Queen Camilla’s role model revealed - and it’s helped her make Charles a better monarch

Queen Camilla has been a vital asset in making King Charles’ first year as monarch a success, experts have agreed. And the secret to Camilla’s support, which has made Charles a better King, could all be down to the person who the Queen is reportedly studying as a role model – and that’s her late father-in-law, Prince Philip.

• Queen Camilla’s steadfast support has “made Charles a better King”, claim royal experts
• Camilla’s support and understanding of how to be a consort to the monarch is all down to lessons she picked up from Prince Philip, going on record with citing him as an influence on her in the past
• In other royal news, Prince William and Kate unlikely to 'make peace' with Prince Harry and Meghan for ‘sake’ of their children

The life of a monarch can be complex. Take Charles III’s ascension to the throne. A monumental day – but also one shrouded in sadness, as he was made King the second his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on September 8, 2022.

The late Queen had the same rollercoaster of emotions, herself appointed Queen at the young age of 25 after the premature death of her father, King George VI.

Reigning for 70 years, the late Queen had a rock solid support in the form of her husband, Prince Philip, and Queen Camilla is reportedly following the same playbook to make her husband, Charles, the best King he can be.

We know that Camilla was always going to rely on lessons learnt from her late father-in-law, even before she was officially crowned Queen alongside Charles at his Coronation in May 2023.

In a documentary, titled Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, which aired following Philip's death in 2021, Camilla was already talking about the inspiration she was getting as a consort to the monarch.

She said, “I saw the way he supported the Queen, not in a flashy way but just by doing it quietly. It's something I've learned by.”

This quiet support is something royal expert Marlene Koenig has credited with making Charles’ first year as king a success.  

Speaking to the Express, she said, “Charles has gained confidence in his new role, ably and lovingly supported by his wife. This is an important factor: love wins.”

She added, “And with having a supportive and loving wife, Charles is a far better monarch – and person. He knows he has to rein in his views on many topics – but he is able to find other ways to express and act on them. His popularity is growing – and there are always crowds when he makes an appearance.”

This isn’t the first time this steady support has been explored.

Previously, an expert has told woman&home how the evolution of Camilla and Charles’ body language over the years reveals a lot about the subtle ways they’ve grown to depend on another – and the strength Camilla gives her husband.

Body language expert Darren Stanton explained, “When pictured with Camilla, Charles is totally relaxed and completely congruent with his non-verbal communication.”

“She no doubt props Charles up in a number of ways and it makes for an interesting dynamic within their relationship,” he continued.

“So much so, that Camilla is often seen as a reassurance and a support to Charles, helping him in his formal role whereas when we look at the personalities of William and Kate there seems to be more balance within the relationship.”