Camilla, the Duchess who doth protest too much

She insists that she didn't want or expect to marry Prince Charles--they married in 2005. She insists that she does not want to be the Princess of Wales--as the Prince of Wales' wife she is. She insists that she does not want to become Queen, but would rather be called the Princess Consort--the title does not exist. Now, far more believably, she insists that she does not want to attend the memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales at her husband's side. Camilla seems to be a royal wife who would have her crown but wear it only when she wants to. Those moments being when she is secure in her own place which is certainly not when Diana, who Camilla has replaced in royal position but not much else, is being remembered and celebrated.

As the 10th anniversary of Diana's death draws near Diana is yet again in the spotlight (not that she's spent much time out of it) and two very public memorials have been planned by Princes William and Harry to mark the life of their mother. The first being the hugely successful Concert for Diana and the next event is to be a more somber religious memorial service which will be televised. Naturally the Princes invited both sides of their family to these events. But this has lead to friction as many members of the public expressed surprise, discomfort and even outrage at the presence of the 'other woman'.

This latest protest on Camilla's part is far easier to believe than her older protestations. Not least because she is flying in the face of Prince Charles and Michale Fawcett who are insisting she attend the memorial in spite of feeling "terrified" to do so. Public opinion may be more accepting of her these days but an appearance at the still far more popular and much missed Diana's memorial is likely to cause some upset among the public. Indeed it already has.

Camilla has already had a taste of the publics displeasure when it was announced that she and Prince Charles would be attending the Concert for Diana. Camilla, thanks largely to her husband, gracefully managed a not-quite-at-the-last-minute exit from showing up to the concert when the Prince of Wales said they were "too old" for such an event and neither attended. Now the public continue to bristle at the thought of Camilla attending the upcoming memorial which Charles does not intend to miss. He is due to support his sons at the memorial and wants Camilla by his side however much she may protest it. Both Charles and Camilla are said to be quite stubborn. It will be interesting to see who will win out.

Friends say that since marrying Charles, Camilla has become very aware of her place as a royal and is no longer quite the easy going guest she used to be. But to Camilla's credit she remains astute enough to know that her position in the greater publics heart is not quite as lofty as her position within the Royal Family. Therefore her public presence has remained understated, relying very much on the role of the supportive wife. This course of action may have been what has improved the publics former perception of her over the last two years. But Camilla, like the public, remains sensitive to her past as the "third person" in the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana who has often been pointed out as the ultimate cause of the marriage's breakdown.

Although there is some genuine affection for the Duchess of Cornwall, the feeling remains that she is politely accepted as a part of Charles' life as opposed to being loved simply for herself as Diana was. Camilla has been treading a very fine line, a line that will be crossed the moment she appears at an event focused solely on Diana. One must wonder, as no doubt Camilla is, if this public politeness will hold out should she been seen at the service to the more popular and still loved Diana. To many, Camilla's presence will be a bitter pill to swallow and will be seen as not only disrespectful to the Princess's memory but to the publics as well.