Camilla is frank in an interview with British Vogue: “You have been criticized, but at some point you have to move on with your life”

The Duchess of Cornwall begins a joke as she regrets that the photographer on duty has an old lady in front of his lens. Camilla, born Camilla Rosemary Shand, wife of Prince Charles, is rarely too candid in interviews. “Who really wants to be 75? But there is nothing we can do about it.” And so the much-discussed lady decided to celebrate her birthday – on July 17, she turned 75 – with a photo session and an interview in the most famous fashion magazine in the world.

God’s paradise on earth

The conversation with British Vogue takes place in the garden room of Clarence House, the house in London where Camilla lives with Charles. Although the two don’t see each other very often. Just like with other couples, finding time for each other isn’t always the easiest task. “However, we try to find a moment every day to discuss our day over a cup of tea,” says the Duchess. “It’s great to catch up when we have some time. You know, the most fun is actually when we’re in the same room, each in a different corner, reading a book. It’s so relaxing because you know you don’t have to start a conversation, you just have to sit down.” together “.

When Charles, Britain’s future King, is too busy to mingle with a book, Camilla finds it easy to find her way around. “My idea of ​​heaven on earth is the tranquility of the countryside. I like to do some gardening, take a walk and then cuddle a book. Alone too.”

Teens with pierced ears

Another paradise – less quiet – is the company of her grandchildren. Camila now has five of about the same age, between 12 and 14 years old. “They are teenagers. And I would text them. It is good to learn something from the guys and to teach them something too. As it always has been.” The nice thing about being a grandmother, according to the Duchess, is that you can spoil the grandchildren. Sometimes a girl picks up at the school gate. “It’s scary sometimes to see them come out with pierced ears, new makeup, or colorful clothes or hair.” Whether or not she herself doesn’t want pierced ears, perhaps for her birthday? “The grandchildren would like to impress me, but no, nothing will pierce my ear.”

A grandmother may love her grandchildren, but there is no indication that Camilla is a typical “grandmother.” In an era when most people have retired for a while, Camila has nothing but an empty agenda. She travels all over the country and abroad, attending official events. She did it with Charles, or on her own. She takes her role as patron of the National Theater very seriously – a spot she took from Meghan Markle – and has even attended a theater workshop in that capacity. She also regularly visits the charities she supports, including some shelters.

looks and criticizes

The latter also reminds us of the ambitions of the late Princess Diana, Charles’ ex-wife. She admits to a past that Camila has been forced to grapple with for years. “I’ve been under surveillance for so long that the only option is to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes being looked at all the time, you know… to be criticized.”

Early this year, in February, the Queen announced that she wanted Camilla to challenge the title of Queen was a huge boost. In fact, this is the rule that the King’s wife is referred to as the “Queen Consort”. This was also the case with the current Queen’s mother and grandmother. But in the case of Camilla, who was blamed for the divorce from Charles and Diana at that time, her future surname remained unclear for a long time. The Duchess herself divorced Andrew Parker Bowles, the man with whom she had two children, in 1955. But anyone who opened a newspaper or turned on television over the past few decades knew she had an affair with the Prince of Wales before that. “Eventually you rise above it and move on. You have to move on with your life.”

Continue. How would she celebrate her 75th birthday if not with pierced ears? “There won’t be much celebration, but I will be spending the day with family and friends.”