It was like watching a scene from Mean Girls: the First Ladies of France and the United States holding hands, kissing and hugging during the 80th commemoration ceremony of D-Day. Quite a contrast with Queen Camilla who, joining President and Brigitte Macron at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, adopted a rather more formal approach. Presented with a hand of friendship, by Brigitte, Camilla withdrew her gloved paw rather rapidly. Besides, Camilla was there to comfort others, not hob nob – accepting a white rose from a veteran, for example, and hugging a small fan. The moment that sealed her new place in our hearts was when, hearing the testimonies of veterans during the D-Day event, she was moved to tears. Her face crumpled. The reaction on social media was of unanimous awe: ‘They’ve been through so much together,’ said one typical commenter. ‘How human are our King and Queen?’ asked another. ‘She was probably thinking of her own father, too.’ Camilla’s hug to greet stepson Prince William that day seemed warm and genuine. Another rift healed? I hope William is glad that his father is finally content. There’s no doubt the transformation of Queen Camilla has been both subtle and slow. The Queen’s outfits, once entirely composed of safe coat dresses, have become more adventurous. We saw white Anna Valentine in Normandy beneath a glorious white hat by Philip Treacy that resembled a wedding cake. And she wore Barbie pink by Fiona Clare for the national commemorative event in Portsmouth, again with a stunning Philip Treacy hat, its jauntiness reminiscent of the late Queen Mother, whose brooch she wore. A woman once known for hunting and, well, relaxing has just launched a literary festival – the Queen’s Reading Room, held in the beautiful surroundings of Hampton Court earlier this week. The star-studded line-up included Miriam Margolyes and author Kate Mosse. Eat your heart out, controversy-hit Hay! It says something that Camilla really was the best character to emerge from Netflix’s The Crown: never self-pitying, never scheming, just supportive, and occasionally strict when it came to Charles’s role as a father. And remember this: she has taken on a brand-new job in her mid-70s, surely an inspiration to older women everywhere. One of Camilla’s patronages is Active Ageing, Age UK’s initiative to inspire people to be active and happy in later life. Certainly, Camilla’s official diary is insane. She campaigns against violence for women, supports animal welfare (she recently announced she would no longer be buying fur), gardening and the arts. She always manages to look interested, never bored or tired. Crucially, she never upstages King Charles, who clearly worships her. Camilla was there to soothe him after Queen Elizabeth died but proved she was no walkover. She was criticised for going on holiday in March while her husband was ill – and with the Firm further depleted by the absence of Catherine. When Diana died, it seemed inconceivable that anyone could replace her. As what would have been Diana’s 63rd birthday approaches on July 1, I wonder how Camilla would have coped with someone so luminous in the background. Diana is a tough act to follow, especially as her tragically early death has preserved her in the memory in her swim-suited prime. Yet as Camilla sat and chatted with veterans, her ease reminded me of Diana. The ease, the approachability, the damp-eyed empathy. How Camilla withstood the comparisons all those years ago, the ridicule when Diana died – and in the time since – I will never know. Can you imagine being named as the third wheel in a marriage on national television? She has never once retaliated. Banned by royal protocol from marrying the love of her life, wouldn’t it have been natural to feel a bit bitter that so many years had been wasted? Not a bit of it. Camilla accepted her fate, so rare in an era of moaning minnies, and now seems to be grasping every opportunity to prove she’s worthy of both her husband and her title. She’s not the ‘little woman’ and is no longer the ‘other woman’. Camilla is taking being Queen in her stride.
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