King Charles Disses Queen Camilla: He ‘Lowered Her Status’

On a recent visit to Wrexham, Wales, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeting members of the public. Charles, who is known for his hot temper, boiled over. In a video, Charles is caught looking frustrated and asking Camilla to get back as she chatted with subjects.

Appearance is everything to the royal family. For those of us royal watchers, body language can say a lot about the relationships between each member of the family or the general state of mind the royal is in.

A body language expert can evaluate the nonverbal cues of another person and interpret the meaning, according to the Speaker Agency. When the cameras capture these slips from the royals, body language experts are the go-to source to interpret what is happening behind those massive closed doors.

In the video captured, Charles can be heard saying, “Can we try to get her back again? Please. We ended up going,” referring to Camilla greeting the crowd. “I was trying to wait for her, but she goes on,” Charles complains.

James told the British news outlet that the moment caught on camera is “proving he is still on a short fuse but taking it out on his wife this time rather than a pen,” referring to the many incidents the king has had with fountain pens at signing ceremonies that have gone viral (via Vanity Fair).

“Calling his wife ‘she’ and referring to the fact that he has an ongoing gripe with Camilla when he says, ‘but she goes on,’ throwing his arms out to show exasperation, there are no signs of good humor here,” James says, “just a man pleading to his entourage to get him out of his situation and onto his next booking.”

Royal followers noted that the king and queen are acting like a “typical married couple.” One social media user empathetically wrote, “Kings … At the end of the day, they’re just like every other husband.” Another user echoed this, writing, “This is my husband, daily” (via Marie Claire).

James seemed to be aware of the empathy that would come from some royal watchers, noting that there is a standard that needs to be presented. “I know people are creating empathetic links by saying this is a common theme between husbands and wives, and that it makes Charles seem more human, but his wife is the new queen, and he is making a very public scene about her that lowers her status,” she said.

Charles and Camilla already have a messy history that the entire world is aware of. From their early meeting in the 1970s to Camilla not being seen as a suitable match for the young Charles, there has been drama for them. The two ended up marrying others: Camilla to Andrew Parker Bowles (1973) and Charles to Diana Spencer (1981).

A change in the Church of England’s rules about remarriage after divorce in 2002 made it possible for Charles to marry Camilla. The two married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor, with the Church in St. Goerge’s Chapel blessing the marriage.

While Queen Camilla still faces negativity from some, her public image has improved over the years, largely due to her keeping her hands clean from scandal. Her favorability likely continues to grow as she further engages with the public.

Much like Camilla, the public opinion on King Charles is constantly evolving. While he is not as universally beloved as the late Queen Elizabeth, Charles’ reputation has been somewhat mended since his time with the late Princess Diana.