The Complex Marriages Of The House Of Windsor | Royal Wives | Real Royalty – Hww

this channel is part of the history hit Network Diana Princess of Wales and Sarah Duchess of York have not been seen together officially since their last appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace of trooping the color in 1991 since that moment both their marriages have ended in separation once the world was enthralled by scenes like this ignorant to the reality that two of the world’s most famous Royal women were unhappy in their marriages to the Windsor boys Charles and Andrew now living separate lives and no

longer part of official Royal activities Diana and Sarah have chosen an independent lifestyle as single mothers Diana as mother of the Future King William can never turn her back totally on the royal family yet only 6 months after her separation to Charles her life took on the poignant role of a Lonely Princess at Lord lindley’s wedding to Serena stanh hope Diana appeared as a lone figure not yet divorced she was prevented by Royal protocol from appearing on the arms of another man up a traditional family turnouts like

the queen mother’s birthday both Diana and Sarah are now conspicuous by their absence leaving their solitary menfolk to highlight the state of their respective Royal marriages yet for the sake of the children Sarah and Andrew do appear together at their daughter’s school sports day they’re both present to give their support and participate in all the activities including the parents race round in the absence of a normal family life Diana is compensating her children by showing them a more relaxed style of

monarchy as a single mom she enjoys their company on a day out at Thor Park a popular theme park near London again Diana is now out on her own officially independent of Charles she’s determined to maintain a high public profile and continue an active role supporting her Charities at home and abroad on a visit to Nepal shortly after their separation Diana reasserted her position as a powerful Focus for her charitable activities her energetic and compassionate way has become her trademark despite the sadness of the

marriage breakup Diana continued her public duties bringing a sense of style and glamour to her many public appearances between all this though there’s the reality that her manage to Prince Charles is over the family unit has been split down the middle and reunions are now centered around the two Crown princes William and Harry as loving and caring parents Charles and Diana get together when duties permit for occasional visits to their sons away at boarding school for Sarah the regular morning

ritual of taking her children off to school hardly raises a flicker of interest between them the ex-royal wives of Windsor are gradually slipping off the public stage a position they once commanded so notoriously they married into royalty only to reject its Privileges and values in favor of a simpler quieter and more honest life the story of the royal wives of Windsor captured people’s imagination and enthralled Millions the world over 150 years ago Queen Victoria visited abedinia on the river in Scotland and

fell in love with its very special Beauty since then British monarchs have made it the summer Retreat when Queen Elizabeth comes to stay on the estate of Bal maral Castle her family come too traditionally it’s been a place to relax and hide but in the summer of 91 cracks began to appear on the unblemished facade of the family gett together rumors spread of royal marriages in trouble when Prince Charles heir to the throne married Diana he brought his beautiful young bride to Scotland on their honeymoon alas their Loveless

marriage ended in separation after 11 years the Queen’s Second Son Andrew married Sarah within a few years drains began to appear in their relationship too after nearly 6 years they separated Sarah moved out of the family home with the two young princesses she realized there was no hope of trying trying to salvage her stormy marriage to Andrew the pressures were too much for these young women they married their prince charmings to discover that life within the Royal House of Windsor brought loneliness unhappiness and despair

on a trip to India shortly before the official breakup of her marriage Diana claimed that the Taj Mahal built out of one man’s love for his wife was a healing experience in 1981 Charles had been here himself and had vowed to return one day with his new wife but when she eventually came she was alone a poignant sign that their love for each other hadn’t survived the test of time time in the months leading up to her official separation from Charles Diana projected the image of an accomplished Confident Woman a successful member of

the royal family in her own right 11 years earlier their marriage was the royal event of the decade the wedding of the century the stuff that fairy tales are made of she vowed to love and honor but not to obey I Diana Francis hi Diana Francis take thee Charles philli Arthur George take the Charles George to my wedded husband to my wedded Husband by falling in love this shy 20-year-old took on the responsibility of having to play a major role in the royal family firm as well as providing her husband with hes to the British

throne she was now public property wherever she went millions of eyes would now follow the British Monarchy is a closed shop except through marriage initiation is a tough business particularly for a commoner when Sarah Ferguson Fergie to her friends married Prince Andrew like Diana she had to learn the ropes for herself sadly she too ended up alone Sarah had tried to do it her way and failed she too had hopes and dreams and like Diana she made promises but at 26 she was expected to bring a greater maturity to the role of Royal bride and

consort she was given away by her father major Ron Ferguson in later years he would become the man she would turn to for advice in the absence of her husband away at sea at the marriage ceremony they swapped wedding rings she agreed to obey saying I think it’s the man’s role to be the leader and he will make the final decisions but that does not mean I’m a yes woman I must stress that they made an attractive couple Andrew The Dashing naval officer Sarah his exuberant partner she was a breath

of fresh air in the stuffy Royal circles together they projected a united front we’re a good team anyway yes I think that’s a Saving Grace is the fact that that in the last nine months we’ve discovered that we worked very well together and we’re good friends good team quite veryy in contrast to the worldly manner of Sarah Diana at 20 was far more vulnerable than naive before the engagement was officially announced her shyness and inexperience of the mercy of a pying press was very evident we thought it was going to be announced on

his 32nd birthday but there wasn’t and he told a for yesterday that maybe coming soon have you any comment to make about that no com all around had a good weekend though questioned on television before the marriage Charles accepted press intrusion as an inevitable part of the job he felt that it was just something you had to adjust to and that Diana would learn how to deal with it pretty quickly accept that that’s part of it I think if you don’t try to work out in your own in mind some kind of method for existing and surviving this kind of

thing you you would get mad I think and so in the end you do get used to it but I just know you find that after last 6 months you’re beginning to get used to it just it is I suppose one of the most important things you’re going to have to adjust to really isn’t it of course yes and Prince Charles has been a great help to you in that very Tower strength Diana’s shy diey image was in sharp contrast to Sarah’s mature and extrovert manner as a professional woman Sarah had a career in publishing and was confident of her own identity she seemed

far more prepared than Diana for the stresses and strains of marriage in the public eye with Diana’s engagement the world was officially introduced to a shy kindergarten teacher daughter of an English Earl she was unblemished untrained and inexperienced her only expectation was to marry well in her new public role The Strain began to show at a match shortly before their wedding Diana was led away in tears exhausted by the marriage preparations and the constant glare of publicity but Charles was there to give her

support when their first son William was born 11 months after their wedding she was happy and relaxed with no signs of strain 6 months later though during an exhausting trip to Australia and New Zealand it became apparent that Diana was losing a considerable amount of weight Buckingham Palace issued a statement dismissing rumors that Diana had the slimmest disease anorexia Noosa in fact she was suffering from an eating disorder biman Noosa after bouts of massive overeating most sufferers induce vomiting but none of these

problems tarnish the projected image of a happy and carefree family life with the pressures of public life Diana never really gained control over her bmia she was now always the center of attention forever the focus for a media hungry to give a waiting public the photographs they craved during official tours she would go for days without eating properly pausing only to gulp a chocolate bar an ambulance had to be called during a visit to Expo 86 in Vancouver Charles was exasperated after She fainted in

public and had to be helped away her eating habits found little sympathy with him moments later she reappeared her composure regained the Royal show must go on but behind the refined appearance and the thin pale face was a woman in stress there were happier times for Diana when Sarah Ferguson first appeared on the Royal scene she joined Diana and Charles on a skiing holiday in Switzerland her appearance confirmed speculation that she was Prince Andrew’s girlfriend for Diana the prospect of another Outsider joining the royal

family was a comforting thought Sarah was a fellow commoner who would hopefully bring companionship and support than the royal family was relieved when Andrew married Sarah particularly the queen who was happy to see her second son betrodd after his Many Adventures with less suitable companions she felt that Andrew had met his match in Sarah boting well for a strong partnership the couple’s own mood of Vitality and genuine happiness seemed to rub off creating an unusually festive Royal sendoff Overjoyed at his choice of bride

the queen never looked happier and more relaxed it was the last time the royal family would present such a genuinely united front together from the beginning Sarah found Royal life rather pompous skiing was one of her favorite P times and early on in their marriage the Yorks joined the wales’s on the ski slopes but for Charles Duty comes first particularly when cameras are present there’s a definite limit to how Royals should behave in public and it was just too much when his young wife and new

sister-in-law were giggly and girly together on this occasion it was clearly Sarah’s bad influence Charles obviously thought their conduct Unbecoming on and off duty Diana enjoyed Sarah’s company in the early days they were frequent visitors to Polo matches as Sarah’s father trained Charles’s Polo ponies later though Diana had to officially detach herself from Sarah’s unacceptable behavior and they drifted apart as Duchess of York Sarah embraced her royal duties with enthusiasm shortly after their wedding they left on an

official visit to Canada Sarah’s passion for life and general V was greatly admired and the young couple’s relaxed manner won the hearts of the Canadian people obviously still very much in love they were a huge hit

there were more surprises to come when the Yorks arrived at a farewell dinner in Ontario they had delighted Canadians with their informality and it wasn’t over yet they were about to rewrite protocol on after dinner speaking the commentator’s delightful phrase it’s wild it’s wooly it’s Western and good watching like my wife sorry before I have my head smashed in I mean my wife I mean my wife’s hair it’s at times like these that my speech runs out and I’ve decided that I’m going to give you a surprise I’m fed up with listening to my

voice so I’m going to hand the lecton over to somebody else I don’t know what went wrong tonight because normally normally I check his speeches and he slipped that in about wlly Weston whatever anyway I could not go through a whole tour letting my darling husband of a year and a day do all the public speaking so we agreed for once that I should have the last word tonight you are very lucky to be living here and I can now count myself along

with Andrew equally fortunate to be an honory Canadian early in the wales’s marriage Charles showed off his new wife to the Australian people though still very much in love they made a very different picture to the Yorks Diana less self- assured than Sarah was shy demure and acquiescing she allowed Charles to guide her in every sense the heart Charles is after dinner speech in

Tasmania was poignant the last time I was here was 2 years ago uh in 1981 shortly before uh we were married and at that time everybody was saying good luck and I hope everything goes well and how lucky you are to be engaged to such a lovely lady and my goodness I was lucky enough to marry her and and we had many many messes it’s amazing what ladies do when your back’s turn hiding behind her prince Diana was still bathing in the glory of being his princess and their love and affection for each other Shone through but Diana

later became a master of hiding her emotions she became embittered about Charles’s unb attitude when it came to doing exactly as he pleased and she confided in friends that they were beginning to drift apart but to her adoring public Diana was still seen as a happily married woman supporting her husband the Spanish royal family were particularly welcoming they gave Diana the confidence and Assurance often absent in her relationship with Charles as her confidence grew and her identity changed so did her

image her flouncy girly gowns gave way to a more experienced sophisticated look acknowledging her own sexuality and power to Dazzle on state occasions her self-confidence was overwhelming gone was the shy eye image of the past she no longer ran from the prying eyes of the media but flaunted her Newfound sense of power now she was sent to Stage this was a butterfly bursting out from its chrysalis now an equal to Charles and no longer needing Him to guide her on foreign tours Diana now complimented Charles by more than

keeping up her end of their official partnership as ambassadors at Large she was now a personality in her own right striking out and conquering for herself by showing genuine compassion concern and Love Diana became the people’s princess their combined performances were stunning as the other royal couple

Andrew and Sarah made a handsome double act very different from Charles and Diana it was their relaxed manner that raised comment even during the most formal occasions Sarah’s dress sense also came in for a lot of public attention when they were together they reveled in each other’s company but these opportunities were rare as a naval officer Andrew was a away at sea for almost nine months of the year their time together was very precious and stolen kisses at Polo showed their youthful love for each other but for most of the time they were

forced to live apart and Sarah found the stress of being alone hard to bear with a natural zest for life she needed the buzz of excitement when Andrew wasn’t around she found life within Royal confines rather dull to relieve the tedium she took her pilot’s license flying was a way of life for Andrew and she wanted to learn more about her husband’s work not to be outdone she also decided to fly helicopters I now know exactly what he’s talking about when he goes out on the sties so that’s what I wanted to achieve

so when he comes back in the evening tells me what he’s been doing I now know what he’s been doing alone a lot of the time home was sunning Hill Park a Texan style house with swimming pool SAA and Tennis Courts Royal status also meant Royal duties and Sarah performed these in her own very personal and relaxed manner her independence and modern ideas were at odds with the formality and protocol of the British Monarchy Living in a gilded cage was not her idea of being Royal and as her privileged position opened new

doors she was quick to grasp new opportunities for excitement and challenge with Andrew away so much Sarah was often on duty alone she enjoyed the attention and Company of men and in Andrew’s absence she turned to her father for support a man she had grown very close to after the breakup of her parents marriage when Sarah was a teenager with an absentee husband the media quickly focused on her performance as a single mom in 1986 public attention was caught by questions surrounding the state of the wales’s marriage with press reports

maintaining that they were turning away from each other newspaper coverage was quick to point out that Diana was very preoccupied with her two small Sons Charles on the other hand was spending less and less time with his family summer holidays as guests of the Spanish royal family was a welcome relief from the confines of British royalty Prince William felt comfortable in the arms of the relaxed and tactile King Juan Carlos Prince Charles preferred to keep his distance Diana William and Harry enjoyed the easy manner of the Royal House of

