Inside Queen Camilla's Relationship With Charles' Grandkids

Queen Camilla's life was never the same after meeting King Charles III. Although she didn't immediately join the royal family — it took over three decades for the pair to finally wed — eventually she joined one of the most famous institutions in the world. With it, Camilla got lots of new family members, including two step-sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Camilla's relationship with William is very different from that with Harry. The queen consort is much closer with William than she is with Harry, but what about Camilla's relationship with William and Harry's children? As body language expert Judi James pointed out to Express, "The role of step-grandmother can always be a tricky one and, given Camilla's history with George, Charlotte and Louis's real grandma Diana, it must have been more difficult to navigate than most." That assumption appears to be true. Take a closer look inside Queen Camilla's relationship with Charles' grandkids.

Queen Camilla has been in Prince William's life for decades, but he clearly does not see her as a mother figure, and it seems he doesn't want his children to see her as a step-grandmother either. "William has made it clear that Camilla is the wife of his father, but not a step-grandmother to his children," Angela Levin wrote in her book "Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort." But it doesn't seem that there's been any pushback from Camilla. "[Camilla hasn't tried to] ​​take over any responsibility as a step-grandmother to the [Wales] children especially as Catherine's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are so close," Levin wrote. 

A friend of Camilla's, Amanda MacManus, echoed this sentiment, attesting to Camilla's warmth and love for children. "She has her own children and grandchildren so she wouldn't try and take other children away from anyone else," MacManus said, as reported by Levin in her book.

Despite not being seen as a step-grandmother, Camilla has apparently forged a bond with King Charles' grandkids, and it's been on display in public. As body language expert Judi James told Express of Camilla, "The relationship with Camilla and William and Kate's children is depicted as warm and inclusive though, with Camilla recently looking chatty and relatively relaxed with George, Charlotte, and Louis as they rode together in the carriage at the Trooping of the Colour."

The royal family has eyes on them at all times, but scrutiny is felt especially at major events. Queen Camilla, a longtime member of the royal family, clearly understands this, and it seems she wants every Windsor to meet certain behavioral standards. Even though King Charles III's grandkids don't see Camilla as their step-grandmother, the queen consort doesn't seem to have any qualms reprimanding the kids when they're not behaving in a way she sees appropriate. 

In 2022, at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, onlookers noticed some tension between Princess Catherine and Camilla after Princess Charlotte and Prince George got into a little tiff. George pinched Charlotte, and Charlotte let out a noise in response. Camilla seemingly didn't appreciate the antics, and, according to lip readers, told Catherine "Take her," as reported by Express.

Other experts didn't find the interaction quite as damning, though, suggesting that perhaps Camilla has a relationship with Charlotte in which the queen consort can scold the princess without it affecting their bond. "The recent moments where fans have been speculating whether Camilla has been telling her step-granddaughter off are probably seen out of context but even if Camilla was pulling Charlotte up on her behavior the lack of negative response from Charlotte would imply she doesn't find the experience particularly upsetting," body language expert Judi James told Express.

Queen Camilla doesn't interact with Prince George, the oldest of Prince William and Princess Catherine's children, in public very much. However, aside from some examples of the queen consort being upset with the prince's behavior, Camilla seems to have great affection for George. In December 2022, for example, the older royal was spotted greeting the young prince at Westminster Abbey, and the two appeared to embrace and share some kisses on each other's cheeks. In April of the previous year, Camilla was filmed for an interview, and a framed photo of George could be seen in the background.

While Camilla has shown that she's unafraid to step in when it comes to Prince George's behavior, she's also shown she's equally as invested in his well-being. When analyzing footage from an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony when George was young, body language expert Judi James noticed that, despite Camilla sometimes looking uninterested in her step-grandchildren, she's also keenly aware of them. 

When George appeared to be climbing up the balcony, Camilla intervened. "It looks as though a natural nurturing response has kicked in here for Camilla as little George looks about to try to clamber up onto the balcony. Holding her arm out like this does suggest she's keeping an eye out in terms of safety and the gesture looks like one of spontaneous caution," James said to Express. Apparently Camilla doesn't take cues from her husband. "This air of keeping a granny-eye on the children doesn't seem to be something Camilla has learned from Charles, who leans back with a bit of a puzzled-looking frown as his wife steps up to take charge here," James added.

While Queen Camilla has appeared to be fed up with some of Princess Charlotte's behavior in the past, those instances are momentary. Overall, Camilla reportedly has a great relationship with Charlotte, and most of the time the queen consort can depend on the princess to be a good representative of the royal family. "There is one of her royal grandchildren that Camilla does seem to be shown bonding with in most of the public appearances and that is the rather confident and protocol-aware Charlotte," body language expert Judi James told Express of the two royals. "What we can see from their poses together is how Charlotte's ability to break the ice but without being remotely naughty can seem to help Camilla to relax a little at public events, at times when she is showing signs of anxiety or nervousness," James added.

