Queen Camilla 'hurt' by Prince Harry's blistering attack in Spare which branded her a 'villain'

Queen Camilla was 'hurt' by Prince Harry's memoir Spare, in which she was labelled 'dangerous' and a 'villain', according to one of her closest friends. 

Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, who was recently chosen to be one of the Queen's official companions, has long been a friend of the Queen's and supported her during the 1990s when details of her relationship with Charles emerged. She has now spoken about Camilla for the first time in an interview with the Sunday Times.

Harry claimed in Spare, which was published in January, that his father's wife leaked stories about the Royal Family to the media to bolster her image.

He added she had 'sacrificed him' in order to improve her reputation, and accused other palace sources of briefing the press about his wife Meghan.

The coronation will be the first time Prince Harry will see his stepmother since the Queen's funeral, in which time he released his damning book and saw his and Meghan's Netflix series air.

Queen Camilla was left 'hurt' by Prince Harry's comments about her in Spare, close friend Lady Lansdowne has said

The Duke of Sussex claimed he and Prince William 'begged' their father not to marry Camilla

The King and Queen will both be crowned in a ceremony on May 6

Despite the decision for him to attend alone while Meghan remains with the couple's children in California, it is feared the ceremony will be an awkward affair due to the anger still felt by members of the Royal Family in the wake of Harry's bombshell memoir.

In Spare, he wrote of Camilla: 'I have complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar.'

Harry also said that he and his brother William had 'begged' their father not to marry Camilla because they feared she would become their 'wicked stepmother'.

In another blow, Harry described Camilla as 'dangerous' and a 'villain' who left 'bodies in the street' in her desire to change the public's perception of her.

At the time, there was no word on how the new Queen felt but an aide has now told The Sunday Times: 'It was not stamping of feet or gnashing of teeth – it was much more of an eye-roll response.'

Lady Lansdowne also spoke to the paper and said: 'Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts. But she doesn't let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, "Don't make a thing of it and it will settle down – least said, soonest mended." '

Camilla appears to have had a similarly laid-back approach to her new title of Queen, a change first reported by The Mail on Sunday.

Close friends told The Sunday Times that she was never 'that bothered' by the title and 'never in a million years' thought she would become Queen. 

Lady Lansdowne, who is godmother to Camilla's daughter Laura Lopes, added: 'It was quite daunting [when Camilla married Charles] but nothing she couldn't cope with. Once they were married she knew what was coming. 

'The extraordinary thing is that she has taken it on now at 75. It's a hell of a thing to be doing when most of us are settling down into retirement.'

But Camilla is said to be 'mindful' of the new 'superpower' of being Queen and the added weight of responsibility it brings.

Behind closed doors she is known to be 'steely as f***' and a 'lady boss' but still has to fight her corner in Palace circles.

Charles and Camilla on their wedding day, after they got married in Windsor in 2005

It was confirmed this week that Prince Harry will attend the coronation alone while Meghan stays in California

Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will not be attending the coronation ceremony, despite her close friendship with the late Queen, as she was not invited

A source close to Camilla told The Sunday Times: 'You can see it with the rehearsals for the Coronation – getting her voice heard has sometimes been challenging.

'But she is making sure her voice is heard by going, "This is what I think about it," and by talking to the King. He wants to make his wife happy – she has earned that right. She is anxious it should go well and has instincts about ways it might be better tweaked.'

Lady Lansdowne added: 'She's not going to be pushed about. She won't have a hissy fit, but she'll say, 'No, I want it done this way.'

'It's an incredibly important date for both of them.'

Some of her views are reportedly represented in her insistence that her teenage grandchildren are included in the Coronation - they will help carry her train.

She also recounted how Queen Camilla was vilified in the 1990s before she married King Charles.

Camilla herself has acknowledged the intense strain her relationship with the then-Prince of Wales had on her.

In an article for her 75th birthday, she told British Vogue: '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. But I think in the end I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You've got to get on with life.'

Her crowning next month alongside her husband will be the first coronation in the UK for 70 years.

It could be an awkward affair, after it was revealed this week that many members of the Royal Family have no interest in speaking to Prince Harry beyond the most basic of greetings.

Prince Harry's memoir also accused Camilla of 'sacrificing' him on 'her personal PR altar'

The possible exceptions to this include Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who have long been close allies of the Duke of Sussex. 

It was this week confirmed that Prince Harry will attend his father's Coronation ceremony alone, and is not expected to be at any of other events during the weekend or be a part of the coronation procession.

Friend of the couple Omid Scobie was quick to reveal to his followers that a large reason Meghan had decided to stay in LA was because Archie is set to turn four on the same day as the ceremony.

Despite his wife's hurt by allegations made by the Duke, King Charles is said to be 'happy' that he will see his 'darling boy' on his big day - but disappointed that he will not see Meghan or his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet. 

On Thursday it was revealed that the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has not been invited to the Coronation - news that came as a shock to some royal fans.

Her ex-husband the disgraced Prince Andrew, as well as their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will all attend.

Sarah did attend the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey last September, but was not one of the 30 guests for Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021.

She was not invited to Prince William and Kate's wedding in 2011, saying she went on holiday to Thailand instead - but did attend Harry and Meghan's marriage at St George's Chapel in Windsor in May 2018.

Her lack of a coronation invitation comes despite Andrew turning up at the Easter Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor, although her ex-husband is still excluded from most of life within the Royal Family.

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