Spain childhood holidays for Charles had never been like this the concept of familiarity is alien to him he’d been brought up to believe that royalty must maintain a sense of formality and Mystique when William was rushed to hospital after an accident at school with a golf club Charles was accused of putting Duty before family despite the possibility of surgery He Slipped Away for an appointment naturally there was strong criticism for his Swift departure and the incident proved that Charles was to blame for his bad image as a father

when William was out of danger his mother left for an engagement di how’s your son vivacious and sweet natured on the surface Diana has in her character an underlying sense of purpose with her High public status she threw her weight behind many social issues during a speech at a family Congress in Brighton she touched on the importance of the family unit I could only point to those mothers fathers and children in lonely isolation or in comfortable Conformity who simply do their best with what they have their success is measured by the

care they have for each other and I suspect there is no better form of judgment Diana’s concern for family life and the loneliness of others identifies her with women Under Pressure she visited wives of soldiers sent to fight in the Gulf War and spoke from the heart to show that you are not forgotten especially at Christmas time there is nothing of course that I can say which will fill that Gap in your lives and to say that I along with so many others at home understand and sympathize with you at this time by visiting AIDS patients Diana has

chosen to take up one of the world’s major issues in 10 years of public norti the human imuno deficiency virus has attracted more than its fair share of prejudice and ignorance meanwhile Sarah was doing her Duty performing in a style the cameras had come to expect unfairly she was lampooned determined to be herself she chose to support good causes but in her own way her lack of regard for the cool stuffy Royal performance left her wide open to criticism from Buckingham Palace not sing a song and um I haven’t

prepared a speech but I I just I’m so pleased to be here today I mean it’s just wonderful and there’s not very much SN I think you’ve done a fantastic job there was fierce criticism that her speeches and general Behavior were too unconventional and familiar the Press often made disparaging comments on her dress sents but she was determined to survive the icy disapproval of Buckingham Palace and her confidence to handle the situation and go yah bu at The Establishment was demonstrated by her liberated and relaxed fashion of bare

legs short skirts and smiles all around she could never be like Diana and often referred to her as Miss Goody Two Shoes over familiarity with the Press was frowned upon Diana would never have done this sadly Sarah’s unguarded manner was to be her downfall in a fashionable block of flats in London’s Chelsea her passionate nature and zest for life was suddenly exposed to the world when holiday photographs featuring princess beatric and Texan oil millionaire Steve Wyatt were discovered by a window cleaner allegations of Sarah’s infidelity

confirmed gossip that her marriage to Andrew was on the rocks in the eyes of the establishment the lonely Royal mother had failed to progress from commona to royalty Sarah was now convinced that Buckingham Palace was out to get her when Prince Charles broke his arm in a polo accident his marriage also took a turn for the worse leaving hospital followed by Diana he was clearly depressed at the prospect of a long convalescence the mask of coping crumbled when journalists asked how he was feeling how are you sir

for tender loving care he returned without Diana to their gleria home and into the arms of his close friend Camila Parker BS Revelations of their relationship revealed Charles’s love for another woman Diana found her comfort in the company of a friend James gilby buged telephone conversations allegedly with James gilby revealed just how unhappy she was with her marriage to Charles but the show must always go on for Generations the ceremony and privilege of royalty have been carefully maintained to perpetuate the myth that

Royals are a world apart something removed and unreachable at State occasions like trooping the color the royal family is Duty bound to put on a happy face a well orchestrated management system creates this facade all the pump and Circumstance is an important part of presenting stability and continuity and giving the public what they expect prying eyes into her family’s personal lives is a phenomenon the queen finds difficult to understand like many of her subjects the British monarch is typically restrained when it

comes to inquiring about other people’s difficulties keeping up a appearances no matter what happens is a vital part of being Royal as a mother the queen finds it difficult to face up to family problems she will go to almost any length to avoid confrontation previous Royal Generations would have had arranged marriages perhaps this method would have been more successful a bride chosen from one of the European Royal houses would at least have known what to expect all royal family occasions must be seen to be enjoyed grandmothers have

a difficult enough task holding any family together even without the constant prying of the media under the pressures of a crumbling marriage and in the full glare of publicity Andrew and Sarah tried to continue with their daily lives Andrew carried out his duties as a naval officer while Sarah took their three-year-old daughter beatric to and from school after weeks of speculation the announcement of the York separation was finally made after the queen solicitor and a team of lawyers had discussed all the details of exactly how it would be

arranged including the custody of the children the pressure on Sarah was showing the palace was angry at the way she had handled her Affairs all of her public engagements were cancelled she was cast as the baddy in the scenario but she continued stoically with the daily domestic routines forces within Buckingham Palace closed ranks stories were leaked that Sarah’s extravagant and irresponsible lifestyle had caused the marriage breakup now an outcast Sarah blamed the palace for having interfered in her

private life the Press wouldn’t let go and it became a war of words but as always the public front was maintained and such upsets outwardly ignored normal Royal duties continued reports that the queen was unhappy were confirmed when Palace officials claimed that the knives were out for Fergie newspaper circulations were boosted as more Revelations came off the presses Sarah owed her public status to that one memorable day when she married Prince Andrew now she was suffering the consequences of taking on a job she

couldn’t fulfill branded unsuitable for public life Buckingham Palace now closed its doors on her Andrew responded with a round of public engagements outwardly Untouched by all the Scandal plans were already underway for Sarah to move out of the family house with the two young princesses and into rented accommodation down the road when asked he declined to answer any questions about his marriage breakup the death of Diana’s father Earl Spencer once again focused attention onto the state of the wales’s marriage

Diana had been very close to her father at her engagement he was immensely proud of his daughter and very happy for her I saw di last night he’s looking absolutely radiant chars arrived at the funeral by helicopter alone this was immediately picked up on by the press as another example of their leading separate lives he then joined his wife and other members of her family at the church the Spencer family’s private grief now became public spectacle as newspapers probed for more signs that Charles and Diana were moving further

and further apart Diana’s personal message of love to her father was was simple I miss you dreadfully darling Daddy but will love you forever Diana still mourning her father’s death Diana and Charles attended his memorial service Diana blamed herself for not being at his bedside when he died on a happier occasion she took her two sons to the premiere of the film hook again Charles was conspicuous by his absence alone without her husband she is Regal yet relaxed Diana dispenses with stuffy Royal ceremony she knows that her

strength and popularity comes from being a princess of the people alone again this time on an official trip to Egypt her Elegant Style and uncomplicated manner stands out well against the Grandeur of the surroundings her visit was a major success Charles preferred the Solitude of a Turkish landscape separately they were happier people having first been introduced to foreign tours by Charles Diana now had the self-confidence to perform solo meanwhile Sarah was getting accustomed to her official single mom status she’d regained her composure and

self-confidence even ex-royals must keep up appearances for Diana press attention now focused on the more intimate details of her relationship with Charles stories were leaked to the Press about the real state of their marriage there were startling revelations in the face of this unprecedented speculation the palace insisted that it was business as usual the princess was doing her best and hundreds of people turned out to wish her well during her next public engagement at a hospice for cancer sufferers on Mery side but her personal

unease became very apparent when the chairman paid her a warm tribute nor that you do you reflect so very sincerely the philosophy of tender loving care which is and always will be the Hallmark of this hospice after all the strains such praise for her work with the sick and needy seemed to bring her close to tears it was in sharp contrast to The Confident mature Public Image she’d cultivated so successfully over the years outside she gathered a composure to chat to the crowds but then once again her emotions spilled over and she

had to retreat to the official car but strength of character seemed to pull Diana through the Press hounding and the Relentless demands of personal appearances shortly after her public breakdown she appeared poised and elegant at trooping the color signaling that she was after all in complete control of the situation when the book Diana her true story went on sale it was clear she had a thorough understanding of her own image protection the fairy tale princess had suddenly disappeared now the Romantic image was shattered Charles was

no longer the prince charming of every ‘s dreams he was suddenly accused of being selfish and uncaring as a husband and father perhaps his own op bringing was to blame Diana too had a difficult childhood as her own parents divorced and she missed the warmth and security of a United Family Charles’s parents have stayed together but their relationship with their children has never been close being a monarch is a lonely and demanding role putting Duty first the queen regrets she didn’t spend more time with her children when they were

small but the Windsor are a close knit Bunch particularly at a family wedding when they mustered around cousin lady Helen Windsor for the sake of Harmony and the cameras just for one day at least marriage difficulties within the royal family were put to one side as they all turned out in fall the bride’s mother The Duchess of Kent welcomed the guests Sarah had been the one missing wedding guest but at another marriage her eldest daughter princess beatric was a bridesmaid the Queen’s granddaughter a

new generation of royalty enjoyed the Limelight usually taken by her mother but mommy too was heading for more press attention and trouble after Revelations of Sarah’s association with the Texan millionaire Steve Wyatt public interest now centered around another Texan Johnny Brian his cover as Sarah’s financial advisor was blown wide open after photographs appeared of the almost naked couple cavorting on holiday together in the south of France it was a royal expose without precedent and the world’s press had a field day Sarah’s alleged lover

Johnny bran failed to get an injunction to stop publication of the very revealing photographs and the media Onslaught continued eventually Johnny bran and Sarah were successful in winning a court battle in France against intrusion of their privacy by the French freelance photographer Sarah insisted that he was merely her financial advisor and a close and trusted friend of her husband Andrew he was after all dealing on behalf of and with the blessing of the queen com Mr I’m sorry I have no further comment to make in addition to the comments and

statements I made last night continuing to protest his innocence Johnny Bryan became the center of massive public interest and debate newspapers claimed that the photographs were published to strip away the hypocrisy surrounding the couple’s relationship the Press were quick to tell their readers that the couple had spent holidays together in Thailand Argentina New York and Euro Disney when the story broke revealing Sarah’s holiday romance with Johnny bran the royal family including Sarah Andrew and the children were the holiday guests of

the queen at Balmoral Castle the newspaper headlines exploded like a bombshell at the Royal breakfast table immediately the Royal publicity machine went on the defensive prince Andrew claimed that the photographs were a setup stories were hatched that Sarah was suffering from a nervous breakdown even the queen doubted that Sarah would ever be able to shoulder official duties again The Duchess of York left Bal moral in disgrace she discreetly drove her children to abedine airport while the rest of the royal family prepared for

church Sarah had to face the reality that the royal family no longer considered her a member with her children she boarded a flight for London and virtual Exile the official line was that Sarah had always intended to leave moral at this time normal Royal life resumed in Scotland as though nothing untoward had happened the royal family including prince Andrew attended morning service at the local church it was just like any other Sunday with the crowds coming out to watch when Sarah arrived at herro there

was little thought of future plans except to perhaps visit her mother in Argentina her main concern was to head for the sanctuary of home as quickly as possible outside the Gates of her rented home romanda Lodge newsmen were physically pushed aside as Sarah’s AIDS tried to open the gates it was home at last but under siege back in Scotland the royal family led by a waving prince Andrew were driven sedately home from church the palace announced that no significant developments were expected in the next

few days for the moment at least peace and Tranquility returned to the Scottish Highlands yet the family holiday was about to be disrupted once more the privacy of the Scottish estate was again invaded by the Press transcripts appeared in newspapers of a bugged telephone conversation allegedly between the Princess of Wales endearingly referred to as squidgy and her friend James gilby their conversation was affectionate evidence suggests that the recording was made while Diana was spending Christmas with the royal family

at Sandringham in 1989 more illicit recordings would later allege that Charles had had a telephone conversation at around the same time with his girlfriend Camila Parker BS leaving the furor behind them Charles and Diana left on an official visit to Korea even a full-blown Korean welcome couldn’t lift the prevailing Gloom the sherad was over for all to see even Diana normally a master of hiding her emotions knew the game was up but as ever a sense of professionalism prevailed and the show went on the

necessary demarcation between public duty and private Folly was upheld although the Sparkle and life had gone out of the performance now it was a case of just going through the motions now out of the Limelight Sarah was improving her bruised image on a trip to Poland for the the charity Angels International she used her high-profile to draw attention to sick and deprived children in Eastern Europe lucky the Press had come to watch Sarah but soon found themselves drawn to the plight of children the world has forgotten for someone who once gained a

school award for good service and prays for her cheerful personality and interest in people it’s not surprising that Diana makes an almost perfect princess tactile by Nature she promotes the importance of physical contact and family values hugging has no harmful side effects if we all play our part in making our children feel valued the result will be tremendous there are potential Huggers in every household always the focus for hugs and kisses she represents a new more accessible type of Royal a much-loved icon the public won’t want to give up

their admiration is genuine their affection spontaneous the Royal House of Windsor had been shaken by recent family crisis but not yet broken it was then with cruel irony that Windsor Castle burst into flames with so many aspects of royalty already under question it was as if their home itself was now under attack the billowing smoke could be seen from more than 10 miles away the largest inhabited castle in the world was in the grip of a major disaster the queen and her sons could only wait and watch as firefighters fought to save what was

left of their family home Andrew was at Windsor when the fire broke out and was one of the first on the scene for those who saw the blaze as a symbol of a malaise within the very institution of the monarchy they hadn’t long to wait when Charles and Diana attended a Gala evening it was the last time they were seen together publicly before the Prime Minister John Major addressed the House of Commons it is announced from Buckingham Palace that with regret the prince and princess of Wales have decided to separate their Royal highnesses have no

plans to divorce and their constitutional positions are unaffected this decision has been reached amicably and they will both to continue to participate fully in the upbringing of their children the memories of two Royal marriages were rapidly going up in smoke a grand spectacle for some but taking with it the hopes and expectations of a majority who see the British Monarchy as a point of stability in a world of change the queen attended a banquet at the Guild Hall shortly after the fire and summed up the feelings of a wife and

mother whose family and home had suffered incalculable damage her comments were poignant 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure in the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents it has turned out to be a aners orelus the fire’s Devastation was a sobering reflection of a family gutted by descent Scandal and bitter accusations all the Queen’s grandchildren are now products of broken marriages the experiment of bringing commoners into the house of Windsor has failed and royalty he can no longer set

an example of Happy Family Life two young wives have gone and all that’s left is the shell of respectability and tradition it had all begun so well Royal marriages off to a good start with spontaneous signs of affection and happiness grandchildren heirs to the throne and a promised future built on Mutual support and public partnership yet set against the power and ceremony of British royalty the dreams faded the husbands failed to live up to expectations and it was all too much for the wives of Windsor they were

a new breed young independent and unwilling to bow to a system they considered stuffy and outdated they received little guidance from within the palace and had to find their own way neither had set out to challenge time oned Customs but their effect on the whole image of the British Monarchy has been dramatic together they’ve opened up a new line of questioning on an institution that must move with the times if it’s to survive into the 21st century maybe the Windsor boys were just stepping stones to a privileged

lifestyle but Diana and Sarah do owe their men folk something their status and their notoriety as the ex-royal wives of Windsor Diana and Sarah will fight hard to maintain their influence over the children as mothers to the Queen’s grandchildren they still have an important role to play in the lives of the next Royal generation on February the 10th 2005 the engagement was announced of Prince Charles and Camila Parker BS she has waited over 30 years to become his wife her patience has been rewarded with the ultimate

