Queen Camilla ‘hurt’ by Prince Harry’s blistering attack in Spare which branded her a ‘villain’

Queen Camilla was “hurt” by Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, which labeled her as “dangerous” and a “bad guy,” according to one of her closest friends.

Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, who was recently chosen as one of the Queen’s Official Companions, has been a longtime friend of the Queen and supported her in the 1990s when details of her relationship with Charles emerged. She has now spoken about Camilla for the first time in an interview with the Sunday Times.

Harry claimed in Spare, published in January, that his father’s wife leaked stories about the royal family to the media to boost her image.

He added that she “sacrificed him” to improve her reputation, and accused other palace sources of informing the press about his wife Meghan.

The coronation will be the first time Prince Harry will see his stepmother since the Queen’s funeralin which he released his damning book and watched his and Meghan’s Netflix series air.

Despite the decision that he will only attend while Meghan stays with the couple’s children in California, it is feared the ceremony will be an awkward affair due to the anger members of the royal family still feel after Harry’s bombshell memoir.

In Spare, he wrote of Camilla, “I have complex feelings about getting a stepparent who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar.”

Harry also said that he and his brother William “begged” their father not to marry Camilla because they were afraid she would become their “wicked stepmother.”

In another punch, Harry described Camilla as “dangerous” and a “bad guy” who left “bodies in the street” in her desire to change the public’s perception of her.

At the time there was no word on how the new queen was feeling, but one contributor has now told The Sunday Times: “It wasn’t a foot stamp or a gnashing of teeth – it was very much a blinding reaction.”

Lady Lansdowne also spoke to the newspaper and said: ‘Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts. But she doesn’t let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, “Make nothing of it and it will settle down – to say the least, the fastest recovered.” ‘

Camilla seems to have taken a similarly laid-back approach to her new title of Queen, a change first reported by The Mail on Sunday.

Good friends told The Sunday times that she was never “bothered so much” by the title and “never in a million years” thought she would be queen.

Lady Lansdowne, godmother to Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopes, added: ‘It was quite disheartening [when Camilla married Charles] but nothing she couldn’t handle. Once they were married, she knew what was coming.

“The special thing is that she has now adopted it at the age of 75. It’s a terrible thing to do now that most of us are retiring.’

But Camilla is said to be “aware” of the new “superpower” of being queen and the added responsibility that comes with it.

Known behind closed doors as ‘steely as f***’ and a ‘lady boss’, she still has to fight for her corner in Palace circles.

A source close to Camilla told The Sunday Times: ‘You can see it in the rehearsals for the coronation – getting her voice heard was a challenge at times.

“But she makes sure her voice is heard by saying, ‘This is how I feel about it,’ and by talking to the king. He wants to make his wife happy – she has earned that right. She’s afraid it has to go right and has instincts about ways to make it better.”

Lady Lansdowne added: ‘She won’t let herself be knocked over. She won’t have a hissing fit, but she’ll say, “No, I want it done this way.”

“It’s an incredibly important date for both of us.”

Some of her views are reportedly reflected in her insistence that her teenage grandchildren be included in the coronation – they will help her carry her train.

She also shared how Queen Camilla was slandered in the 1990s before she married King Charles.

Camilla herself admitted that her relationship with the then Prince of Wales was under great strain.

In an article for her 75th birthday, she told British Vogue: ‘It’s not easy. I’ve been scrutinized for so long that you just have to learn to live with it.

“No one likes to be stared at all the time and, you know, criticized. But I think eventually I’ll rise above it a little bit and get on with it. You have to go on living.’

Her coronation next month with her husband will be the first coronation in the UK in 70 years.

It could be an awkward affair after it was revealed this week that many members of the royal family have no interest in speaking to Prince Harry beyond the most basic greetings.

The possible exceptions to this are Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who have long been close allies of the Duke of Sussex.

It was confirmed this week that Prince Harry will only attend his father’s coronation ceremony and is not expected to attend any other events over the weekend or be part of the coronation procession.

Friend of the couple Omid Scobie was quick to reveal to his followers that a big reason Meghan had decided to stay in LA was because Archie turns four on the same day as the ceremony.

Despite his wife’s pain at the duke’s accusations, King Charles is said to be “happy” to see his “cute boy” on his big day – but disappointed he won’t see Meghan or his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet.

It was announced on Thursday that the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has not been invited to the coronation – news that came as a shock to some royal fans.

Her ex-husband, the disgraced Prince Andrew, as well as their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will all be in attendance.

Sarah attended the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey last September, but was not one of 30 guests for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.

She was not invited to Prince William and Kate’s wedding in 2011, saying she went on holiday to Thailand instead – but did attend Harry and Meghan’s wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in May 2018.

Her lack of an invitation to the coronation comes despite Andrew turning up at the Easter service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, although her ex-husband is still barred from most of life within the royal family.