Princess Diana Praised Queen Camilla as "Loyal and Discreet" During Charles Affair
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Princess Diana reportedly had some thoughts about Queen Camilla, formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles, and her relationship with the then-Prince Charles.
It's now widely understood that King Charles and Queen Camilla were allegedly engaged in a sprawling affair while they were both married to other people. And according to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, Diana actually had some praise for her husband's rumored longtime mistress.
During an appearance on The Sun’s "Royal Exclusive Live!" show, Bond opened up about her private visits to Princess Diana at Kensington Palace.
"She was complicated and confusing but I liked her a lot," Bond said of Diana. "She invited me to the Palace a couple of times for talks."
Bond continued, "We had long, long, long chats and she told me everything, practically, almost everything in Panorama."
Diana, of course, gave an interview to BBC journalist Martin Bashir for the well regarded news show Panorama in 1995. An inquiry has since called the way the interview was obtained "deceitful." However, Diana made several revelations during the candid interview, which included discussing her feelings on her failed marriage to King Charles.
According to Bond, "[Diana] said, 'There were three of us in this marriage,' and [discussed] whether she had affairs and her view on Camilla. She told me she thought that Camilla was loyal and discreet and deserved some form of recognition."
The Sun's royal photographer Arthur Edwards responded to Bond, saying, "I’ve never heard that before Jennie. That's really terrific."
As for why Bond had never revealed the surprising comments previously, she explained, "Diana said as I was leaving, every time, 'Jennie this is just between you and me.' So what can you do?"
It was previously reported that Diana antagonized Camilla by wearing clothing designed by Dale "Kanga" Tyron, who was allegedly also having an affair with King Charles.
Meanwhile, Diana's protection officer, Ken Wharfe, discussed the former Princess of Wales' ire when her husband allegedly disappeared with Camilla at a party. Speaking to ITV's Lorraine (via the Mirror), Wharfe claimed, "I went out and there was Diana, who said, 'You've got to come with me, I can't find my husband or Camilla.'"
He continued, "Now, I couldn't say no, clearly this woman was in some distress, and eventually we found the Prince and Camilla sat on a sofa in the basement of this property just talking."