Triumph from solders wife to Royal mistress to Royal consort Camila Parker bows has made a unique transformation this Majestic makeover has been achieved by expensive mve grooming cosmetic dentistry Botox injections and even a facelift have been rumored dowy country clothes have been banished and replaced by Sleek new outfits Couture houses such as Valentino and verace now clothe a mature figure so loved by the Prince of Wales no longer hiding in rural seclusion Camila enjoys the Ritz and Glitz of her Celebrity

Status plays and premieres Grand dinners and parties lavish holidays and sweets in Royal homes fill the life of the best kept woman in Britain Camila was carefully repackaged and presented to the public as a wife in waiting she is the official uh Mrs Wales she’s having a wonderful time money is No Object Charles adores her he showers her with jewels she is is a very rich woman now thanks to her royal lover a front row place beside the catwalk at Fashion parades such as Stella McCartney’s Khloe show in Paris Mark Camila as a client with

International Prestige she’s learned to dress the Royal way with restrained outfits conspicuous hats and serious jewelry Camila gets sent to New York to have a bit of a makeover and she gets given a a big clothes allowance by Charles to go and look right the one thing where she does of course score wonderfully now she is beginning to get some decent jewelry the proper stuff from Charles Camila is adorned with fabulous gems at events such as her 50th birthday party held at high grve Charles’s country home at his 50th party she wore this

aquamarine and diamond necklace it belonged to her great grandmother Alice kepple Mistress of King Edward iith Charles’s great great grandfather Charles is fascinated by today’s repetition of their great romance he goes out of his way to find jewelry which belonged to her great grandmother Alice kepple uh he wants to revisit history and what he’s done has gone out of his way to try and find all the jewelry which King Edward iith gave to Alice keple and give it back to Camila now you can call it sentimental or you can call it what you want some

would call it expensive Charles learned that a well-kept mistress can cost as much as a wife Camila wears clothes from Versace one of Diana’s favorite fashion labels the princess wore a Versace gown in Chicago in 1996 tall slim and elegant she was an iconic style Setter glamour gowns are less suited to the more matronly figure as Camila has discovered I think she feels uncomfort wearing these clothes which is why she is such a figure of fun with the British press it doesn’t quite hang together right and uh she does not like the

comparisons with Princess Diana well a lot of photographers came to me recently and said my God we took some pictures of Camila last night and she looked transformed she was a different woman no lines on around her eyes apart from that I’ve noticed that she’s trying a lot harder with her makeup and her hair for many years Camila and I have been to the same hairdresser and I’ve seen her sitting at the next wash basin to me but when she had her hair done she’d insist on brushing it out herself she wouldn’t let the professionals do it and

she always had a kind of 1970s bad fire foret Maes kind of look to her hair that was very dated but she seemed to like it like that that seems to have changed it’s a bit more slick it’s a bit more polished a bit more professional nowadays so she’s certainly trying harder and one reason for that so I’m told could be that she’s worried about hanging on to her prince and she’s trying very hard to to look the part and to keep him luxurious holidays courtesy of wealthy friends with Sumptuous Villas and palacial Yachts have a certain

appeal a Greek Island’s cruise on the mega yacht Alexander cost $90,000 a day but it’s free to Charles Camila and their guests there are Charles’s residences to enjoy high grve with its cherished Gardens and admired architecture was chosen by Camila it’s where she Stables her horses convenient for a woman who likes to hunt with the local Gentry a hobby which costs Charles around £45,000 a year on the Queen’s balm moral estate in Scotland there is Burk Hall Once the queen mother’s home it was the scene of

many a secret rendevu she was quite willing to throw open her house at Burk Hall in the highlands for Charles and Camila and of course nowadays it’s Charles’s home the queen has has passed it on to him and he’s redecorated it and he and camil spend many holidays there owned by a trust the castle of May on the Northern tip of Scotland was the queen mother’s private home Charles adored his grandmother and feels that he and Camila are keeping her memory alive by staying in her favorite Retreat Camila is chatlin of Clarence

house the queen mother’s old London home it’s worth £150 million when everybody moved into clarence’s house once its refurbishment was complete that William and Harry found themselves Living For The First Time with their father’s mistress now if that was difficult enough it was made more difficult by the fact that Camila also imported her father major Bruce Shand and so suddenly there are people uh that they don’t really know terribly well and they’re supposed to share a roof with them and I think both William

and Harry found that a very uncomfortable experience Mark bolland who has since left the prince’s household for a media relations career also served Camila courtiers like Boland owed allegiance to both The Prince and his mistress I wouldn’t call them scants but I would say that they’re all extremely loyal to Prince Charles and therefore when cila moved in they’re extremely loyal to her if they want to keep their jobs they have to like it or lump it being a royal courtier is uh pretty much a lick spittle job you know you you uh

tug your for loock to the boss and if the boss has got a new girlfriend then you go along with whatever the girlfriend says whatever they feel privately she’s part of the management team now and they have to work to her as well as work Prince Charles it’s a wonderful life for a woman who lives like a queen but has few duties except taking over Charles’s Splendid homes Camila is now running the royal show she’s in charge of three Royal residences uh Clarence House the main Royal residence Burk Hall the Scottish residence and hrove which you

must remember is the house that she chose for Prince Charles not Prince Charles choosing for himself she had a very strong say in the way that the houses were refurbished uh she oversaw the way that the gardens were reorganized and she really really runs the everyday business of all Royal palaces on Prince Charles’s behalf she’s a very powerful figure in that way and although we don’t see very much of her in public at the moment you mustn’t underestimate the power which she wields both both over the Prince of Wales and

the prince of wales’s staff and households Camila’s own home Ray Mill House was bought after her divorce in 1995 smaller and less imposing than h grve a few miles away the house was redecorated and the garden maintained to exacting standards with costs met by Charles members of his close Circle helped to buy the property when she wanted to buy her country home in Wilshire a group of Prince Charles’s friends raised the money for the mortgage and so they kind of bailed her out apart from the upkeep of the 17 acre estate Charles also pays

for Camila’s security system he provides her with highly trained bodyguards to protect her from harm in 1997 Camila had a minor accident on the winding roads leading to high grve Charles pays all her motoring costs certainly now her clothes her running expenses her car uh the two police former police people who who look after her chauffer her around and act as her protection officers they’re all paid for by Prince Charles Camila undertakes some low-key charity work she became a patron of the wheelchair Bobby Vans appeal a scheme

which provides voluntary home security in 2004 she joined Prince Charles on a public engagement for the appeal her sister Annabelle Elliot came to see the couple’s fundraising attempt they were warmly received in a county which is home territory for Camila a shrewd way of guaranteeing public approval for their relationship one onlooker told the Press it’s nice to see them together they’ve got a life to lead haven’t they I don’t see why not we can’t all live in the past but this campaign to launch Camila

as a charity Queen has had to proceed with caution if she did take on more charity Works she might be accused of following it or trying to follow in Diana’s footsteps but the problem is she’s not very good what her biographer Christopher Wilson described it to me like this he said she’s great one to one but she’s no good with her crowd the difficulty for Camila is she’s uneasy in the presence of the British public Diana had a wonderful magnetic charm which made everybody feel better once they’ spoken to her or met her and so it made

her an absolute natural going out on the charity circuit raising money and raising awareness Camila just doesn’t have that common touch and as a result she has stayed away from the one vehicle which could bring her in contact with the British public and allow the British public to assess for themselves whether this woman who lives with the Prince of Wales is worthy of their support in 1997 Camila became a patron of the national osteoporosis Society although she had a personal interest in the bone thinning disease the charity was a useful

launching point for a more public role posing with British celebrities to raise a Charity’s profile also served to enhance her own she became president of the society in 2001 her self assurance grew quickly as she took on more engagements in 2002 she attended the society’s book launch so special about this little book of Cal well I think anybody who’s very interested in osteoporosis should read it it’s very cheap it’s very good reading and it’ll tell you all about it why are you particularly interested in it um my

mother died thank you acting as an ambassador for the society she attended the World Congress on osteoporosis in Lisbon opened by Queen Ria of Jordan Camila made a speech my family knew nothing about osteoprosis the local GP was kind and sympathetic but he like us was able to do little to alleviate the terrible pain my mother suffered so stoically we watched in horror as she quite literally shr in front of our eyes Camila took her place with confidence at this round table of international women’s leaders she had

begun to perform like a royal a walk with the prince in Green Park near Buckingham Palace was another mile Stone in operation Camila the carefully orchestrated campaign by Charles’s Spin Doctors to gain acceptance for the couple Charles and Camila met on the polo field at Smith’s la born near Windsor in 1971 Charles began a lifetime romance with Camila but she was already in love with another Polo player Charles’s friend handsome guards officer Andrew Parker BS he had quite a collection of female admirers after a brief affair with

Charles Camila married Andrew she was not aristocratic enough to be Princess of Wales and Charles was committed to a naval career her marriage did not end the Royal liaison on leave from the Navy Charles would meet Camila at Hall place the home of her grandmother Camila helped him choose a wife to provide Hees to the throne Lady Diana spenzer was ideally suited he announcement soon Lady Diana um Lady Diana there we thought it was going to be announced on his 37 birthday but there wasn’t and he told a forter yesterday that may be coming soon have

you any comment to make about that no comment all around you have a good weekend though work okay the engagement was finally announced in February 1981 shortly before Charles left for a trip to Australia minutes before these pictures Charles had taken an intimate call from cila his teenage fiance knew and was left fighting back the tears she was crying at the airport because she knew instinctively that this wasn’t going well that Charles still was obsessing about Camila he thought about her we saw later of course in the uh the Royal

honeymoon that the cufflinks and the photographs of Camila which fell out of his pocketbook these are things that she knew instinctively already that his mind and thoughts were with Camila and not with her his future wife Charles stayed on the remote Ranch in Queensland of his old Polo trainer Sinclair Hill he didn’t contact Diana but kept in touch with Camila from Sinclair Hills Home the prince’s phone calls to a woman were secretly recorded and the bugged love tapes passed to the Press who naturally assumed that the mystery

female was Diana I think it must have been a double blow for Diana because already there had been the Royal train incident when it was suggested that Diana had spent the night on the Royal train with Charles in fact we now know it was Camila Parker BS now this new blow she is just a moment away from actually getting married to Prince Charles and she discovers that he’s been making private telephone calls which have been bugged they’re supposed to be to Diana but in fact they’re to Camila now she is within weeks of

actually getting married to Prince Charles Charles isn’t calling her at home but he’s calling Camila can you imagine what was going on in her mind later Diana called her wedding day the most emotionally confusing day of my life Camila had been in St Paul’s Cathedral as Diana and Charles exchanged their wedding vows for several years the palace protected the fairy tale when the palace deceived the British public and the media about the state of the marriage of Charles and Diana and the fact that Camila was involved they always operate at the

palace a defensive public relations system not an offensive one so they were trying to protect his reputation and a lot of people were fooled for a long time myself included I thought that he’s far too Noble a person to be unfaithful to his wife and betray his marriage vows but he said do you expect me to be the first prince of Wales doesn’t have a mistress leading the guard of Honor for the carriage taking the couple to their honeymoon was Camila’s husband Andrew Parker balls a page at the Queen’s coronation he was now a left tenant

Colonel with the household Cavalry interviewed that day he described Charles as a marvelous leader and a marvelous man very few knew that bhy Manor the Parker Bow’s home a few minutes Dy from high grve had been used for tsts between Charles and Camila in time Camila also made secret visits to H grve it’s important to remember that when she got married hrove was Diana’s home I mean kenon Palace was her London base but hrove was home and uh on the occasions I visited the house it was her place but I think as the marriage

deteriorated and she knew that that Hy grve was where her husband entertained Camila Parker BS obviously her views on the place changed so that by the time she left she metaphorically and pretty much literally um shook the dust of it off her off her shoes Charles had bought High grve to be close to Camila it’s near the glare town of tedbury with its centuries old buildings despite its quaint charm Diana never felt at ease in the area it was too near Camila and the bow foot hunt at this time Diana didn’t ride and

she was suspicious of the hunting set who might provide opportunities for Charles to see Camila once when she was having lunch the Hunts sort of came galloping through the garden the local huntter bord and she was outraged because Prince Charles jumped up left his lunch to get cold on the table and rushed out to sort of look at them and she was Furious Charles also met Camila at safe houses loaned by friends who encouraged his betrayal of Diana they were photographed together at one of their Secret locations Glen selin House near

Breen owned by friends in Camila’s Circle in 1986 the Parker BS family moved to middlewick house again close to high grve caught out by the Press Charles made a frantic Escape hidden under a blanket he also journeyed to love nests around the country the locations included Gabby Hall in Yorkshire home of the Earl and Countess of Halifax Eaton Hall in cheshier home of Anne Duchess of Westminster and northmore M then the suffk home of the van cutoms Florence in Tuscany was a shared passion they visited a villa bought by

