnormal situation."

In addition, another former staff member of the Royal Family noted that Camilla was older when she married, making the adjustment more unusual. "She understands how strange the world of the Royal Family can be, and how the public sees that, and knows that at times her husband, the Prince of Wales, can't see that," they said. As far as her title, Junor said, barring another big scandal, we may see Queen Camilla after all. "Charles ... loves her so much that he would find it difficult to give her a lesser title," she speculated. "It would be demeaning."