Camilla attends Remembrance service at Westminster Abbey

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The Duke of Cambridge has become a central figure in the Royal Family in the past 18 months, and alongside his father, Prince Charles represented the Royal Family at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow over the past two weeks. Camilla also attended the conference and has become a more appreciated member of the Firm in recent years. The Duchess of Cornwall represented the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey for Armistice Day on Thursday.

She has also undertaken a number of charity endeavours and has worked hard to repair her reputation with the public since her marriage to Charles 16 years ago.

William and his Prince Harry have spoken warmly about their stepmother since she married their father.

However in the years following the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, the relationship between the young princes and Camilla was reportedly acrimonious.

Ms Nicholl wrote in her 2010 book ‘Harry and William’ that William struggled to adapt to the new dynamic when Camilla was first introduced to the family.

The author also claimed that the transition was also difficult for William’s step-sister Laura and that the pair would have “terrible fights”.

Ms Nicholl claimed: “William and Laura used to have terrible fights over who was to blame for their broken homes.”

Ms Nicholl reported how a family friend said: “William would blame Camilla for all the hurt she had caused his mother, which would send Laura into a rage.

“Laura was not having any of it. 

“She would take a hard line and fire back at William ‘your father has ruined my life.’”

Charles and Camilla met in the Seventies, but both went on to marry other people; Camilla wedded Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 while Charles married Diana in 1981.

However neither party was in a happy, settled relationship and Charles ultimately rekindled his romance with Camilla in 1986, while the pair were both still married.

In the Nineties opinion turned on Camilla when her affair with Charles became public.

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That decade also saw William and Harry lose their mother in a car crash when they were just 15 and 12 respectively.

As Camilla was welcomed into the family upon the death of the Princess of Wales, royal biographer Penny Junor claimed that the transition period was “very hard” for the princes.

In her 2017 book ‘The Duchess: The Untold Story’ Ms Junor claimed a member of the royal household said: “Part of the thinking was that, in order for the public to approve of Camilla, she had to be seen with the boys or it wouldn’t work.

“I think the relationship between them all is warm now but if I’m honest, it wasn’t then.

“I think they found it very hard when they were little.

“I remember Harry being uncomfortable and saying something awkward.

“It was difficult for them, it was a natural thing.

“You want your mum, you don’t want her, and she had her own family.”

The source added: “To be fair to Camilla she never tried to be Mummy, but she was the ‘other woman’ and she was there and taking Daddy’s time. 

“It wasn’t all happy families for quite a long time, but William was happy to see his father happy.”

‘Harry and William’ was written by Katie Nicholl and published by Preface Publishing in 2010. It is available here.

‘The Duchess: The Untold Story’ was written by Penny Junor and published by William Collins in 2017. It is available here.

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