A GRADUAL changing of the guard is happening at the head of the royal family in Britain, as Queen Elizabeth II steps back from public engagements due to her advanced age and health.

Charles – Prince of Wales, the eldest son and heir to the 95-year-old monarch – has been shouldering more of the burden of official duties for several years, including overseas.

His wife, Camilla, is also increasingly stepping into the fray, both online during coronavirus pandemic restrictions in the past year and in person, after curbs were lifted.

Joining the couple at the royal vanguard are William, and his wife, Kate Middleton. William is Charles’ eldest son from his former marriage to Princess Diana.

They have earned a greater share of the media coverage that would previously have gone to the monarch, who has been advised to rest by doctors.

Their presence at events – from the world premiere of the latest James Bond film to meeting world leaders at the G7 and United Nations (UN) climate summits – is a clear sign of change to come.

Majesty Magazine managing editor Joe Little told AFP that their visibility “will accelerate within the fullness of time”.

“But a lot of people are now familiar with Camilla and getting to know her.”

Rehabilitation

Camilla, 74, also known as the Duchess of Cornwall, will become consort when Charles, 72, takes the throne. William, 39, will move up the line of succession to heir apparent.

Only a few years ago, a different “Fab Four” were seen as the future of the most famous family in Britain: William and Kate, along with his younger brother, Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle.

But plans dramatically changed last year, when Harry and Meghan moved to the United States, from where they have criticised the family and even accused it of racism.

The rise of Camilla – once a hate-figure for being “the other woman” in Charles and Diana’s marriage – has been remarkable.

“Her position has certainly evolved, and there has been a huge and long process of rehabilitation since… she was described as this Rottweiler at the time of Diana,” royal historian Anna Whitelock told the Daily Express.

Camilla, like other royals, was forced into a more public role by the coronavirus pandemic, when the world moved online.

But she has taken on the role with aplomb and won fans, even if in the eyes of some she can never be forgiven for her role in the collapse of Charles and Diana’s marriage.

“There are lots of Camilla supporters out there,” said Little.

“The sense is that she is coping with it very well. She has been a member of the royal family for 16 years, so she has had quite a bit of experience of high-profile things… She has become very proficient at it.”

Since the death of Prince Philip, the husband of the queen of 73 years, in April, Camilla has been seen and heard more frequently at official royal engagements and charity events.

This week, she accompanied Charles – a longstanding environmentalist – to the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow, to urge world leaders to stop runaway climate change.

Last month, the couple supported the queen at the official opening of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.

Camilla was also present as the monarch undertook her first ceremonial engagement since her husband’s death – the State Opening of Parliament in May.

In the coming weeks, the couple will embark on the first royal overseas tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, visiting Egypt, which will host COP27, and Jordan. – AFP, November 7, 2021.