King Edward iith for Alice kepple here they love to paint the couple visited turkey in 1989 when these sneak pictures in the Press fail to end the affair Diana took action herself Prince Charles really believed that he could manage his love life he could keep Camila in one compartment and Dian in the other and he was appalled when he was invited by Lady Annabelle Goldsmith to her house Orly Lodge uh to go to a birthday party to discover that Diana who had also been invited was actually going to come surprisingly the

prince of Welles didn’t expect the princess to go but but but but she did and I went with both the prince and princess of wells and he was AED at the thought that the two women in his life were actually going to meet and all his worst nightmares came true Camila and Charles had nipped off together they were having a private conversation downstairs away from the main party within about an hour or so I was heard my voice being shouted from the from the hallway and it was it was the princess and she was rather distressed and she

said to me Ken I I can’t find the prince of Welles so I said well you know there’s not much I can do you know why she say well you know I can’t see camiller either so there was a sort of a rather serious tone that came expression came across a place she said will you come and help me find them finally Diana cracked she raced down the stairs she confronted Camila and said leave my husband alone Diana had control of that moment and I think it must have been a wonderfully triumphant moment for her because it was the only time during all

the time that she was married to Prince Charles that she was ever able to confront Camila and tell her to keep off her husband I think when we were on tour in Egypt Diana told me about confronting Parker BS at uh at the Goldsmith party and I mean it didn’t surprise me very much because uh I knew the princess was a pretty feisty lady and I was quite pleased uh on her behalf that that she was confronting somebody who she felt was a very unwelcome intrusion in her life Diana privately nicknamed Camila the Rott Vier Camila called her Barbie

after the doll everyone in Royal circles knew that Charles and Diana now lived Separate Lives Charles played Polo every summer a hobby Diana disliked almost as much as hunting in 1990 the prince broke his arm in a dangerous fall Diana was with Charles when he left hospital but this show was a deliberate smoke screen to conceal the true state of the marriage they went home to hrove together but Diana soon left its front door for London and Camila arrived by the back entrance to nurse the prince the marriage entered a terminal stage

with Diana and Charles both using High Grove at different times Camila took over every aspect of Charles’s private life she is a mother to Charles she’s a nanny she’s a nurse she’s a mistress she’s somebody who treats him as a little boy which I think is what he wants half the time I think she must be great in bed with him and looks after him in that department exceptionally well this is a lady who just does everything for the Prince of Wales and doesn’t actually ask for that much in return to be fair I don’t think she’s

even asked him to marry her in June 1992 a biography of Diana revealed her suicide attempts and an eating disorder caused by her anguish over Charles’s closeness to Camila her secret cooperation with author Andrew Morton betrayed her husband and the Royal Family the couple were scarcely speaking as they performed their last Foreign Tour in Korea that November days later the Prime Minister John Major made this historic announcement it is announced from Buckingham Palace that with regret the prince and princess of Wales have

decided to separate 1993 began badly with Camila gate a bugged intimate phone call between Charles and Camila I can’t bear a Sunday night without you it’s like that program start the week I can’t start the week without you Charles’s advisers encouraged him to tell his version of events to biographer Jonathan dimbleby on television he admitted adultery with Camila she was exposed to public censure whenever there’s a crisis the royal family has one rule and one rule only and that is don’t do anything and when the Camila gate tapes were

published when Andrew Morton’s book exposing Charles’s long affair with Camila was published Prince Charles did nothing he let her take care of Affairs for herself as a result she was put under house arrest by the British press she was vilified in public people thrw bread rolls at her and basically he did nothing to protect her nobody was sent in by his team his Prince Charles’s team to actually make uh life more easy for her she had to survive by herself Diana also mapped out a route for her own Survival on the night of

Charles’s televised admission of adultery she upstaged him by wearing one of her most daring dresses at a charity event a year later she Beed her soul in a remarkable interview for the program Panorama she spoke of her illnesses her Despair and her feelings of failure as a wife with calculated Revenge she blamed Camila do you think Mrs Parker bows was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage well there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded famously Diana said that there were three in her marriage uh by which I

guess she was referring to Camila Parker BS and uh it’s a fair bet that if there had only been two in the marriage um then it would have been easier for those two to do what was after all their Duty constitutionally which was to stay married I think that’s sometimes forgotten that that uh that fairy tale wedding in St Paul’s in 1981 was the Windsor Dynasty’s best bet for long-term survival and the fact that that that didn’t work uh for whatever reason whether it was Camila Parker BS or anything else um is the

gravest uh most dangerous threat to the long-term future of of the dynasty Camila and Andrew Parker BS were divorced in early 1995 a few months after Charles’s admission of adultery Andrew had been embarrassed by his longtime friend and fellow army officer cila remained silent when Camila got divorced from Andrew Parker BS the only reason that that happened was 100% Charles’s fault it would never have happened if he hadn’t humiliated Andrew Parker BS by going on television he admitted that he’d been unfaithful 3 days later it was as quick

as that Andrew then said a divorce has to go ahead in fact he behaved very well he became the guilty party it was very oldfashioned and he took all the blame and I think she divorced him but that would never have happened if the Prince of Wales hadn’t made that ridiculous admission to dimble bee not only did it cook hold him in front of everybody but it also was a fellow brother officer in one of the regiments saying I have been having an affair with a fellow officer’s wife that is an absolute no no in the British army you

do not behave like that Andrew who had retired from the Army on a pension remarried his second wife Rose took Camila’s place at Society events such as Ascot each summer the divorce cleared the way for Camila’s second marriage Charles who’d been having this wonderfully illicit Affair which went on for years and years and years was in the position where he had to make an honest woman out of Camila now it may be that after all these years they’ve been together he was actually tiring of her and we may see that today that they live

in clarence’s house but SE living Separate Lives who knows but what I do know is uh that Charles forced uh this divorce and he ended up with Camila whether he wanted her or not Camila’s children Tom and Laura were affected by their mother’s affair with Prince Charles Tom was so embarrassed by other boys teasing that at one stage he changed his surname to balls he also turned to drugs and was caught out out amid unrestrained publicity Charles had to distance himself and his boys from his Lover’s son one of the great disasters of the

Camila campaign the the campaign to try and make it more acceptable to the British public was to try and join together the Parker BS family and the house of Windsor Family the the children of Camila and the children of uh Prince Charles and uh the Spin Doctors were trying terribly hard uh to make this look like one nuclear family but in fact it was never Gator work uh Prince William and Prince Harry are remarkably suspicious of the whole Parker of bows ethos and uh they wanted to maintain their distance Parker

bows is a valuable brand name Tom who once sold wax jackets in herods has reinvented himself as a cookery writer Charles and camil friend Emily van kutum fell out with them over Tom’s influence on the young princes the feud was exposed when her son Edward married lady Tamara grovner daughter of the Duke of Westminster two or three years previously the van cutoms had at a dinner had warned Prince Charles that the boys um were mixing with Tom Parker BS Camila’s son who had been taking drugs and they said you know he’s a bad

influence when that dinner table conversation got back to Camila she struck back by making comments about the van cutom children the presence of the queen added the aura of royalty and the rigidity of protocol with her status defined by her role as a mistress Camila had to be seated away from the royal family she knew that she wouldn’t be sitting with with Charles but when she read in the papers the no had the courtesy to tell her this that she was not only not going to be sitting with Char but she’d be sitting over the other

side of the church somewhere at the back I think she felt a bit peaked we’ve got her royal mistress whose status and and position is still very ambivalent uh and of course the whole the whole Pond is made muddier because there are so many people stirring away in it Charles faced a dilemma if he attended would be effectively snubbed if he stayed away he could be accused of letting down the bridal couple and their families it became the war of the wedding and Camila won for the first time since I can almost remember the

Prince of Wales actually stood up and got counted and showed some real fighting Venom in favor of Camila and for the first time Charles said obviously fine I don’t like this either I’m going to find a good reason not to go to this wedding Charles seems to have learned nothing in the the sphere of public relations he doesn’t know about damage Li limitation he doesn’t know how to uh see a problem that’s coming down the road and take avoiding action and in the van cutson wedding we see um a royal piece of Machinery which doesn’t work

during the Queen’s golden jubilee celebrations in 2002 an open air pop concert was held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace most members of the royal family attended in the row behind the princes Camila sat with her friends Angus Ogie and his wife princess Alexandra the Queen’s cousin when Angus sadly died of cancer in 2004 Camila was not allowed to be near the royal family at his funeral things were different in King Edward iith day most of the aristocracy knew about Alice kepple but the public were kept in ignorance her identity was

not disclosed by the deferential Press of the time the British press still kept a king secrets in 1936 Edward VII’s romance with twice divorced Wallace Simpson was unknown until he abdicated and they went into Exile but the world Knew Too Much About Camila’s role in the breakdown of Charles’s marriage to let her be forgotten the problem is that he now cannot dump or ditch Camila because he’s gone too far down the Camila road to made all that unhappiness and created so much misery for the monarchy for Diana for his children for everybody for her

sake he now has to stick with her it’s almost like Edward and Mrs Simpson back in the 1930s he couldn’t drop her I mean he didn’t appear to want to but it’s a situation whereby he’s made his bed he has to lie in it it’s almost like the famous saying uh that you know when you marry the mistress you create a vacancy and I’ve always felt that Prince Charles was a natural Bachelor I remember the days before he was married and I thought he doesn’t need a wife he’s got housekeepers Galore he’s got valets he’s got you know butlers got

everything that a normal man needs to run his household a wife was just an accessory what he really needed was a mistress another Contender for that role was blond australian-born lady Tron married to another of Charles’s friends nicknamed Kanger by Charles she ran a smart dress shop in London she was injured in a fall and confined to a wheelchair and died shortly after Diana in 1997 before her death she recalled her friendship with Charles just because he happens to be Prince of Wales doesn’t mean he’s any different

from lots of other friends and I love my friends uh and I love him a lot but there very different thing um saying you’re in love with someone than that you love them and my friends have been a a wonderful wonderful support after their parents separation William and Harry were given a young Nanny tigy leg Burke a daughter of a courtier her family were respected Welsh land owners and Charles often stayed on the Family’s glenos State both Diana and Camila were jealous of tiggy’s easy relationship with Charles this led to rumors that despite

his Reliance on Camila Charles still had a roving eye Camila seems to be the kind of Nanny that he had when he was a small boy and that nurtured him and the person he ran to when he was upset and she sort of replaced the mother that he never really had because his mother was too busy running the country or reigning and I think he’s now old enough to feel a bit trapped by that he has had friendships friendships in inverted commers with other ladies and uh maybe they were when Camila wasn’t available who knows but he

certainly has had other friendships and perhaps he thought well you know if I were a free agent I’d be able to have a little bit more fun cam cam how do you feeling in Chile think that is what Camila’s reputation preceded her when her old friend Lucia Santa Cruz invited her to her home in Chile Camila received the Frid Paparazzi treatment once endured by Diana there is a prophet in pictures of Camila and those who take them sometimes get closer than she would wish the strain on her was evident but by taking bodyguards paid by Charles to

protect her Camila will avoid this ordeal in future being the prince’s companion meant that she was never really free from press attention even on a night out at the London rits with her elderly father major Bruce Shand sometimes she welcomed organized publicity as part of the strategy to gain public acceptance but eating a sausage could be risky for the image if there was a photographer around I think the British press loved to have a bit of a laugh at Cilla she doesn’t quite have it they have a wonderful time uh making jokes about how

she doesn’t quite carry it off Camila feels at ease with the hunting set which Diana disliked she’s at her most confident on Horseback and can even joke with the Press we my bull with a promis promises do the Press treat her well I don’t think Camila gets a particularly Fair press but once she came into that Firing Line she’s always going to get shot at I mean it’s a bit of a nightmare for any woman least of all um Camila to be permanently compared on the looks front with Diana I mean most women even super models sort of suffered a bit when

in comparison to Diana you know I don’t think that worries Camila particularly I don’t think it worries Charles I think Charles has always found Camila infinitely more attractive to behold than D okay very strange but love is blind isn’t it hunting a country Pursuit she shares with Charles is one of the passions which unite them however beautiful and accomplished an ambassador for Britain Diana could not retain a husband husband’s love Charles preferred the woman who presented no threat to his fragile ego his wife was simply too

popular but were the underlying cultural differences between Charles and Diana too wide Diana was a town girl married to a Countryman and although she had lots of friends and she grew up in norf and northamptonshire she wasn’t really a part of that polar loving hunting group she did not like horses or horse riding and she resented the time it took Prince Charles away from her but also I think cuz she suspected that he was using the hunt to as an excuse to meet Camila William and Harry had to cope with the complexity of their parents

separation and divorce and with the adverse publicity surrounding it after their mother’s untimely death Camila became part of their lives I think Harry more William has been really upset by the fact that Camila walked in and took over Diana’s home Diana’s man Diana’s lifestyle Diana’s everything she stepped straight into a dead woman’s shoes and Harry who was perhaps you know the baby of the family much closer to his mother than William he bitterly resents that Prince William seems to be very diplomatic and

very conciliatory uh he knows his father’s had a rough time and he seems to think well if it makes you happy Dad fine because remember William hasn’t really been around very much at home he’s been away at University for the last four years more or less so he hasn’t had to put up much with Camila it’s been worse for Prince Harry who seems very unforgiving and not ready to to accept Camila in his life whatsoever they have always felt uncomfortable in her presence and it is significant that although they moved into Clarence House uh as part of the

so-called nuclear family of the House of Wales they’ve moved back into their old apartments at St James’s Palace they just don’t want to be close to Camila the couple considered marrying in Scotland to sidestep any difficulties presented by the church of England of which Charles will be Supreme Governor Charles’s divorced sister an married Tim Lawrence at Bal moral under easier Church of Scotland rules in 1992 for Charles a compromise was reached the church has had a very significant role in forcing Charles’s hand in marriage uh

they have been very uncomfortable for a long time to see Charles and Camila uh living as they see it in sin the difficulty they faced is that the church has split over this uh the Evangelical side of it um uh really believes that Charles is beyond the pale and can never really hold any responsible role within the Church of England and so they don’t want to see a marriage at all the pragmatist side of the of the Church of England wants to see this problem solved and in the end it was the pragmatist who won Camilo was carefully positioned

during the Jubilee pop concert in Buckingham Palace Gardens not allowed to sit beside Charles and his sons she was kept well away from the queen who simply ignored her I have no idea what the queen thinks of Camila Parker balls and very very few people do have accurate idea of what the queen thinks of K Parker balls uh I think it’s quite eloquent that the queen has obviously been at some pains to distance herself from uh the prince’s mistress despite complicated and expensive attempts by the prince to to uh manipulate the media in Camila’s

favor um people don’t yet regard her as uh somebody they want to see on the balcony of buium Palace one day uh they may never think that that uh she’s a suitable person to do that and until then I’m sure the queen is wise to um uh leave her own views um tantalizingly unspecific as head of state and supreme governor of the Church of England the queen is always conscious of the example she sets for years she has kept a delicate balance knowing that Charles’s adultery with Camila could easily impact on her own standing and popularity

for this reason she avoided confronting the Camilla issue Queen has her own thoughts on this she has a constituency she has to answer to the right-minded people of this country people who believe in Morality and uh and not in adultery uh people who she wants to represent she wants to put distance between herself and Camila because she has her eye on History she uh believes that she is now contending with Queen Victoria to be the great Sovereign of this nation and she doesn’t want anything to taint that history when

it is written and certainly by involving herself with Camila Parker BS it can only be a downside so the queen will always maintain a very large distance between herself and CA Charles told the queen that cila is the one non-negotiable area of his life he made public appearances with Camila which put the queen in a difficult position we can see over the period of the last three or four years that she’s been snookered more than once uh she has been pushed by Prince Charles and his uh courtiers into doing things that she would prefer not

to do the queen does not accept C pars and that is a problem for the future the plan is for Camila to be her Royal Highness the of Cornwall while the queen is alive and Princess consort when Charles becomes king this is an apparent contravention of English law but it leaves the door open for her to become a queen consort while Charles is living with Camila and they’re married in orbit name that doesn’t seem to matter much to people to the to the British public at large anyway they sort of think oh well he deserves a bit of happiness but at

the same time if you question them and say would you like Camila to be Queen they get horrified the fact is that she’s automatically Queen that’s it that’s the law of the land here that a woman takes on the rights and titles of her husband Edward VII was forced to choose between the throne and Wallace Simpson his prime minister Stanley Baldwin warned him in the choice of a queen the voice of the people must be heard he chose abdication and married Mrs Simpson at the chatow de in France but she was denied the title her Royal Highness as

