The Queen is lauded for very rarely expressing a personal opinion, meaning that the general public know very little about what she actually thinks.
The 96-year-old monarch has journeyed through her life by honouring the famous royal motto ‘Never Complain, Never Explain’.
This is in complete contrast to the approaches of other royals, such as The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge as we regularly hear their thoughts on subjects ranging from the environment to ongoing political schemes.
Despite this, earlier this year as The Queen marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne an unprecedented statement was released in which Her Majesty openly discussed her hopes for the future of the monarchy.
The message saw The Queen give her blessing for The Duchess of Cornwall to use the Queen Consort title when Prince Charles is on the throne. While many praised the message, the silence of other members of the Royal Family got some experts talking.
The statement was released to coincide with The Queen’s Accession Day on February 6 and read: “I would like to express my thanks to you all for your support.
“I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me.
“And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
The Queen also used the statement to reveal that she had inducted Camilla into The Order of the Garter.
While the announcement was met with praise, the silence of other members of the family prompted questions, according to a royal expert.
Mirror Online's royal podcast, Pod Save the Queen, spoke to famed royal biographer, Andrew Morton, about his 25th book ‘The Queen’ and asked for his opinion on Her Majesty’s unexpected move to actively back The Duchess of Cornwall’s future title.
When asked about the statement, Mr Morton told Pod Save the Queen’s host, Zoe Forsey: “The Queen has incrementally bought [Camilla’s] status higher and higher. A few years ago she put her in the Privy Council so she could be there when the succession was announced.
“Then she was made a member of the Order of the Garter and finally she says that she’d like Camilla to be called Queen Consort.
“That has kind of ended the debate because when Prince Charles first married Camilla, the mood music was that she was never going to be called Queen and within a matter of years they were backtracking very quickly.”
He continued: “The fact that neither William nor Harry seem to have sent effusive congratulations to that position does tend to make you feel that it is one of the few things that the two brothers agree on - that being that neither of them are overly enamoured by Queen Camilla.”
The author went on: “I think they’ve side-stepped the issue by saying that it is a matter for them but as William will be the direct heir and Harry is sixth in line, they should have weighed in with a few sentences congratulating Camilla on her elevation.
“It is what is not said that is where the interesting stuff happens.”
Claims that Prince William and Prince Harry have struggled with their relationship with Camilla were previously unpicked by journalist and author Tina Brown earlier this year in her explosive tell-all book ‘The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil’.
Brown wrote that Harry in particular “can’t stand” his father’s second wife and “resents” her. She explained how both boys had been well aware of his father’s infidelities and knew the details of his affair with Camilla while he was still married to their mum, Diana.
Describing their first meeting with Camilla, the author explained that Harry “unnerved her with long silences and smouldering resentful stares,” whereas Prince William remained “guarded”.
In a previous interview with The Telegraph, Brown spoke about The Queen’s decision to support Camilla’s right to be titled as Queen Consort when the time comes and what Harry thought of it.
She revealed that Harry is “angry” at the decision, saying: “William has accepted Camilla in terms of what she means to his father. He’s been grown-up about it. ‘My father loves this woman, I can’t fight it, so I won’t.’
“Harry, on the other hand, can’t stand Camilla. He doesn’t want Camilla to be queen, he’s very angry that it’s happening. He has not made his peace with it and he probably never will.”
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