Queen’s private reaction to Kate’s emotional video revealed
Last September, Kate released a deeply emotional video message about her cancer journey – and the “mischievous” Queen had a surprising response.
IN LONDON
Queen Camilla’s very “mischievous” reaction to the Princess of Wales’ cancer update video last year has been revealed.
In his new book, The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal and Survival, royal author Robert Jobson lifts the lid on what was said behind Palace doors after Kate shared an emotional message – spoken over a series of glossy, highly-stylised family videos – in September to confirm she had completed chemotherapy.
As Jobson explained to news.com.au, the “very funny” Queen joked to friends that it was “like a shampoo commercial”.
“It was very slow motion, lots of hair flicking … so she joked that it was like a shampoo commercial. But I don’t think it was meant in any meanness, it was a little joke,” he said.
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The veteran royal author and journalist went on to insist that Camilla and Kate “get on fine”, and that the Princess of Wales wouldn’t have “worried about that one bit”.
King’s ‘tricky’ relationship with William
On the more serious side, Jobson also delved into the complicated dynamics of the Windsor men in recent years, claiming that the King and Prince William’s relationship is occasionally “tricky”.
“They get along fine, but they both have roles to play … certainly Charles had a better, closer relationship with Harry before all the issues happened,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, as with any heir, it’s going to be a more tricky relationship because it has more meaning – ultimately, when the King passes, William will be the monarch and will have his own ideas.”
In recent years, the Prince of Wales has spoken on a few occasions about his plans for the future of the monarchy, including during his trip to South Africa last year, and more recently on Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveller program.
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In particular, William has regularly referenced his desire for “change”, and ensuring the modern monarchy is fit for purpose.
“Obviously, when you start hearing those ideas publicly, you talk about ‘royalty with a small R’, et cetera, in a way that can undermine the position of the consistent model,” Jobson pointed out.
“So [William and the King] have a working relationship and a loving relationship, but it’s not necessarily as deferential as Charles’ was with the [late] Queen.
“I think they have differences of opinion over certain things.”
Still ‘undoubtedly strained’ between the King and Harry
When it comes to the King and Harry, as most people know given the very public way the rift has unfolded, things are “undoubtedly strained”, with the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare, creating a “huge stain” on their relationship.
“Unfortunately, because of what’s happening with the battle between [William and Harry], and all the things that have been said by Harry which have undermined the brand of the monarchy, the damage has been done,” Jobson said.
“There’s no doubt that it has impacted on Charles’ reign, which in many ways has been dominated by this sense of separation, sense of a monarchy which is divided.”
Originally published as Queen’s private reaction to Kate’s emotional video revealed
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