It was the honeymoon photos of the new Princess of Wales that allowed me to go to Camp Diana.
I’ve always hated the Royal Family, because of their hunting, shooting and fishing ethos. The bearskin hats worn for ceremonial duties. Their love for horse racing and polo. Fly fishing!
But the sight of Diana at Balmoral, clearly itching in scratchy, sloppy tweed, trying to mask her boredom, had the animal lovers among us cheering her to the rafters.
We quickly fell in love with her refusal not only to kill animals for pleasure, but also to refuse to be stiff and formal, and to champion unpopular causes such as campaigning for victims of AIDS, eating disorders and poor mental health .
The sight of Diana at Balmoral, clearly itchy in scratchy, sloppy tweed, trying to mask her boredom, had the animal lovers among us cheering her to the rafters
Princess Diana announces on Panorama that ‘there were three of us in this marriage’
The Welsh Guards next to the gun carriage with the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales
Camilla drank sherry and went out with the Beaufort Hunt in Didmarton in 1999
Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005 left Liz Jones still unconvinced
Camilla was of course the villain of the piece. When the recorded conversations between her and Charles were released (I sat in my office calling The Sun’s phone line to pay to listen to them, my mouth agape), not to mention the moment when Diana, during her BBC interview with Martin Bashir, revealed ‘There were three of us in this marriage’, I and every woman who has ever been cheated, lied to or humiliated by a man would forever hold Diana in high esteem for her courage to to pronounce. When she died in Paris in 1997, the grief was personal, heartfelt and overwhelming. I didn’t sob so hard when my own father died a year later: I had no more tears to shed.
When Camilla finally married the man she had always been in love with, I was neither convinced nor excited. I just didn’t want to know. How dare she make Diana so unhappy, push her aside so much? She wasn’t that young, not nearly as beautiful. Yes, she and Charles had more in common, but they should have decided that sooner!
I only really started to thaw towards Camilla, drop by drop, after Queen Elizabeth died. She seemed to have a quiet dignity. Other women suddenly seemed very shrill and loud. Remember how Camilla calmed Charles down when he was annoyed with a pen and ink? As the culture changed and women embraced MeToo and refused to be victims, the fact that Camilla had never whined, looked bored, or bleated at the camera, “Things aren’t going well,” was suddenly a beacon of strength.
When Charles was diagnosed with cancer, she didn’t sit by his bedside and stroke his hand, she dusted herself off and carried on, working hard, with a smile on her face. When her beloved brother, environmentalist Mark Shand, died, she took up the mantle and raised money for Asian elephant conservation.
I always hated that she liked fox hunting, being photographed and drinking sherry. When hunting with dogs became illegal, she gave it up, while many others continued. That she no longer participates in a blood sport that she was raised to enjoy and that seemed normal to her and her class (Charles loved it too) is a welcome step in the right direction. Yes, we can change, yes we can bend to the will of the people.
The vegan coronation scroll was a triumph for animal lovers
Camilla was seen calming the situation when the king appeared annoyed with a pen
Camilla wrote to PETA to announce that she would no longer purchase anything containing animal fur
Earlier this week, Camilla wrote to PETA, the animal rights campaign group, to announce that she would no longer buy anything containing animal fur. It’s a small step, because she may still wear vintage fur from time to time. Not as heartwarming as Queen Elizabeth, who sat next to a rescued straight-backed beagle named Guy in her car on the way to Meghan’s wedding rehearsal, not an Awwww moment, but welcome nonetheless.
Camilla’s decision follows a long list of animal-friendly actions that the royal family has taken in recent months. Earlier this month the RSPCA announced that King Charles is its new patron, saying: ‘His Majesty’s strong voice for nature and regenerative agriculture will be vital in raising awareness of animal welfare and empowering more people than ever inspire to create a better world for everyone. animal.’ Foie gras is no longer served in the Royal Household, and the Coronation Roll, the official record of last year’s ceremony, was produced on paper and not parchment, which is made from animal skin. But Rome wasn’t built in one day. A 2023 Guardian investigation reported that Sandringham has been ‘linked to the deaths and disappearances of a range of legally protected birds’ over the past two decades.
Animal Aid found that more than 7,000 mammals and birds were killed on royal land in one year. Among that number, thousands of foxes and corvids were killed to protect the estate’s pheasants from predators. Snares are banned in Wales and Scotland, but not in England. In 2021, PETA wrote to the then Prince of Wales asking for a ban on snares at Sandringham, but claims to have received no response to this day. Balmoral is used to organizing ‘simple’ shootings.
But I do think Camilla is listening to what the mainstream British public wants. According to the RSPCA, 95 percent of us don’t agree with wearing fur. Charles clearly takes note of her advice. I like to imagine her whispering in his ear, gently persuading and guiding. So, Camp Camilla it is. Hats off to her without a bearskin. I can’t wait to see which long-cherished tradition will meet a sticky end next…