Queen Camilla’s Support Has Made King Charles “A Far Better Monarch,” Expert Says

King Charles and Queen Camilla at an event — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Accession Day is strange—it’s the celebration of the beginning of a reign, but the mourning of the ending of another. Friday marked King Charles’ one-year anniversary of being on the throne—a role he waited nearly 74 years to undertake—but, simultaneously, the one-year anniversary of the death of his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth. Right by the King’s side through it all, both on Friday and this entire year, has been Queen Camilla, his wife of 18 years and his confidante for far longer. Charles is a far better monarch because of Camilla, royal expert Marlene Koenig said.

“Charles has gained confidence in his new role, ably and lovingly supported by his wife,” she told The Daily Express. “This is an important factor: love wins. And with having a supportive and loving wife, Charles is a far better monarch—and person.”

His first year on the throne has gone well, and Camilla is the backbone of it all. “He knows he has to rein in his views on many topics—but he is able to find other ways to express and act on them,” Koenig said. “His popularity is growing—and there are always crowds when he makes an appearance.”

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Body language expert Darren Stanton highlighted that Camilla helps Charles with “confidence” while in the spotlight. “A significant part of Charles’ life is his relationship with Camilla,” he said. “I believe when the couple went public with their romance and eventually went on to wed, Charles’ levels of confidence and self-reassurance developed greatly. While he still makes the odd gesture here and there, he does not use pacifying and self-reassurance to the extent or degree that he did in previous decades.”

Camilla takes her cues from her late father-in-law, Prince Philip, who supported Queen Elizabeth on the throne for much of her historic 70-year reign. In the documentary Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, which aired following Philip’s death in April 2021, Camilla said “I saw the way he supported the Queen, not in a flashy way but just by doing it quietly. It’s something I’ve learned by.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.