Camilla From Outcast to Queen Consort

Camilla From Outcast to Queen Consort was written by one of my favorite UK news reporters, Angela Levin. It paints a much different portrait of Camilla than that in Tom Bower’s recently updated book Rebel King. Let's see what Levin tells us about her.

The publisher's summary:

For many years, Camilla was portrayed in a poor light, blamed by the public for the break-up of the marriage between Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Initially, Queen Elizabeth refused to see or speak to her, but, since the death of Prince Philip, Camilla had become one of the Queen's closest companions. Her confidence in Camilla and the transformation she had seen in Prince Charles since their wedding resulted in her choosing the first day of her Platinum Jubilee year to tell the world that she wanted Camilla to be Queen Consort, not the demeaning Princess Consort suggested in 2005.

Angela Levin uncovers Camilla’s rocky journey to be accepted by the royal family and how she coped with her brutal portrayal in Netflix's The Crown. The public have witnessed her tremendous contribution to help those in need, especially during COVID. Levin has talked to many of Camilla’s long-term friends, her staff and executives from the numerous charities of which Camilla is patron. She reveals why Camilla concentrates on previously taboo subjects, such as domestic violence and rape. Most of all, Levin tells the story of how Camilla has changed from a fun-loving young woman to one of the senior royals’ hardest workers. She has retained her mischievous sense of humor, becoming a role model for older women and an inspiration for younger ones.

Camilla is both an extraordinary love story and a fascinating portrait of an increasingly confident Queen Consort in waiting. It is an essential read for anyone wanting a greater insight into the royal family.

Tom Bower gave us a picture of Camilla as lazy. Angela Levin tells us she is hard working and nice to everyone she meets. However, Levin admits that Camilla did not begin to work hard until she married Charles. Both of them had a big lifestyle adjustment to make after the marriage. As I approached the halfway point in the book I wondered whether it was just a puff piece. Camilla can do no wrong in the author's eyes. Yet Levin has a reputation in the UK as a fabulous journalist. It doesn't really matter much to me because I began to get bored while reading. Levin accounted for every outing her subject had, the clothes and jewels she wore and that people were surprised that Camilla was nice. It was too much repetition. Factor in that I only read the book as a compliment to the one I recently read on the life of Charles and that I don't like Camilla much. 

I was surprised that Camilla has a huge fear of being jeered in public. It shouldn't have been that surprising given the public abuse she endured for many years from Diana fans. She is still on edge when she is out in public. While I watched the coronation I thought to myself that she looked afraid when she was crowned and wondered if she thought about usurping the throne from Diana. We all know karma is the baddest bitch we know. With the information we get from the book it is likely that Camilla actually had those thoughts.

While I love seeing the author on UK news stations, her book was not very enlightening. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.