The Duchess turns 75 today and to celebrate she gave her first newspaper interview. Photo / Getty Images
The Duchess turns 75 today and to celebrate she gave her first newspaper interview. Photo / Getty Images
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall is set to turn 75 today and to celebrate, the royal has given what might be her first and only newspaper interview.
Speaking to Rebecca English, Royal Editor for the Daily Mail, the future Queen Consort revealed herself as the most "delightfully relatable" royal and disused the one thing that makes her "quite cross."
"Families don't sit down any longer, do they, and have dinner,"
"Because I am ancient, in the old days, we all sat down [to eat]. Now everyone is on their devices. People take those flipping phones [with them to the table]! You have to take them away from them."
She went on to say she believes that while social media is capable of great good, it is ultimately a double-edged sword, "Social media can achieve a lot of good, but then you have the nightmare of children going on and seeing things they don't understand.
"And then they can't have a conversation or look you in the face. I am always saying: "Stop it and look up at me [to her grandchildren]!"
Camilla, who was recently on the cover of Country Life magazine as a celebration of her birthday, was photographed by her daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge. It's something she said was a "great deal of fun", and she ultimately loved the result.
"We had a great deal of fun and laughter taking the pictures, and I love the result," she said. "Being photographed at my ripe old age is not something I really enjoy."
Going on to reveal despite Prince Charles' sometimes difficult relationship with his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, he is "revelling" as a grandfather and loves reading his grandchildren bedtime stories when he has the opportunity.
"He's very good because he does all these voices for them. He loves Babar the Elephant. They are such lovely books, I think all ages love them, even grown-ups."
As for her own grandchildren, the Duchess is a very busy woman but has learnt to say "no" to events from time to time and schedules time for herself. When she needs her downtime, she usually spends it with her grandchildren or in her garden.
"I absolutely adore my garden. And the nice thing about gardening is that you can do it and not have to think about it. It's very therapeutic,"
"Or I go and see the grandchildren. I pick them up from school when I can. And I read, which is the real joy. When we [she and Charles] go to Scotland, I take a pile of books. You get yourselves into this lovely routine."
Prince Charles and Camilla have been married for 17 years. Photo / Getty Images
The Duchess also revealed how it felt when her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, announced Camilla would become Queen Consort when Prince Charles takes the throne. She told English, "I was extremely touched and very surprised,"
"I feel very, well, flattered... you try to give a bit of service to the country and do it well..." going on to say she understands that when her husband accedes to the throne, the pressure will only grow on the couple, but she is ready for it, the same way the late Prince Philip was.
"I think it is equally important [for us] to support each other as a team in the years ahead,' she says, adding matter-of-factly: "I don't quite go at the pace of my husband... He's like a machine. I don't know how he does it.
"But you sort of get on with it. The adrenaline sets in so you keep going, and then at the end of one of these tours, for example, something goes pop and you are like a deflated balloon.
