King Charles has gone from a “confused” young man to a monarch who is “comfortable” in his own skin and like the “grandfather of the nation” thanks to Queen Camilla, experts tell PALACE CONFIDENTIAL ahead of his 75th birthday

King Charles went from a “confused young man” to the “grandfather of the nation” thanks to the love and support of his wife Camilla, a royal expert has claimed.

In a special episode of Palace Confidential to mark the monarch’s 75th birthday next month, Richard Kay said Charles was “very comfortable in his own skin”.

“Prince of Wales, as he was then, was a confused man.”

“He was constantly competing with his wife [Princess Diana] and unsure of himself, he was often criticized in public.

“But the king he is today? He is a man who is much more comfortable in his own skin, thanks in large part to his marriage to Queen Camilla.

King Charles went from a “confused young man” to the “grandfather of the nation” thanks to the love and support of his wife Camilla, a royal expert has claimed. Charles and Camilla are pictured

Mr Kay also noted that Charles was once considered too politically outspoken – but can now “look back with some satisfaction that many of the views he held thirty years ago are now widely held and enjoy broad public support”.

However, Charles’ first year as king was dominated by the themes of Harry, Meghan and Andrew.

“I think this will continue. I think what his reaction is interesting,” Mr Kay added.

“He has remained stoically silent, almost insensitive to many of the statements and comments coming out of California, and I think that will continue.”

“I think he is developing into what he wants to be, which is the grandpa of the nation.”

“It was always so difficult to follow the queen.”

Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English added that senior members of the royal staff have said the king is the “first to admit” that he has “made mistakes in his personal life” in the past.

She added: “But should he be expected to atone for these mistakes for the rest of his time on earth?” Time is a healer and people accept the man he is.

“He is much happier personally and that affects his professional life too.”

In a special episode of Palace Confidential to mark the monarch’s 75th birthday next month, Richard Kay said Charles was “very comfortable in his own skin”.

Charles was “confused” as a young man, the experts say

The relationship between King Charles and the future Queen Camilla has been a roller coaster ride since they met at a polo match at Windsor Great Park in 1970.

After what seemed like a lengthy bachelor period, then-Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981 in a televised ceremony watched by millions, while Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973.

After high-profile divorces and a royal scandal, Charles and Camilla made their first public appearance together a year after Diana’s death and finally married in 2005 in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall with just 28 guests.

During her 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II announced that the then-Duchess of Cornwall would be named Queen Consort when Charles was king – a title she later assumed following the late queen’s death in September 2022.

King Charles and the Queen’s consort are beaming widely in the photo released with the invitation to the coronation ceremony

Camilla’s public image has changed after she was initially cast as the “third” person in the marriage of Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy willing to serve the nation.

After Diana’s death in 1997, the nation took some time to familiarize itself with the future queen, and when Camilla married Charles in 2005, the question of her future title was a point of contention.

At the time, palace leadership said she would always be known simply as “Princess Consort” – until Queen Elizabeth II ended years of uncertainty over the matter by assuring Camilla’s future status in a historic platinum jubilee declaration.

In her surprise announcement in February 2022, Her late Majesty stated that it was her “sincere wish” that her daughter-in-law would be fully recognized as king upon Charles’ accession.

And the first indication that the king’s long-held dream of having his wife crowned queen alongside him was finally coming true was the wording of the coronation invitation itself: “The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III. and Queen Camilla.”

Officials last night released an image of the lavishly illustrated invitation that will be sent out later this month to 2,000 guests who have secured a coveted spot at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Charles and Camilla in the service of prayer and devotion at the blessing of their wedding at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005

When asked about the title – although Camilla was still referred to as “Queen Consort” in the accompanying press release – a senior royal aide confirmed: “It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as ‘Queen Consort’ for distinction in the early months of His Majesty’s reign by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

“Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to contrast with King Charles on the invitation.” The coronation is an appropriate time to use “Queen Camilla” in an official capacity. All of the Queen’s former consorts were known as “Queen” and by their first names.

It’s a stark contrast to how Camilla was viewed in the early years of her and Charles’ relationship – even the late queen initially “wanted nothing to do with her”.

Just 12 months after the accident in Paris that killed Princess Diana, Charles visited his mother seeking approval and support for his relationship with Camilla, then-wife Parker Bowles.

It wasn’t a happy meeting. A senior royal confidant told The Daily Mail at the time: “The Queen told her son she never wanted to speak about this evil woman and had nothing to do with her.”

Charles and Camilla leave the Ritz Hotel in London after attending a party for Camilla’s sister’s 50th birthday on their first official outing together in 1999

However, in the end, the late monarch personally supported “Queen Camilla” and accepted Charles’ former lover as a respected member of the “Firm”.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail revealed back in December that the palace plans to “organically” remove the word “Consort” from Camilla’s title this year.

This was confirmed by The Mail on Sunday in February when it was reported that she would be referred to as queen after the coronation.

For Camilla, the once unthinkable change marks a remarkable shift in the nation’s affection.

When she married the then-Prince of Wales in a civil ceremony in 2005 – which Queen Elizabeth refused to attend – it was announced that Camilla “intended” to be known as “Princess Consort” when her husband ascended to the throne.

The use of the word “intends” was intended to give royal aides leeway, but at the time many still blamed them for the breakdown of Charles’s marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Since then, however, 75-year-old Camilla has won over many with her warmth, sense of humor, lack of complaint and commitment to helping victims of domestic violence and promoting literacy.

A royal insider said last night: “His Majesty has always seen it as a matter of honour.” He is king, so it follows that his wife should be queen. It’s more like telling someone they can’t be known as Mrs. So-and-so.

“It is entirely up to them whether they choose to be called that, but it is still fundamentally their right to do so.”