Queen Camilla Must Face This Common "Fear" During Royal Tour of Canada With King Charles, Per Former Butler
Royals: Just like us.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have made their first trip to Canada since their 2023 coronation, wrapping up a historic two-day visit to Ottawa on Tuesday, May 27. There's plenty of preparation that goes into a royal tour, as former royal butler Grant Harrold—speaking on behalf of Slingo—recently shared. But there's one aspect of royal life that Queen Camilla isn't so fond of, as Harrold revealed.
The former butler, who worked for King Charles between 2004 and 2011, when he was the Prince of Wales—said that along with packing and prepping speeches, The Queen must deal with a very common "fear" while traveling.
"Camilla is definitely not a fan of flying," Harrold shared. "While she has to travel all over the world, flying was never her favorite mode of transport."
He continued that he thinks "it's more the turbulence" rather than "the heights" aspect of flying that rattles The Queen. "But even though she has this fear, she deals with it when she does have to travel," Harrold added. The former butler explained that while royals get to experience a different way of traveling, there's one big "downside" that partially explains Camilla's dislike of flying.
The King and Queen arrived in Ottawa on May 26.
Queen Camilla is "not a fan" of flying.
"When the royals fly, there are no security checks, no scanners, and no limited luggage," Harrold said. After enjoying "tea, coffee and biscuits" in a "VIP lounge," they "walk straight onto the plane without a ticket," he added.
"When you’re on the jet, you’ll be given a menu and can choose what meal you want," the former butler said. However, this comes at a cost.
"It's a jet, which means you get to experience luxury, and it's a nice way to travel. But the downside of these jets, when I would be on them, is they were obviously small and very prone to turbulence," he explained.
Harrold also shared the behind-the-scenes prep that goes into planning a royal tour. "When Charles travels, he's got to have the certain things he likes in his diet, or his meals that will be sent over that you can't get in the U.S. or Canada."
He added that "The King has valets who do his packing—I used to do valeting as well. They'll be the ones that are in charge of making sure his clothes are all sorted and he's got what he needs. There will be day suits, military uniforms, his medals, or possibly swords, depending on where he’s going. The plan is extraordinary."
