Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey recalls secret meeting with Camilla in Peckham
The former Archbishop of Canterbury recalls his secret meeting with the Queen Consort in Peckham amid the reunion of Camilla and the then Prince Charles after the royal family’s divorce from Princess Diana.
George Carey, who served as the top cleric from 1991 to 2002, told ITVX’s The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor that his “animated conversation” with the then Camilla Parker Bowles convinced him to “talk to other people behind the scenes.” .
It was said to be instrumental in paving the way for King Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005. Years earlier, the late Queen Elizabeth II had refused to entertain the idea of the couple officially being together.
Lord Carey recalled why he decided to meet in South East London, saying: ‘I wanted a secret place that wasn’t in my office and therefore wouldn’t arouse other people’s interest and get out. “I said, ‘I have a son in Peckham. This is his address. Can we meet?”‘
A few weeks later, Charles’ future wife visited the address and Lord Carey was struck by the ‘nice-looking, intelligent’ Camilla, who explained: ‘We had a very animated conversation.
Charles and Camilla leave The Ritz hotel in London after attending a 50th birthday party for Camilla’s sister on their first official outing together in 1999
“We talked about her relationship with Charles, going back to when they were teenagers,” he continued during episode four.
“And after she left, I said, ‘Well, I could never treat her other than as a very nice person who is deeply in love with Charles.’
‘And that touched me in the conversations with other people behind the scenes. I hoped it had a way out, I think it did.’
Speaking of the royal couple’s 2005 nuptials, Lady Anne Glenconner, the late Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting, said Charles “shone”.
‘I have known [Charles] since he was about four years old and I’ve never seen him so happy. He finally realized he was where he wanted to be,” she added.
In an earlier episode, the former Archbishop of Canterbury – who had been “thrown in to help” King Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding – suggested that they would never be “successful”.
Lord Carey said he was called in to try and salvage the couple’s turbulent relationship.
George Carey (pictured), who served as the top cleric from 1991 to 2002, told ITVX’s The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor that his “animated conversation” with the then Camilla Parker Bowles convinced him to “get behind the scenes with other people ‘
In an earlier episode, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who was ‘thrown to help’ with the wedding of King Charles and Princess Diana (pictured in South Korea in 1992) suggested they would never be ‘successful’
He said: ‘I was when the Archbishop of Canterbury was involved in this.
‘I remember meeting at number 10 Downing Street with [former Prime Minister] John Major and some members of the cabinet are struggling with what we can do to help.”
“The role I took on was to try and meet,” added Lord Carey, who claimed the “dynamic between” Charles and Diana, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, “would not be successful.”
He continued, “Charles deep thinking, a slower personality, reflective. Diana, dynamic, lively, less driven, it wasn’t going to work.’
For centuries, the Archbishops of Canterbury have been tasked with helping members of the Royal Family resolve some of the most vexing issues of the day.
Perhaps most famously, Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer wrestled with the king’s demand to divorce Anne Boleyn. Cranmer succeeded.
More recently, his modern-day successor, Justin Welby, was asked by King Charles to make a deal for Prince Harry to attend his coronation – but was met with opposition from Prince William, The Mail on Sunday revealed.
Charles wanted Welby to strike an agreement with his feuding sons that would allow Harry and his wife Meghan to attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony in May, senior sources close to Lambeth Palace say.
Last week, it was confirmed that Prince Harry will attend the coronation alone, while his wife Meghan Markle, 41, will remain in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, one.
At the coronation, which is only three weeks away, both King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be crowned in front of 2,000 people at Westminster Abbey.
All episodes of The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor are available to stream exclusively on ITVX starting today