Princess Anne Did Not Like Queen Camilla Being Given the Queen Consort Title, Here's Why

Queen Elizabeth II announced in early 2022 that, following her death, Camilla Parker Bowles would be recognized as queen consort. However, Princess Anne, the sole daughter of the queen and sister of King Charles, was reportedly not pleased with the alteration. Anne and Queen Camilla did not get along at first, according to royal biographer Angela Levin's book Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: A Royal Survivor.

The author further revealed that this was likely due to Camila's discomfort with Anne's 'frosty demeanor,' which she found challenging and unsettling to deal with. As reported by OK Magazine, Levin mentioned in the book, "Like many people who didn't know Anne well, Camilla found her frosty demeanor difficult and somewhat unnerving to cope with [at first]. Anne was, for many years, opposed to the idea of Camilla being granted the title of Queen Consort."

Andrew Parker Bowles dated Anne before his marriage to Camilla, and the relationship between the two may have caused friction between the Princess Royal and the queen consort. Elle claimed that Andrew and Anne were the first to date among Camilla, Charles, and Charles' sister Princess Anne, who all belonged to the same social circle. After a few years of dating, the romance died out, in part because Andrew was Catholic and so could not legally marry a member of the royal family.

The author of Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, Sally Bedell Smith, revealed to Elle, "It's unclear when their romance wound down, but Anne had no shortage of young men interested in her, among them Mark Phillips, whom she first met in 1968. They announced their engagement early in 1973 and were married later that year. Anne and Andrew have remained friends to this day, and he is a godfather of Anne and Mark's daughter Zara, born in 1981."

Levin further stated in her book, "[Anne's] relationship with Camilla was particularly awkward as they had both been involved with Andrew Parker Bowles. Princess Anne reportedly initially gave Camilla the cold shoulder. It was little consolation that the Princess Royal had also had a frosty relationship with Diana, for whom she had no time before she married Charles, and with Sarah, Duchess of York. Anne has seen for herself how hard Camilla has worked for the monarchy and her sense of duty. Gradually, she became more amenable."

Additionally, Anne finally spoke up on her sister-in-law Camilla's ties to the royal family and King Charles in a BBC documentary that aired in 2023. As reported by Marie Claire, Anne revealed, "I’ve known [Camilla] a long time off and on. Her understanding of the role and how much difference it makes to the king has been absolutely outstanding. This role is not something that she’d be a natural for but she does it really well. She provides that change of speed and tone, that’s equally important." The documentary took a 'behind-the-scenes' look at how Charles and Camilla have acclimated to being King and Queen Consort, including unseen video of dress rehearsals building up to the formal Coronation Day in May 2023.