Duke and Duchess of Windsor they spent the rest of their lives in Exile Charles has pursued a highrisk strategy to keep the throne and the woman he loves the divorced and widowed Prince looks poignantly alone on his solo engagements he will be happier with Camila at his side but could her presence damage the monarchy which still depends on public Acceptance in Britain and in the commonwealth countries speculation will continue over the Constitutional problems raised by the Royal marriage reactions to Camila show divisions of national opinion some

feel that Charles has put Camila before his duty and should surrender his rights to the throne the queen too is concerned over Charles’s ability to ensure the survival of the monarchy she believes that the monarchy is only as strong as the weakest link and right now Prince Charles certainly looks like the weakest link he seems to sacrifice everything and then at one stage we all thought you can have either Camila or the crown but you can’t have both well he sort of said no I am I’m going to have both the long shadow of Diana reaches

over Charles and Camila’s marriage will they ever be allowed to forget the fairy tale wedding that ended in misery and tragedy I think the Great British public are ready to forget and they’re probably not ready to forgive and so they will always eye Camila with slight suspicion uh a lingering disregard she will never be a darling of the people like Diana was there’s too much against her but at the same time I think everybody realizes that this marriage had to occur their position had to be regularized and it’s a good

opportunity for a brand new start the newly engaged Camila posed with Charles at Windsor Castle wearing a half million pound diamond ring from the late Queen mother’s collection how are you feeling ma’am all right just all right I’m just about I’m just coming down to work did he get down on one knee to propose of course are you very happy sir you very happy this is the unlikely story of a woman who won a prince Against All Odds now she has a harder task ahead winning the hearts of the people will not be as easy in January 1999 Prince Edward

announced his engagement to Sophie Reese Jones she will be the last Royal Bride of the century and the Millennium you she’s often compared to Diana Princess of Wales who was 19 at her engagement in 1981 a shy kindergarten assistant Diana had little experience of publicity or of the family she would enter for 34-year-old Sophie things are different she has served a 5-year apprenticeship with the family firm Diana’s marriage seemed a glittering fairy tale but it ended in divorce and tragedy Sophie will avoid Diana’s

mistakes the best thing Sophie can do for herself is to establish her own identity and step out of Diana’s Shadow Sophie has already taken the initiative in dealing with speculation about her personal life contrary to popular opinion we’ve never lived together and I’ve never issued any ultimatums Edward’s delay in making Sophie his bride had caused rumors of a split he had Charles and Diana’s divorce he had Fergie and Andrew’s divorce and he had the sad death of Diana uh if he’d got married to Sophie at any time in the

past few years it would seen as the good news the raw family desperately needed he didn’t want that it was too much pressure Edward wanted Sophie to have a slower and smoother passage into Royal life than Diana or Fergie The Duchess of York at first he was concerned that the media would spoil his relationship with this very special girlfriend to protect Sophie from press intrusion he took the unusual step of making a direct appeal to newspaper editors the Press were hounding her certainly were hounding her and uh

Edward put out a fact from Buckingham Palace asking them to lay off I don’t think he was scared of uh of losing I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t happen I think he’s just he is genuinely concerned about that sort of behavior and he didn’t see he didn’t think it was fair especially as as though as they weren’t even engaged and social activities are Edward’s romance was revealed in December 1993 after Diana temporarily withdrew from public life learning how to cope with brain injury in this speech she blamed the media for her problems

have changed when I started my public life 12 years ago I understood the media might be interested in what I did I realized then their attention would inevitably focus on both our private and public lives but I was not aware of how overwhelming that attention would become as the separated wife of the Prince of Wales Diana’s role with the media as with the royal family was uncertain but with the public she was still the greatest star in the theater of royalty at first Sophie unwisely chose Styles reminiscent of Diana’s but she never

achieved the same charismatic effect in 1994 Sophie joined Edward and his family for the wedding of Princess Margaret’s daughter Sarah Armstrong Jones waiting for Sarah the royal family drew the crowd’s cheers but they knew that Diana’s presence would upstage the bride I think it was a very difficult time for the princess of whales knew that people were looking at her for the right reasons and for the wrong reasons and in a sense at weddings particularly anything she did could be interpreted however you’d like to look at it if she

came in late people would say oh she wants to steal the bride’s Thunder if she came in early people would say well she wants to steal the bride’s Thunder I think she was in an almost untenable position because it is true that wherever she went and however she went the camera the people they couldn’t take their eyes off their her Diana wanted attention to focus on the bride and her attendants including princess Anne’s daughter Zara Sarah the Queen’s only niece had been one of Diana’s friends in the royal family and she had no wish to ruin her

big day but Diana and her lookalike Sophie were bound to attract comment if Sophie’s smart she will absorb what happened to Diana and work out her own look Diana decided towards the end that the clean paired down very simple Chic line was the best for her it certainly photographed very well um but you know she mustn’t be seen to be copying Diana too because that would be disastrous Sarah’s wedding was Sophie’s first Royal event although she had often joined Edward’s family at church a privilege not accorded her predecessors

Diana took a close interest in Sophie’s Royal progress her self-sufficiency enabled her to cope Under Pressure a public relations executive she could deal easily with questions any comments about the stories in the papers this morning sopie you’re all getting a little too excited pleas Sophie’s work especially for a London radio station had meant frequent contact with the media somehow she balanced the Dual role why are you I think s ree Jones is coping brilliantly with all the intention I mean she is a PR woman herself so she

knows exactly I think the right distance to keep from people which is important she has shown immense professional dignity uh immense professional determination and I think a rather engaging quiet charm that is now her own I mean she seems to have found herself and found her confidence and and seems comfortable with it all she knows her place now it’s it’s there and she’s she’s she’s happy about that Sophie grew up in brenchley a quiet Village in rural Kent and seemed set for a typical middleclass life she and her brother David lived in

a comfortable rather than ostentatious home security and stability were key values to their parents Christopher and Mary ree Jones well I would call her country middle class uh her parents are not rich but uh they believe believe that education is a better indicator of class than money so uh they were prepared to spend the money they do they did have and do have on a good education for Sophie she went to a private school in Kent she very much had a village middle class upbringing she gained 8 O levels at school but Sophie was an unexceptional

pupil in a class that included a future Olympic swimmer Sophie was a good mixer she liked the theat and Sport a foretaste of the interest she would share with her prince in 1977 the queen Silver Jubilee year Sophie played netball for her school she grew up into an attractive young woman with no shortage of male admirers she is an extremely popular girl she’s uh a sport she’s a great sport she’ll take part in any sort of game uh really fun loving out outdoor girl once uh on a Capital Radio trip a chap called Marino franchi who was

nobody at that time broke into her bedroom well into the room she was sharing with another girl and necked a pair of her neckers and that night at uh a con at a concert uh they appeared on stage and dressed and they stripped down until safie realized they were wearing her neckers and started screaming you dirty blah blah blah running all the way back the hotel but she found it very amusing compared with Ferg’s excesses stories like this seem tame Sophie avoided real scandals after a level she worked in London then in Switzerland as

a ski rep she later accompanied a boyfriend to his native Australia when they broke up she dated Australian Eon balain for several months she’s 34 she’s been around the block she’s had a couple of flings uh only a couple of serious love affairs the Australian ski instructor uh was the most serious I think she followed him back to Aussie but then it cooled down often when you fall in love and the snow slopes it turns out you bit of a damp squid when you get home and she was befriended by a guy called Ian Balmain

another Australian he sort of took on yachting trips I don’t know how close that relationship was but he did come to England with her and offered to sell the story to one of the Sundays probably the news of the world but something made him change his mind I’m not quite sure what and he’s never spoken a bad word about her after working briefly in Australia Sophie traveled with Aon and their friends visiting tourist areas like the Blue Mountain and the Great Barrier Reef she loved deep sea diving and sailing however in 1991 this idilic line came to

an end I think she was hoping to get married and set settle down in oie and when everything went slightly wrong she started getting homesick the English girls want to come back to some more sophisticated people if I put it that way and uh she did immediately and she went to work for Brian mclen where she really HED up on her skills and her popularity was fantastic she’s po very popular with all the clients just over to your right if you to meet public relations brought her into contact with the hard side of the

media she learned to please the cameras as well as the clients Sophie was skilled at organizing people and events in 1993 her boss Brian Mclaren asked her to promote Prince Edward’s Summer Challenge held for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme it was a compl complete accident every girl’s dream uh how to meet a prince uh completely by fluke uh Sophie stood in for a celebrity who had had to back out of a photo uh shoot with Edward at the last minute she went along uh Edward liked what he saw and posed happily for pictures with

Sophie later she started her own public relations company in London’s Mayfair she is an independent accomplished Young woman but it was her connection with Edward that made her famous Hello magazine certainly wouldn’t have run her story on Sophie if she hadn’t been involved with Prince Edward it just so happened that um there was a gap in the Royal ranks for a young attractive woman and Sophie’s filled it you know Diana has disappeared now increasingly a solo Royal Diana grew into a global icon she became an

International Celebrity fated around the world as here in Washington in 1990 as Diana’s Royal role was changing she found a new rival one who could look uncannily like her Sophie’s dress by Thomas starfi bore a certain resemblance to Diana’s red gown by Victor Edelstein Sophie’s necklines and hairstyles were noted she was nicknamed the new Diana is that absolutely no danger whatsoever that Sophie’s a new Diana a lot of people in Australia and America seem to think she is because she’s filled the Gap that’s left by Diana but

there’s just no comparison between the two Sophie’s shorter she’s um she hasn’t got the wonderful peachy complexion that Diana had she’s got quite a lot of freckles she’s much more of a simple natural outdoor girl um doesn’t wear much makeup surprisingly for someone in her position and uh she’s got quite a a short torso so she doesn’t show off clothes as well as Diana did she needs to dress more carefully Diana was arguably at her most glamorous in her last years as here in Argentina in 1995 she was ambivalent towards her

style rival Sophie sometimes worrying about her prospects in the royal family but mostly deriding her imit she’s done too many things that I know used to irritate Diana she cut her hair like Diana’s she even went to lose weight and keep fit at the Chelsea Harbor club which was Di’s you know famous fitness center she’s done you know chosen dresses red dresses that were almost identical to things that Diana wore the Blazer and the and the trousers that Diana wore she just seemed to be aping Diana and Diana was sort of

partly amused and partly irritated by by and she used to say oh look here comes my double I mean even the designer she likes Thomas stvi used to design for Diana she really ought to get her own look and there are plenty of things she could do she could dress in softer less tailored clothes just to find her own look and um I think she even thinks that she can outsmart the media that way Diana tried to do well believe me you can’t Diana was never reviled like Fergie over her occasional fashion lapses she is remembered for her unique

Allure and her incomparable magnetism well Sophie may never be described like Fergie as a style free zone but not everyone approved of her engagement suit the engagement outfit she wore looked to me like something you wear at 6:00 in the evening not 11:00 in the morning partly because it had glittery beads all over it and that smacks of a cocktail hour not you know a morning engagement the other problem with that outfit was that it was gray and standing next to a prince in a dark suit didn’t exactly make them look a colorful pair if she’d

been as clever as I think she is she would have worn something that was more colorful a pastel you know this spring we’re told that lilac and blue and and pink are the big colors for spring she seemed to ignore all that and she wore gray which is a color which was in two years ago so you know I think Sophie has to um study the fashion pages in The glosses a bit more carefully Sophie may take on Royal appointments she already has experienced through her promotional work with the cancer McMillan Relief Fund and other

Charities behind the scenes grooming has ensured that she already looks and speaks like a born Royal children were wonderful not one of them cried not one of them refused to go on and um I think they made it a lot of fun for everybody they’re brilliant ex Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and his family helped Sophie promote a Children’s Fashion parade for the charity baby Lifeline any smart Royal who gets involved with a baby charity is doing themselves a power of good because it’s much more difficult to get you know

handicapped people mentally disabled people in in a a newspaper or on television it’s just a fact of life it’s it’s not politically correct but it happens to be a fact so you know you notice that Diana really became world famous for cuddling appealing little children so I think you know Sophie um was was you know she’s a PR girl she knows how the world works and I’m not saying that her motives were purely sort of to exploit that side of the of the um baby charity but uh certainly has not done her any harm

mixing with celebrities was part of sophy’s work she has many Showbiz friends just as Diana did but Sophie’s predecessor had qualities that were so unique they can never be copied the handicapped or disadvantaged found a remarkable empathy in Diana and ordinary children everywhere were drawn in by her boundless affection but such Charisma had its downside Diana could hardly go anywhere without a throng of cameramen recording her every movement tragically this medeor Obsession contributed to her death now Sophie must find a way to cope

with her own Celebrity Status scenes like these will be frequently repeated now that she is the new Royal Star Sophie will look to Prince Edward for guidance and support in the early and testing years ahead Sophie is no stranger to palaces she’s a regular guest at Windsor Castle and at all the other Royal residences the queen riding at Windsor with Sophie took an instant liking to this uncomplicated friendly girl and gave her unprecedented access to the Royal homes she stayed many many times at

