The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed that she plays Wordle with her granddaughter every day in a rare, highly personal interview. During a lengthy conversation with British Vogue, Camilla gave intimate details about being a grandmother, balancing royal duties with her marriage to the Prince of Wales, and turning three quarters of a century old next month.
The duchess, who will celebrate her 75th birthday on July 17, spoke with the magazine’s Giles Hattersley over a cup of tea and Duchy biscuits at Clarence House, the London home she shares with Charles. Camilla will also be guest-editing Country Life to mark her birthday, and an upcoming ITV documentary will offer an insight into her work at the magazine.
The future Queen Consort told British Vogue that she loves texting with her five grandchildren, aged between 12 and 14. “I do Wordle every day with my granddaughter,” she said, revealing a fondness for the online five-letter word puzzle.
“She’ll text me to say, ‘I’ve done it in three’, and I say, ‘Sorry, I’ve done it in two today.’ It’s very satisfactory when it tells you how brilliant you are. It’s very nice getting a text.
“We learn from very young people and they learn from us, too. That’s the way it’s always been.”
Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has a daughter named Lola and son Freddy, while her daughter Laura Lopes has three children – Eliza, Gus and Louis. The duchess said she enjoys spoiling them occasionally by giving them “more of the things that their parents forbid them to have”.
She also disclosed that she picks one of her grandchildren up from school near to her Wiltshire home. “The girls are beginning to get into clothes and make-up and, you know, it’s rather frightening when you see them, coming out with pierced ears and a lot of new make-up and funny-coloured hair and stuff,” she added.
Camilla said her grandchildren want her to get her ears pierced for her birthday but she will not be persuaded. Speaking about the milestone birthday, she said: “I’d be very happy to turn back the clock.
“When you get to any big number, whether it’s 30, 50, 70, you think: ‘God, that’s so old.’ You know, my mother died when she was 72, so I’ve outlived my mother, which is quite strange.”
When asked whether there were benefits to being in your 70s, she said: “Well, I think you can’t do much more about yourself. You’ve done what you can. I think you just accept that you are who you are.
“You get to be a 75-year-old.”
She added that there “won’t be much celebration” for her birthday, which will be spent with family and a small circle of friends. The duchess also opened up about handling press scrutiny from the 1990s onwards.
She said: “It’s not easy. I was scrutinised for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it.
“Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticised and… but I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it.”
Camilla said balancing royal work with her marriage is “not easy sometimes” but she and Charles make sure to “sit down together and have a cup of tea and discuss the day”.
She said: “You know when we go away, the nicest thing is that we actually sit and read our books in different corners of the same room.”
An avid reader, the duchess said she was amazed when her online book club, The Duchess Of Cornwall’s Reading Room, garnered a hefty following on Instagram – now at the 138,000 mark. he July issue of British Vogue, which includes the full interview, is available from June 21.
Ahead of its release, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, described Camilla as one of the most “enigmatic” women in the world. Writing on Instagram, he said: “The duchess may be one of the most recognisable women in the world, but she is also one of its most enigmatic.
“As she approaches another chapter, we are pleased to mark her Vogue debut with photographer Jamie Hawkesworth’s intimate portraits. They capture not only a moment in time but also a moment in history.”
The ITV documentary – called Camilla’s Country Life, by Spun Gold TV and award-winning director Michael Waldman – accompanies the duchess as she plans an overseas special edition of the magazine for its 125th year.
Jo Clinton-Davis, ITV controller of factual, said the documentary will show Camilla “at close quarters” as she invites writers to discover her passions and meets charity workers.
Ms Clinton-Davis said: “This film presents a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the Duchess of Cornwall, at close quarters, immersed within her personal passions and engaged with some of those closest to her.”
