Liz Burke: Enough Camilla bashing! It's not a crime to let your smile drop

Being a royal is bloody boring, and Camilla does a pretty good job at feigning interest a lot of the time, which, to be fair, is a decent chunk of the job. Photo / AP

Opinion

One of the least popular royals has been slammed for letting her enthusiasm levels slip during the opening of the Commonwealth Games. You'd do the same, writes Liz Burke of news.com.au

From the explosion on social media a few hours in to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony last night, you'd think a representative of the royal family had herself committed treason.

The onslaught of outrage came as an innocuous act by the Duchess of Cornwall was captured on screen.

Prince Charles with the Duchess of Cornwall, caught on camera flicking through the programme.

Camilla, once reviled as the most hated woman in Britain, seemed to reclaim her title after being busted adopting a disinterested expression and daring to flick through the event's programme for a mere moment as one of the broadcast's dozens of cameras was trained on her and husband Prince Charles as the royal couple was introduced.

The nerve.

Viewers, many presumably specifically tuning in to gleam material for snarky tweets and barely looking up from their mobile screens as they drafted timely one-liners about the "tacky" and "low-rent" celebrations from their couch, shot off barely witty criticisms.

She was "not even trying to look like she wants to be there", showing "a constant look of contempt". Some guessed she was reading a New Idea, or looking for an embarrassing mistake in the programme.

Others drew the inevitable comparison to the late Princess of Wales, suggested "Diana would not have been flicking through a magazine while being formally welcomed".

But seriously. Look up from your phones people. Even the Queens of People's Hearts sometimes had resting bored face. Of course she would have looked disinterested for a few moments, as would any of us in the same position.

Games officials have since come out and defended the Duchess, saying she was tired after a big trip.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin told a media briefing the Duchess was badly jet-lagged during the ceremony, despite arriving in Australia 36 hours before it began.

Martin said a day of travelling from Wagga Wagga to the Gold Coast, which included a drive from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, did the Duchess in.

"She'd just got off the plane in the morning with a full duty right through (the day)," Martin said.

"She was absolutely shattered. She was jet-lagged."

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, right, are greeted by Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Photo / AP

There's hypocrisy in the outrage around this — it's not a crime in letting the smile glued to your face drop during an hours-long show — and there's also a misunderstanding of the Commonwealth leaders' roles.

Being a royal is bloody boring, and Camilla does a pretty good job at feigning interest a lot of the time, which, to be fair, is a decent chunk of the job.

I understand it's tricky to feel sorry for someone handed a life of endless luxury, but the life of a real princess (which Camilla technically is) is not always as glamorous as the fairytales would have you think.

Yes they get frocked up and have front-row seats at special balls, openings, and other exclusive events, but you'll never see them gorging on canapés or busting out on the dance floor.

For royals, it's all hand-shaking, faux-smiling, and sitting patiently through endless speeches for events and causes they mostly have little to do with and even less interest in.

The Duke and Duchess didn't front up to the Games because they're mad beach volleyball fans or were keen for a night out on Cavill Ave.

Prince Charles, left, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, second right, stand with Louise Martin and Peter Beattie. Photo / AP

They went to sit down, shake hands, show support, and keep their s**t together when that bangin' orchestral version of Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses flooded Carrara stadium — which no doubt every Australian in the audience failed to do.

I may have sipped on a little of the Windsor Kool-Aid in my years dipping in and out of royal reporting, but from what I've seen, the royal family actually does a great deal of good for their country and the Commonwealth in their mostly figurehead roles.

A royal's patronage of a charity can do wonders for its donations and ability to distribute its services. A Royal Warrant, which allows a product or service supplier to advertise the fact it has the approval of the royal family, can lift a struggling business from the doldrums.

The younger royals' recent efforts in drawing attention to mental health issues started a long overdue conversation, and saw them credited with doing more for the cause than the British government and its health system.

Camilla herself has committed to the unenviable role of royalty despite decades of criticism and adversity making it trickier than any royal before her. She'll have to take on more responsibilities, and feign interest at an even greater number of boring events when she becomes queen.

I can't pretend to have ever had anything personally to do with the Her Royal Highness, but I have, however, known people who have. And from accounts of those private encounters, I can confidentially conclude that behind closed doors she's a top bird.

But Camilla doesn't need me or anyone else to stick up for her. She's copped far worse than a few mean tweets during a live TV broadcast.

And her display last night showed she doesn't care what any of us think, and I can't be the only one who kind of loves her for it.