Buckingham Palace she has her room in Edward’s apartment he has his room uh exactly where they uh sleep is is uh something I don’t really know it would be a shame after being together for 5 years if they’d never done the deed to the Royals Sophie is Diana without the dramas and Fergie without the frivolities but what does she think of her future in-laws I think Sophie’s had plenty of time to decide what she does and doesn’t like about the royal family we’re talking about uh you know five six years of living that life um uh di had a much

uh quicker introduction into the royal family with the engagement and marriage uh was done and dusted within a relatively short time so she learned about the life uh as she grew into it and she was also of course much younger than Sophie when she married Diana was 18 or 19 not a particularly formed personality at that time Sophie’s into her 30s and if she doesn’t know what she does and doesn’t like about the royal family now then she’s never going to know as Sophie’s future mother-in-law the queen has effortlessly formed a

close friendship with her son’s wife to be she’s told friends Sophie has made me smile again the Royal Family’s problems have undoubtedly bonded Edward and Sophie together they’ve spent several years after all under the same roof they’ve experienced the the strains and the and the enormous emotional turmoil of the royal family at a hideous time in the last 10 years for them they’ve seen the damage they’ve watched the hurt they’ve seen the the sort of disadvantages of being Royal which which a legion I would have thought and I think that both of

them have found something in each other at least I hope they have I’m sure they have that will sustain them as a couple in the future Elizabeth had been Queen for 12 years by the time Edward was born in 1964 now there was a mix of teenagers and toddlers at the palace Charles was 15 and 13 their brother Andrew was four this time round the queen made more time for her younger children she cherished her second family and doted on her last son whose childhood marked a period of great stability for the royal

family his grandmother seemed an eternally warm and welcoming presence in their lives in Scotland they broke off their journey to greet her before spending their annual summer holiday at bmal on weekends away from boarding school there were walks through the grounds of Frogmore at Windsor one of several Royal houses Edward grew up in a highly privileged environment that inevitably separated him from The Real World you’re the Queen’s youngest son so like many youngest sons Edward was pampered privileged so he was always very prone

as a youngster to being rather arrogant and pompous I don’t particularly blame him for that because I think it comes with the territory I think people tend to lose sight of that that they judge members of the Royal Family by everyday life and they don’t live in everyday life they live a life where you have a I mean Edward still has a valet who brings him a biscuit at half part six and a cup of tea in the morning I mean that’s how they live they have nannies until they’re sort of 70 uh it’s very much a a a world that that we don’t

appreciate Andrew and Edwards still a gordonston school boy acted as supporters when Charles mared in 1981 no one could guess the turbulence that lay ahead the royal family were unknowingly facing a private Revolution within a few years their world that had seemed so secure would fall apart with devastating consequences in 1983 during their Commonwealth tour Charles and Diana met Edward in New Zealand where he spent a year teaching before going to Cambridge and the fun of student life hopefully this will be the

first and last time that my birthday will fall on rag day R week it’s been very tiring anyway you’re in good company today you have probably the most professional crawlers in the world turning I’ve been waiting to say that all week tighten your Napp is fasten your safety bins take a phone grip on your dummies I will start you are you ready ready to sign my the balloons for the greatest Court in the world all your Mars craw when Andrew married in 1986 Edward had graduated and joined the royal marinees Andrew’s bride Sarah Ferguson would

bring drama and F into the royal family and Edward would soon leave the Marines for a theatrical career I don’t think Edward ever wanted to be a marine uh traditionally there is a a tradition that the princes go into the services and so he had to follow his brothers by doing the same sort of thing and his father it just is a natural thing for the Royal Family to do it’s just tradition um I’m sure he would have been far happier becoming an actor and going to rer he once told a female journalist she asked him uh if you’d had

the chance would you become an actor and he said yes I would no swap over like Charles Edward had begun acting at school and continued as a student the Cambridge reviews provided the slapstick comic roles that he preferred a go go this way one week to give the dressing up and excitement of Stage production took hold people as his the appeal of acting the theater Showbiz and General all comes from the way the royal family live they they are surrounded by people who dress up in funny costumes they like to dress up

they like to play party games where you dress up and act roles it’s one of the traditions of family holidays at Sandringham and Bal moal the royal family their Heroes and heroins are movie people they you know they they as Star Struck as anybody else DiCaprio arrives or Michael K and you know they they really have the because they got nobody else to look up to so they really are I think that’s part partly but I think he just is ay like some people are and some people aren’t in 1987 Andrew and Fergie took part in it’s a royal knockout a game

show in fancy dress organized by Edward the day that he um was filming it’s a knockout it was a horrible day the weather was foul um the medeor SAT drenched in the rain all day long so at the end of the day when he came in for a press conference with everybody and he said don’t you think that was wonderful they all said well no not really we didn’t very much they’d had hardly any access they certainly weren’t allowed to get any pictures because Edward had done an exclusive deal and they’re all thoroughly fed up I only hope that you’ve enjoyed

yourselves have you well thanks for sounding so bloody enthusiastic what have you been doing in here all day have you been watching it yeah what did you think of it thanks I thought it was he took this as a terrible personal criticism and I remember one reporter filing the story that he flounced out of the press conference like a ballerina with a ladder in a tight and he he was just not prepared to um see the other side of the story he couldn’t see that this huddled mass of wet reporters and photographers were

just you know thoroughly fed up and wanted to go home Edward started working for the composer Andrew Lloyd Weber at a London theater on the first day the Press waited for Edward Windsor as he now called himself sir what are you doing this morning sir on Q the prince jokingly indicated his lowly role as a production assistant by carrying tea bags later Edward left the theater and formed his own television Company Ardent Productions while he moved in Theatrical circles gossip about his private life became a source of

annoyance it all started in fact uh from Edwards saying I’m not gay and with the that classic newspaper trick uh the headline on the front page was Edward says I’m not gay the whole world had no idea whether he was gay or not before he said that it’s um and since then it’s been open season on discussing his sexuality I just think people should forget about it he likes the company of gay people he’s possibly so uh convinced of his own heterosexuality doesn’t bother him he gets on extremely well with gays he gets on extremely well with

all the theatrical set but it bothered uh Sophie that he was a lot of people said he was gay and she said to uh a close friend he is definitely not gay I can guarantee that so take it from there Edward’s main sporting interest is real tennis a cross between lawn tennis and squash which he took up after sustaining too many injuries on the Rugby field he said with real t I could belt the ball as hard as possible and it would come back into court off the back wall perfect for a slogger like me real tennis had some Majestic fans

notably King Henry VII but what of his romantic life princess Mara Louise of Norway was just one of Edward’s girlfriends along the way but perhaps it was a shared love of sport that was to be the deciding factor it was Sophie who eventually won his heart at a real tennis match match he found that her confidence and professionalism helped her cope with the publicity surrounding their romance I think when he was younger he uh and and the girls involved did find the Press attention particularly difficult and this is why I think he he

and Sophie have done so well being that little bit older and a little bit wiser they’ve been able to compromise where necessary and uh get along quite well with the public attention they’ve done very well on that sphere it’s hard to say whether being a PR girl helped Sophie become a princess or not it certainly made her fairly astute and I think that Edward appreciated that she knew the ropes it wasn’t like plucking an ordinary girl out of obscurity Sophie already was familiar with the way the media works and she’s mentioned in

interviews that she knows all their tricks so in that sense it’s helped her and it’s probably helped Edward the decommissioning of the Royal yacht Britannia in November 1997 was a nostalgic event for the queen and the royal family Sophie’s Presence at the emotional ceremony was another clue to her acceptance within the Royal fold she uh makes every effort to fit in Sophie goes out riding with the queen so she she really was a pretty hopeless ride and she’s still not very good and she said she’s got an electric bottom

which means that when she gets on a horse it takes off at Great rate of knots which of course the rest of the Royals think is hilarious but Sophie tries she doesn’t mind um making a fool of herself getting her hair out of place her makeup uh a skew she’s very much uh in the tradition of what the queen likes the royal family disliked the way Diana always stole the show with her clothes and conduct distracting attention at solemn events like VJ Day in 1994 I’m pretty certain that the royal family look on Sophie as a very good substitute

for Diana because she’s the sort of substitute that suits them she’s not as high-profile as Diana never will be she’s not as gorgeous as Diana she’s the sort of person they wish Diana had been a girl who knows her place and doesn’t try to uh Dazzle the rest of them they’ll never really have any serious problems with with Sophie she’s in it for the long term Royal reaction to Diana’s death caused a crisis Sophie was absent from the Royal group at her funeral she may be close to the royal family but obviously was not considered to be part

of a state event the tragedy altered Royal plans I’m convinced that the engagement would have been announced much sooner if it hadn’t been for first of all the divorce of Diana and Charles and then a year later the the funeral of Diana it’s so certainly meant that um the royal family felt it would have been distasteful to rush out happy news of an engagement they would have felt that with all the bad publicity they had had the public would have been suspicious that they were trying to um bury Diana metaphorically as well as physically and

and move on and try and say well it doesn’t matter about her we’ve got this other news to divert you now a year after her death a memorial service was held for Diana there had been critic ISM over the Royals slow reaction to Diana’s death now they were Keen to avoid controversy the queen led her family including Sophie into balmoral’s little church where they had worshiped for many years in December 1992 the divorce Princess Anne had married her second husband Commander Tim Lawrence at Cay Church that low-key ceremony was the last

wedding of any of the Queen’s children before Edwards at winds this summer The Queen Is going to have of course an extraordinary experience at that wedding she’s going to look around her children and she’s going to see two of them divorced both her sons and she’s going to see her daughter divorced and remarried and she’s going to be praying praying please God let it work this time on the way to Diana’s memorial service Princess Anne Edward and Sophie traveled with Prince William she was now a family member in all but

name Sophie’s links with various Charities provided an acceptable introduction to the public life that she may be taking on as older members of the royal family retire from public life but will Sophie’s AR background be enough to sustain her move into Regal circles there is just one other Royal wife with a middle class background the Danish born Duchess of Gloucester formerly begita vaner a secretary since she married the Queen’s cousin in 1972 begita has Blended seamlessly into her husband’s family today no one would suspect that

she wasn’t born into Royal life if Sophie’s as smart as I think she is she’ll probably model herself on the Duchess of Gloucester who’s doesn’t give interviews is always kept a low profile knows her place doesn’t rock the boat and does certainly doesn’t try to um look more glamorous or um more appealing than the ro royal ladies who are more senior to her I think it’s very difficult to predict what Sophie Duchess of wher ever would be like as opposed to this nice girl from the home counties that we’ve got at the moment sometimes

putting a Coronet on somebody does wonders sometimes it’s a disaster and sometimes you hardly notice frankly I think Sophie is quite likely to be the invisible Duchess with or without her coronate in 1996 Edward took a 50-year lease on bagshot Park in su he and Sophie will make it their country home the Mansion set in 88 acres will also be the base for Ardent Productions his television Company the house was originally built for Edward’s Royal ancestor the Duke of conal Queen Victoria’s favorite son how different is the new

owner all the men in the royal family are quite self-centered in our arant they can’t help it it’s the way they’re brought up I mean if you grow up with people boing and scraping to you and deferring to you and you have a bodyguard and you’re always different from your friends at school how can you help but be a little bit you know think yourself anyway a little bit special because you are special you’re not ordinary you’re extraordinary and so the wife of a man like that the wife of a prince has to take that on board and

there’s two ways she can go she can deflate the inflated ego and stop a prince becoming too pompous and if he’s a sort of reasonable man he will won’t mind too much and the other route you can take is to be totally subservient you know and rather do what Camila Parker BS has done with Prince Charles and be happy to be just a supporting player and prop the man up when he needs it um I think with Sophie and Edward it’s much more equal partnership I think Edward defers to her a lot and relies on her a lot because she has had much more

contact with the real world than he’s had he’s a privileged Prince and um I think that’s one great reason why this this marriage will work all the other raw marriages were a marriage of unequals but this time I think they’re much more evenly matched Edward’s wife will be the new focus of high society I’m sure she’ll enjoy uh being uh The Duchess she has always had uh hankering for uh social position um friends who’ve known her for many years have told me this I don’t mean that in a nasty way I just think that’s something she enjoys

I’m sure she’ll have great fun being a society Hostess down there but I think she’d go mad if she was there all the time she’s uh worked until uh into her mid 30s she has a very successful career and I’d be amazed if she wanted to give it up this is this is very interesting especially the uh question of whether whether uh Sophie and Edward are going to have children I mean her biological clock is ticking on so they’ve got to get around to it fairly soon but I’ve got the feeling that he wants to uh wants her to continue with her business

because at the moment it’s making more than he he is Lady Helen wisor was the last Royal bride to marry at St George’s Chapel in July 199 2 as her own marriage came under scrutiny Diana joined the royal family in this return to an earlier tradition of private weddings St George’s Chapel Windsor had once been the setting for Royal weddings before the more public and Splendid ceremonies became National events with the breakup of that marriage the whole idea of the royal family as a monument of national virtues The Arc of

the Covenant of family values was destroyed and I think what we’re seeing and what I hope we’re seeing with the marriage of Edward and Sophie is a retreat to something more modest something less pretentious something more if it’s not a paradox a sort of private royal family or at least one in which you don’t parade family value for her wedding to Tim Taylor Helen the daughter of the Duke of Kent the Queen’s cousin chose a very formal gown made of heavy silk with a Regal neckline it was specially created for