But Camilla and Charlotte aren't only close because Charlotte doesn't act up in public — they seem to have bonded over a shared passion. Both have been seen wearing a horseshoe brooch at public events. Camilla's is the Minoru Brooch, which is said to have been commissioned by King Edward VII in honor of his horse of the same name. Charlotte's brooch belonged to The Queen Mother and was given to her by Queen Elizabeth II before she died. Camilla and Charlotte both wearing the brooches shows a shared interest in equestrianism and is something the two appear to have bonded over.

Although Camilla, Queen Consort, joined the royal family decades ago, she wasn't immediately welcomed by her country, and could have some residual anxiety from the past when she's out in public. The queen may also experience general social anxiety and wish she was at home rather than at a major public event. Whatever the case may be, Camilla has been described by body language experts as having a somewhat tense demeanor about her, especially when around young people. "Camilla's body language will often look awkward and wary when she is meeting small children at royal events and even her own grandchildren have been photographed playing and being tactile with Charles rather than her," body language expert Judi James told Express.

There is one child, however, who has apparently sought to ease Camilla's tension — Prince Louis. The youngest of Prince William and Princess Catherine's children is often highlighted as being silly and rambunctious at royal events, but he's also proven to be very sweet. As James explained to the Mirror, Louis was particularly calming to Camilla on Christmas Day in 2022. 

"[Camilla's] repeated eye-dart rituals as she tried to position herself alongside her husband reflected inner tension or awkwardness and the way Louis stepped away from his parents to join her and chat to her suggested he was keen to cheer her up with some company and help her relax," James said. "Louis' body language is still very spontaneous and small children can often feel or sense when someone needs company," the expert added of the young royal.

Since early 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not been senior members of the royal family, but their issues with the rest of the Windsors predate their exit. According to reports, relations between Harry and Meghan and Harry's family were tense when their son, Prince Archie, was born in 2019. At the time, Harry was frustrated with seemingly his entire life in the United Kingdom, including the media, and he and Meghan reportedly made Archie's first public appearance, a tradition for new members of the royal family, difficult for the press. 

"We were led to believe that she was going into labor at 2 o'clock, when the baby had been born many hours earlier. We were led to believe it was going to be a home birth, and it was at a hospital. The whole thing was just stage-managed to suit them," photographer Arthur Edwards said of Harry and Meghan, as reported by the New York Post.

During that time period, Edwards also shared an unusually intimate moment with Queen Camilla, Archie's step-grandmother. "I remember showing Camilla in, I think, Munich the first pictures of Archie that was taken by the press. I showed her on my phone, and that was the first time she saw him. It was difficult times," Edwards said, showing how fractured Camilla's relationship with Archie has been since his birth.

A child's introduction to the public and a child's christening are two very important moments for those born into the royal family, and both events looked wildly different for Princess Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, than they have for any other royal child in recent history. Both events are usually major to-dos, with introductions drawing crowds and baptisms bringing about new official portraits of the royal family. However, since Lilibet was born in the United States, she didn't have any of the regular fanfare surrounding her birth and christening. Making Lilibet's christening even more different than others, no members of the royal family were in attendance, including King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort. Per sources, however, the king and queen consort, as well as Prince William and Princess Catherine were all invited.

Although Camilla missed Lilibet's christening, she has met the princess. When Lilibet was a year old, Harry's family traveled back to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee. "The prince and the duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them," a source told the BBC of Charles and Camilla, who weren't yet king and queen consort at the time, seeing the kids. "He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing," the source added. Despite what was reportedly a happy visit, Camilla and Charles have not seen Lilibet and Archie, who never travel to the U.K., again since.

Because Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (whom Prince Harry and Meghan Markle keep out of the spotlight) live in the United States and King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, live in the United Kingdom, it's difficult for them to get together. Charles and Camilla have only met Lilibet once, and they've only seen Archie once since he, Harry, and Meghan left Britain. Still, thanks to modern technology there are ways to build a relationship with people who live an ocean away. 

It seems, however, that letters and FaceTime calls with their grandchildren aren't part of Charles and Camilla's life. According to a royal source, tension between Charles and Harry is to blame for the lack of a grandparental relationship. "While he is sorry that he does not have a relationship with his grandchildren in America, it is easier for his peace of mind that there's an ocean between him and Harry," a source told the Daily Mail, as reported by Express.

Naturally, if Charles doesn't have a relationship with his grandchildren, neither does Camilla. "Being a step-granny comes with its own challenges and, given the situation in the U.S., it's unlikely Camilla will ever get the chance to bond with or possibly even get to see Archie and Lilibet," body language expert Judi James told Express. But, despite the tension, it seems that Harry would like for his father, step-mother, and other family members to be in his children's lives. "I've said before that I've wanted a family, not an institution — so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy," Harry told People.