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Prince Harry’s revelations in his 2023 memoir Spare have resurfaced just as King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary — highlighting the complicated and still-discussed family dynamics behind their union.
In the memoir, Harry revealed that both he and Prince William had asked their father not to marry Camilla. While they were supportive of their father having a companion and accepted Camilla as part of his life, they feared that a formal marriage would reignite public scrutiny and reopen wounds surrounding their late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry recalled saying:
“You don’t need to remarry, we pleaded… It would make the whole country, the whole world, talk about Mummy, compare Mummy and Camilla, and nobody wanted that. Least of all, Camilla.”
Despite this heartfelt request, King Charles went ahead with his plans. He and Camilla were married in April 2005 through a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, followed by a religious blessing at St. George’s Chapel. Both William and Harry attended, though Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip only joined for the blessing, due to the Queen’s position as head of the Church of England.
After the marriage, Camilla gradually took on a larger role within the royal family. In 2022, upon Queen Elizabeth’s death, she officially became Queen alongside King Charles — a role the late Queen publicly endorsed prior to her passing.
Harry’s comments, while respectful, underline the tension and emotional complexity that still surrounds Camilla’s place in royal history, particularly from the perspective of Diana’s sons. Yet despite that past, the royal family has continued to evolve, with Camilla firmly positioned at King Charles’ side as Queen.