Helen by Katherine Walker one of Diana’s favorite designers the next bride to walk down these steps will be Sophie what will she be wearing any wedding in the royal family is a solemn occasion joyful and solemn not dreary not over formal but it’s important it’s an important dress which has to match its surroundings and match the occasion at which obviously royalty are present Sophie will want a gown to reflect her individuality there was speculation that Tomas starfi might win the coveted commission Thomas has spoken to a lot of

other curas all of them have been trying to ask each other who’s doing the dress I know he is not and I know for a fact that a very close friend of Sophie’s from her school days is actually doing the dress Sophie is going to give her a really big boost I you know this is great sort of helps everybody I think this reflects extremely well on Sophie she’s not just going for the big names she’s going to help help people who have helped her in the past but Sophie’s engagement suit was by starfi who may also make some of her

formal wardrobe her three stone diamond engagement ring cost about £55,000 it was bought from one of her company’s clients the Royal Jewelers asprey and Gard I suspect that the queen will give her something and I suspect the queen will give her son something to give to her as well so I imagine she will be given certain really lovely pieces to wear on and from on her wedding day I imagine it’ll be probably a tiara earrings necklace and you know various people may give her different things but I’m sure that will be provided

for there will be no Diana to upstage the bride and Sarah Duchess of York may not be invited but memories will surely arise of their bright promises which turn to ashes ex-royal wives are Perpetual reminders of failure the queen began her Reign by taking a public V on the day of her accession that she would keep the monarchy as it was in the days of her father and her grandfather and those were at least in public model Royal marriages and it was a model family and these Ex-Wives these ruptured marriages are reminders to the queen I

think bitterly of her own failure and somewhere deep inside herself at least if she’s like every mother that I’ve known including my own finally she’ll probably blame herself Christmas 1988 the days of Diana and Fergie as Royal wives of Windsor have long passed but the traumas of those times still haunt the royal family they know that present is rooted in the past and the future in both on the Royal stage there is another character who may share the Limelight with Sophie Charles’s longtime lover Camila Parker BS

soon after Edward’s engagement Charles attended a party at the Ritz in London afterwards they left together in a blitz of camera flashes Charles had made Camila his public partner Camila Parker bows I think must be both the Queen’s worst nightmare as a future Princess of Wales and of course her best possible hope if only Charles had got to her first Camila is the obvious Windsor wife Windsor women on the whole are not clothes horses they’re not beautiful they’re horsey they’re into headscarves and Country Pursuits

they have a certain you know good rough breeding about them Camila is the perfect Windsor wife none of the nervousness or moodiness of Diana but unfortunately of course she’s second helpings and that’s the difficulty Christmas 1998 and a less glamorous Royal Parade makes its way to Sandringham Church what lessons have they learned from the past it’s very difficult to say whether the royal family have learned from their mistakes in one sense how could they the problems that they’ve had or the problems that the Queen’s children have

had are very similar to the problems that so many other parents children have had this is an age of marital breakdown the problem for the royal family is a different one it is whether you continue in an age where it is more likely that a marriage fails than that it succeeds whether you stake so much on the outcome of that marriage we entered into a kind of collective Daydream Collective myth that turned finally into a collective nightmare we’ve all got lessons to learn not just the Royal Family before this skiing holiday in Sam maritz

Sophie said she was fully aware of her future responsibilities and was ready for commitment to Royal life but given the high failure rate of Royal marriages does she have any doubts Sophie’s had five years to prepare for this she knows the worst she knows what life will be like she knows the limitations that’ll be placed on her and obviously it’s it’s a deal that she’s prepared to to um sign up to she doesn’t seem to mind I think she thinks the advantages outweigh the disadvantages she loves Edward and I think also she loves the life you know

the glamour of it all I mean she could never have gone off to Sam maritz for a luxury skiing holiday if she were at the fiance of Prince Edward and that is certainly a big part of the appeal I think any girl would would be en raptured by you know the glittering court that surrounds a royal Prince Sophie will be the third lady in the land the ascent of an ordinary girl into the highest ranks of the royal family is the last fairy tale of the Millennium hopefully this one will last if anybody’s going to get married I

hope that they think that they’re going to get it right so and uh as I said I mean it’s you know that we’re the the very best of friends and that’s essential and it also helps we happen to love each other as well very much and so you know it’s great so we’re very happy at the moment and long may that continue well I think getting married is a very personal thing um naturally there’s going to be more interest um in us than there would be in other people but um it is a personal matter and it’s a family

occasion this is the story of how an ordinary young woman from an ordinary family became destined to be the future Queen of England it seems like a fresh chapter the beginning of something quite new what you see is pretty much what you get williiam M K have brought a real relevance to the monarchy the Royals never really lost popularity because the monarchy is uniquely trusted it is a of politics she’s possibly one of the most scrutinized Royals ever one of the things that the young Royals have done very successfully is to

renew the Royal brand abroad most of the nation has fallen in love with Kate we are seeing a queen in waiting on an almost scale with up to 10,000 people well in in terms of the Duchess of Cambridge um what you see is pretty much what you get I’ve met Kate now on quite a few occasions she’s very kind she’s very thoughtful um she’s very easy to get along with I think she’s been very well brought up she comes from a lovely family she’s got two feet firmly on the ground and the people who know her well are very loyal to her and they they you

know they love her he was sense will and Kate marrying it seems like a fresh chapter the beginning of something quite new and if you go back to when uh uh the present queen married Prince philli in November 1947 at the at that time was thought to be a new beginning and then later on people said what happens when they get old we’ll get bored with them we don’t want them anymore and um particularly with the present Queen who’s now the longest reigning mon in British history on the contrary as her Reign has

gone on the affection in which she’s held gets deeper and not less this suggests the monarchy has very deep roots and these periodic Refreshments of young blood do it nothing but good but it still goes on just the same thank you very much I think William mate have brought a real relevance to the monarchy um they’re young they’re very good-looking um Kate certainly injected quite a lot of Glamour but more importantly perhaps they’re working on subjects that are very relevant to the younger generation at the moment so in their charity work

they’re focusing on things like mental health um Wildlife Conservation um and even things like cyber bullying which is a real modern day issue the former Kate Middleton has done a remarkable job in being the wife of William in almost every circumstance that she finds herself in she acts with a Charming combination of good nature and a proper sense of the Dignity of the occasion at some date in the future Prince William will become king Kate by his side will be Queen consort well there are two roles to a future Queen one is to produce SS which

she has done and one is to learn how to One Day become Queen and and that is very much what we are seeing we are seeing a queen in Waiting um we are seeing uh The Duchess take on more duties more Royal engagements more of a public profile than ever before she’s taking on more patronages she’s taking on patronages from the queen and from the Duke of Edinburgh now this is all very deliberate very much a part of the the palace machine bringing her from the from the shadows of anma into the Forefront into the spotlight because

they’re very clever they they realize the power of Kate they realize the potential of William and Kate as this young glamorous dynamic duo who actually do have the ability to reshape and Pro inject the monarchy into the future if you had asked me in the 1990s what I saw the future for the royal family as being I would then have have shared the pessimism about its longevity not because the opinion polls suggested that was right because one of the things that people always misunderstand is even though there was

the anisis even though there was that huge controversy around the the collapse of um the the Charles and Diana marriage and and in fact also other Royal marriages um in spite of all of that the Royals never really lost popularity individual members did but the family didn’t the queen didn’t in any real way there was always there’s never been really more than 25% Republican sentiment in this country however I would at that point have thought that the way in which the modern world was developing mitigated against a monarchy

continuing well into the 21st century because we seem to be entering a society that was more egalitarian in and had more faith in the transformational effects of politics and was somehow kind of moving into a joyous modernity and in fact we’ve gone totally the other way and um people have lost faith in politics so profoundly that that has actually in a strange way shored up and made much more important the position of the royal family obviously whether you’re a Republican or a royalist your view is going to differ but um when you

see how the nation came together to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday there was no doubt in my mind that the United Kingdom loves its Queen there will always be people who say it’s a waste of money well you know they cost us less than a pound a year in terms of upkeep and I think they’re worth every penny and William and Kate very much are the future of the monarchy I think monarchy is now more relevant in the early 21st century than it has been for many years and I think the answer is because the monarchy is uniquely trusted

it is above politics and at a time when uh public trust and respect for not just uh politicians but many of the forces in society which hither to had bound us together is beginning to break down the monarchy is the one common point above uh politics above uh suspicion so I think as long as the monarchy can uh keep a um the sense of it being a a family and a wholesome institution in place uh the country is going to want to not just at a uh a superficial level but at a very profound emotional level Bond into uh the monarchy as the

representation of what it means to be British of the Gard yes it’s lovely to see children I’ve got three boys actually we’ve seen today for the first time but they’re very excited uh well little bit they were they were about the right age when we started the project teenagers hulking teenagers had them in mind exactly testing it out on the computer well I think that Kate’s family background has been a very helpful to the image of the monarchy and to William and Kate it’s that happy family that you know everybody getting a

long well being supportive of each other which the the middletons are and I think that that’s been a considerable help the fact that she’s young and she’s known only the years of Peace um and relative Prosperity um might suggest that you know she hasn’t uh got that kind of experience of life but then if you look at her family you’ll see that it’s really much more interesting and reflects such a huge variety of English History her grandfather was an RAF pilot in World War II and helped to nudge the wings of the v1s uh when they came over

London away from away from London her grandmother was at Bletchley with her twin sister and um received the news of the Japanese surrender and you can trace all the way back the the the idea that uh to be middle class is to come from nowhere they come from a great number of different parts of um of English History and so you know know she she is not she is not from nowhere um you can trace her way all the way back her ancestry back to Harry hper who died in the walls of the Roses um so this is this is a family

like many families um who have deep roots in the nation’s history and the fact that she’s young is nothing but a good thing well it’s always remember that Katherine’s great great grandfather was a miner a coal miner in county daram in in fact he worked in the mine beneath Queen Elizabeth the queen mother’s estate in County darham it’s rather romantic connection there how you doing you guys been s for hours as well yeah sorry Prett freezing windy basing D how long be to the Kat School uh 5 years now quite something to

think they had a climb while out the top one time well they only lost one one Sean in the first expedition and he was in the cr’s nest and fell from it well William guards the privacy of his family um I think more highly than anything else in his life and it doesn’t take a psychologist to work out why you only need to look at William’s own background his relationship with his mother what happened to his mother um the untimely death preceding that the break down of the wells’s marriage everything played out in the media

poured over in the press and he hated it and you can completely understand why all he wants is a quiet family life out of the spotlight I think the P Palace take a great deal of care of William and Kate and I don’t think they make them do too much or take them away from their children too much I think that they have a really you know modern sympathetic view of that but I think he really understands that there’s a huge uh public interest in their lives and affection towards them as a result of

that and and that the media is necessary um certainly when it comes to conveying messages I think he totally understands that it’s it’s a vital tool for him Kensington Palace has you know warned against the use of Paparazzi photographs um of the children in particular although they’re still being taken quite frequently there aren’t any UK Publications who will use them and I think that’s probably helped a great deal to to reassure him instead we have um William and Kate choosing when they want to issue photographs of the

children they have taken George on a public engagement in the UK for the first time um he went to the raw military air tattoo with his parents um and I think that’s something we’re going to see increasingly so I think it’s very much a case of him wanting to protect them while they’re very young um and just do things in a way that he feels comfortable with one of the very first things I noticed

about Kate was the way which she is not like the Mother-in-law she never met and I think that will actually help her a lot both in in her sort of nonr as as Queen in waiting and and eventually as Queen she is extraordinarily self-possessed somebody who’s very comfortable in who she is and very self assured which just with that level of of um attention she gets is incredibly important so I think that’s self-possession that self-confidence that sense of who she is will be extraordinarily useful when I first visited the hospice in Milton I

had a preconceived ideas as to what to expect far from being a clinical depressing place for sick children it was a home most importantly it was a family home a happy place of stability support and care it was a place of fun I see Kate’s confidence increasing um as she gains an experience over the years um she’s going to be speaking more in public um she’s in a difficult situation because I think she’s not always able to be completely spontaneous in front of the cameras and you have to remember that she’s possibly one of the

most scrutinized roles ever um because of the rise of smartphones and social media um any tiny slip up or M mistake she might make could go viral within seconds um and she must be really conscious of that which which must be a challenge um but when you see her interacting and engaging with people up close you know you real you really get a sense of warmth um and of genuine interest uh she’s someone who does a lot of research she reads up on everything um to do with the charity she’s visiting um and I think to the people she’s

engaging with that must really come across well Kate has shown herself to be a wonderful addition to the royal family in a more egalitarian society Kate has the natural connection with ordinary people that may well prove to be both the salvation and preservation of the monarchy I think the times we see Kate really relaxing are quite often um the most informal moments when she’s getting involved in some kind of sporting activity particularly when she’s competing with William at something um or when she’s uh interacting with small

children and you get these fantastic fun facial expression she looks to be really enjoying herself I think that’s when you can really imagine what she’s like behind closed doors the idea that Kate will drift away from her family into an exclusive ly Royal life seems to me to misunderstand what’s

happened what’s happened is a permanent removal of the old barriers and a if you like a domestication of the of of of the idea of of of of of royalty and that she will be able to bask happily amongst her family for for the rest of her days and um so to that extent we have moved um into a much less uh magical uh era of monarchy one in which they seem to be much more people like us leaving leading lives like us though of course they don’t need lives exactly like us I think far from uh this being something which

will weaken the hold of the monarchy upon the public imagination I should have thought it would would strengthen it yeah I I think very much there is a feeling in the palace that they want to learn from the mistakes of the past um they didn’t want a royal bride who felt isolated and lonely and cut off from her family and miserable because that has happened before and they didn’t want to repeat of Diana so I definitely think courtiers were were determined that that Kate should marry into the family feeling as comfortable as possible and I

just think William wasn’t going to take any chances and he adores the middletons he has a very close relationship with Michael and with Carol so he also didn’t want them to be sidelined as soon as Kate married into the family uh I don’t I don’t think there’d be any need for her to distance uh herself from her family they’re obviously very important to both William and Kate um and they’ve really been accepted into the Royal fold if you like we’ve seen the queen driving Carol Middleton around at B moral pointing out SES to her they’re

obviously very comfortable in each other’s company um the family have also enjoyed you know lunches at Sandringham and and they’ve stayed at Prince Charles’s Burke H home um they’re very much welcomed into the F and I don’t see any reason why that would change in future I think that William found the home life of the middletons tremendously reassuring and appealing and I think that’s an atmosphere he wanted to reproduce in his own home and I think that’s been very important to him in previous generations the imperious tug

of the Court would have ensured that the the incoming princess would have been swept up into the in into the court with all its protocol and formality and this clearly hasn’t happened in this case and obviously the fact that the mid middletons are a uh clearly a happy family unit has has a lot to do with it I think again that’s that is a sign of General change uh because I think in previous Generations the um uh the new princess would have been pulled into the court much more um and indeed um that happened vice versa uh with um with Prince

Phillip who found felt that he was becoming a mere appendage uh but he of course had no home at all and you have to remember that he came from a home which was broken in the most spectacular way that his his mother became a a nun and uh his father would became a Playboy in the Riviera and he had no family at all this couldn’t be a greater contrast between that and and and and Kate Middleton’s upbringing Kate has provided William with a stable

family life one that he himself never had and one that he values enormously much as he loved his mother Diana and much as he still loves his father Prince Charles William never knew the Simple Pleasures of a warm settled and happy family life I think that Kate’s um influence on William has been very very important I think that he was quite seriously affected by the bad relationship of his parents and I think that Kate has strengthened him Harry of course bounces along anyway but I think William was more sensitive

and more affected by say the suffering of his mother and I think that Kate has provided the necessary like stability for him when I was growing up I was very lucky my family was the most important thing to me they provided me with somewhere safe to grow and learn and I know are as fortunate not to have been confronted by serious adversity at a young age for some children maybe there are some here today I know that life can sometimes feel difficult and full of challenges I think that every child should have people around them to show

them love and to show them kindness and nurt them as they grow don’t be under the illusion that she’s a woolflower because she’s not she’s very strong she’s very confident and I think she has a real Clarity of vision um and I think William depends on that hugely so she has brought a huge amount to William’s life she has filled William’s life with love and happiness and security and she’s given him the family life through her own family just regular things that he never got to enjoy but he is enjoying now and I think she’s made him

incredibly happy William and Kate’s marriage is very much a love match and I think they see seem incredibly happy together you can see a huge amount of affection between them on engagements you know they there’s often an arm around one another looks that they share um and I hope that’s going to last I think they’ve certainly you know got a fantastic example in the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and I think because William experienced um his parents difficult marriage he’s very keen um to not repeat that scenario um and I don’t

think that it’ll happen Kate has hugely boosted the popularity of the monarchy um I think people find it very appealing that she’s someone from an ordinary background who has joined the ranks if you like and is perhaps able to to bring um her experience of of a so-called normal life to the royal family and it’s it’s something I think that particularly William really appreciates um he’s always said that he wants to give their children as normal an upbringing as possible that a first give a The Windsor are among other things a

brand and Brands need renewal and one of the things that the young Royals have done very successfully is to renew the Royal brand abroad if you look at the kinds of crowds that their trips Attract it is EXT ordinary um the younger RS can do that in a way that the older ones cannot um I include in that Prince Harry I I traveled to the US with David Cameron in 2013 and I was in New York with David Cameron when we met up with Prince Harry and there was this extraordinary scene um somewhere in the middle of Manhattan

where um Prince Harry sort of suddenly came around the corner and I’m standing there with the prime Min then prime minister of the UK and there was a screeching like you’d get with a Beatles concert in in the 1960s and um the thing about that is that sort of rock star appeal that the younger ones have it’s incredibly detached from who they are as people but it is also incredibly potent and you see it in the level of coverage they get not just the crowds they attract but but the amount of column inches so yes clearly

that has an impact on the brand and in the sense that the brand is most closely identified with Britain well when she is Queen she’s going to be queen of a very modern world and I think it’s going to help her hugely that she hasn’t come from Blue blooded aristocracy and and a background perhaps that people cannot relate to she comes from a very hardworking family who have you know climbed up the echelons of society from you know working class to the very top um she hasn’t got above her

station she’s she is very approachable that air of normality and ordinariness that you see in her I think is is what makes her real to people she’s very solid she’s very consistent she’s incredibly loyal she’s incredibly discreet all of these things that we’ve seen over the years she’s been an amazing companion and girlfriend and now wife to William they are a partnership she also has an innate understanding of what she’s married into um and that sense of Duty but I suspect that those 10 years of d meting Prince William were

probably enough to make her realize exactly what life was going to consist of she had time to know whether or not she was cut out for it but William was very lucky that she did have those characteristics which not everyone does Kate has a natural sympathy and connection with the public it is unusual for someone so young to possess so many qualities that combine charm with graciousness I just wanted to say how delighted I am to be here this evening to celebrate the Fantastic work of the National Portrait Gallery the gallery’s achievements are

exceptional they hold the most extensive collection of portraits in the world and their unique and Brilliant exhibitions never fail to inspire us all she’s um she’s the sort of girl who will walk into a room and light that room up um not in the same way that Diana did Diana was a head turner she was you know she was the Glamour Girl She dazzled in diamonds Kate is more understated but there is a a warmth about her and something incredibly appealing um and all of those are going to be things that stand her in I think

in very good stead for her future role uh Kate might not have the blue blood of uh the aristocratic monarchy but she has every bit uh in her character and behavior uh the um virtues of monarchy uh all around the world at its very best and uh I’m sure that William married her uh not thinking uh whether she was a uh royal family member or not but because he fell in love with her and uh who can blame him most of the nation has fallen in love with Kate I don’t think that there’s anything at

this stage that I could teach Kate about being a member of the royal family because she clearly took to it very quickly but she also had this very interesting period in her relationship with the prince where they split up and then got back together again which was very clearly a a testing period a proving period something where she’d already been through the baptism of fire in terms of what it meant for destroying any chance of a private life she would ever have and she went into it in that sense with her eyes open the one thing I

suppose she may not have known and will now know very well is just how peculiar Royal life is it is the strangest place that I have ever spent time as it in the Palaces just that sense of never ever really being alone and the the Palaces are sort of strange old buildings things that are all about actually being built for show for people to look inwards and so they’re really not about Comfort they’re really not about family life so by now she knows that by now she knows the peculiarities of the etiquette um the RO the young Royals have

dispensed with some of it in a way that Prince Charles for example has not he still insists that not only that his staff call him sir and curtsy or bow but actually many of his friends do I think that what William saw in Kate was a woman who would never leave him and that she had that sense of uh faithfulness to him which would endure all their lives and given his own experience of his parents turbulent marriage I think something deep inside him was calling him and saying I don’t want that for my marriage I want to be

with somebody who I can be together with when I’m 90 I think the Monica has changed a great deal in the last century um I think since World War II particularly uh the private secretaries and the palace they have a big sense of PR nowadays which they certainly didn’t I remember the queen she had a press secretary who said to a group of American journalists I’m not what you journalists would call a public relations man that was the press secretary speaking so there was that mentality very sort of built-in mentality at the palace not necessarily

by the queen herself but that has changed a great deal particularly after the Anis horis when Diana died I think that gave the system a big shock and I think that it shook them into a more modern approach I think the life and death of Princess Di is is is is simply a a tragedy whose seeds were laid uh seeds were swn uh even before she me met Prince Charles I think she she had a she had a very bad start in life uh and things went badly wrong and went badly wrong in the most uh public way

imaginable and the the funeral of Diana was one of the most heartbreaking events in in um in British life in in the whole whole of the last century and everyone felt this uh uh and uh I think although she’s now not spoken of really so much I think it was quite a trauma whose effect is still being felt William and Kate I think have inherited an interest a passion from Charles of being extraordinarily interested in the least well off the least uh financially prosperous but also those who are

suffering and it clearly touches the hearts of both William and Kate this is utterly genuine and they want to use the authority of their offices their status to see if they can touch the lives of those who are mentally suffering and try to bring them some light some release some joy into their troubled lives Katherine Harry and I have decided that we can use our positions to make a difference on the subject of mental health it should not be a taboo subject in the year 2016 the heads together campaign is all about getting people talking about the

hard times that many of us will face and have faced in our lives tonight we are celebrating a truly remarkable work taking place across place to be schools in support Children’s Mental Health without many of the inspiring people gathered here this evening countless of children would not receive the transformational support in their schools it is it because of so many of you here tonight that in their time of need children have the help care and attention that will get them through the tough times in their lives um I think

it’s really quite a brave move these are subjects that traditionally have been fairly taboo um they’re talking about really difficult things such as suicide and addiction um bullying and I think it’s really um been very important to bring it out to the four and get people talking about it and you can see um you can see the genuine concern we had a um an incident recently where Prince William um comforted uh a young man who had lost his mother recently and obviously you could see that his empathy is genuine he’s been through the same

thing but that’s incredibly powerful thing to be able to do to go and bring their own experience and share it with others um and and let them know that it is okay to talk about these things it seems to me an enormous challenge for all of the young Royals but in particular for William and Kate to find a way to do the empathy thing to do what they they you know seen as being their core role in terms of um performing a charitable role and um maintaining something that they are clearly setting out to do which is

redefining how much of themselves they make public they are trying to and I’m by the way very sympathetic to them on this they are trying to carve out a space for themselves to have a private family life they are also I think very interestingly positioning themselves for the age that they are in the era in which they are in the public eye which is of course a social media saturated Instagram selfie era where they are in some way going very much against the tide on that um trying to reclaim something for themselves now I think

that is potentially quite a clever thing to do in the long run in the short term it is inciting the eye of the press so they’re getting a more negative press as a result because the Press feel um shut out and you see some quite silly and nasty reporting as a result um but there is also the danger that they just end up looking like they’re not doing very much which of course is the big criticism there’s absolutely it has been the case that William and Kate have been given some breathing space um some time out to enjoy being married to have

children um and I think that does come down from experience I mean Charles and Diana were thrown into the thrust of Royal life you know weeks after their wedding they were touring around the world Diana became an International Celebrity overnight totally eclipsed Charles no one wants to see history repeating itself in that respect and so what you have seen is a far more controlled release of of William and Kate into the public domain it hasn’t just been an explosion you know after the rawal wedding they went to Canada

and then things settled down so there are talk and um there are engagements all over the world the visits of Kate and Prince William have led to a renewed enthusiasm for the Royal presence abroad heads of state are pleased to welcome the royal couple everywhere and audiences are clearly Charmed by Kate the busy Foreign Tour program of William and Kate I think became even more important after Britain decided in the uh referendum vote to leave the European Union and what better emblem rather than uh the uh prime minister of the day the

comeand go Prime Ministers who uh pitch up uh but are little known by the public in these far off lands but the images of Kate and William are known every bit across the world so they have an extraordinarily valuable role to play in ensuring that the future of Britain in the uncertain world into which we’re going to be going will be as uh as good as strong and as high as possible um William and Kate are already traveling a great deal throughout the world they’re visiting many of the Realms and countries that they’re going

to be visiting for decades to come um and their visits are enormously popular but Kate in particular seems to really capture the international imagination she has fans all over the world um that’s going to stand her in great stead in years to come and she’s going to be able to grow this you know soft diplomatic power um which would be perfect for her role as Queen one of the things that has been very interesting for me because I covered the Royals for such a long time you know I first started covering the Royals in the I

guess early ’90s and covered them you know right the way through to now so I’ve seen the evolution of Royal press management and I have seen in it it become much more sophisticated much more aware of the issues but they even so cannot even begin to keep up with what’s going on in the development of the press and the development of the world at the same time in the early days and why they got so blindsided by having Princess Diana there actually working against them and doing her own s having her own direct line to the Press but in that era

that that was the end of the era of deference where you know you could say to an editor don’t run this and an editor would not run it you could put out statements and say we will not answer any more questions on this and that would be the end of a story The that is so far gone that was the Royals themselves helped to blow that out of the water the the collapse of the royal marriage and so now you have them operating in this take no prisoners environment where even if the Royal press managers can stop the mainstream media from

reporting things that they don’t want or can encourage them to report things that they do want they have no control control over the wider online world and um that is huge and it and it also presents very new and big challenges for the Royals w

there’s a strange belief that the uh Young have no interest in ceremonial or in the past and I’ve lost count of the times in which uh people have said oh let’s um stop doing this commemoration um the day or whatever it is because it won’t appeal to the young um and the same is true of the monarchy that this is a a an institution whose Roots uh lie too far in the past to interest the young but every time every generation proves this to be wrong that the crowds at Remembrance Day and at U at Royal events remain um as large as ever and as

filled with the young as ever because the idea that the young have no sense of the past um is is one of the greatest of all modern Illusions the current position of the monarchy in Britain was pretty much defined by Queen Elizabeth II and by her father George V 6 as the focal point for the nation not just at times of Crisis and War but at times of reflection but even in a day-to-day way there’s a sense in the British public that they have an almost religious uh reverence for uh the monarchy in a way that they would never

have for the political Master well I think the royal family is in a very unique position in that you know the queen is is on the throne because it was her god-given right but I think that that is now seen as quite an Antiquated concept I think certainly if we’re looking into the future towards King William and Queen Catherine um it’s not going to be seen as a god-given right they’re going to need to justify being there they are going to need to be a king and queen of the people figureheads representatives for the UK hardworking

members of the royal family and actually one has to respect the queen hugely for that because I don’t think she takes her position for granted at all the image that is being cultivated of William and Kate now it’s going to be very important several years down the line because all of this will reflect our opinions of them as a f future king and queen my prediction I’m happy to make a prediction is that you will see the royal family continuing but the royal family slimming down and slimming down and paying more and more attention to

looking like value for money and what sort of Queen will Kate be will her easygoing manner be an enormous change to the style of the British Monarchy the memory of Princess Diana shines down as an alternative way of being Royal that tragically was never to find full expression will Kate be very different as Queen to what Diana might have been and how different a court will Kate preside over with King William to that of the court of the present Queen Kate has that rare ability possessed by very few people of being

able to talk to speak to relate to those of utterly different ages backgrounds ethnicities it’s a magical talent that uh is uh infinitely precious really and you either have it I think in Life or you don’t uh most people don’t Kate does it’s impossible to tell what sort of Queen uh should’ be like we can only observe what we we see and read um but she seems to be a a rather modest cautious sort of person uh who’s unlikely to uh endanger the monarchy and um I should have thought she would be a a kind of reassuring presence but who knows what

what the future will bring oh I think I think Kate will make a dignified Queen it’s very hard to imagine her sort of emerging in in a sort of social activist role like her father-in-law or anything like that um I think you know in terms of what people expect of a queen as the current Queen has defined it she’ll be quite close to that same model I think Kate’s going to make a fantastic Queen I think um she is hugely interested in the causes that she supports and I can imagine her giving that level of commitment to the role in future she’s

got great diplomatic power um she’s hugely admired across the world well when Kate does become Queen she will have had Decades of experience within the royal family so the fact that she wasn’t born blue blooded will not matter at all in fact it will be that that stands her in the best possible stad she will have the advantages of Both Worlds that experience of royalty and having been born an ordinary girl from the home counties it’s a perfect combination