14 times the royal family was brutally honest with the media

How things have changed for Duchess Camilla: Once hated by the public and the press, she’s now regarded as the “most approachable” royal, according to one reporter, for her humour and down-to-earth manner. She even joked about Prince Charles to reporters who travelled with the couple on a tour through India in 2013. “He never, ever stops working – he’s exhausting,” she said. “I am hopping up and down and saying, ‘Darling do you think we could have a bit of, you know, peace and quiet, enjoy ourselves together.’ But he always has to finish something.”

She also laughed about how hard it was to pick out a birthday present for Prince Charles. “I will tell you that he is the most difficult person in the world to buy a present for,” she said. “He is a man! They are hopeless! I spend ages trying to find something that is really wonderful and then [mimes him opening a present]: ‘Oh, thank you very much’ [in a completely uninterested voice]. It’s so annoying!” That she can jest so bluntly about her husband shows how comfortable she is in their marriage.

Anyone who’s watched Netflix’s The Crown will remember the depiction of the tender bond between the young, sensitive Charles and his great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, aka “Uncle Dickie.” Sadly, Lord Mountbatten was later murdered in an IRA (Irish Republican Army) attack in Sligo, Ireland. Today, centuries-old wounds between England and Ireland are being mended, as Prince Charles movingly expressed in a 2015 visit to the site of the murder. “In August 1979, my much-loved great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, was killed alongside his young grandson and my godson, Nicholas,” he said in a speech. “At the time, I could not imagine how we would come to terms with the anguish of such a deep loss since, for me, Lord Mountbatten represented the grandfather I never had. It seemed as if the foundations of all that we held dear in life had been torn apart irreparably.”

It was an unusual outpouring of emotion for the Prince, but one he used to relate to struggles on both sides of the conflict. “Through this dreadful experience, though, I now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others in these islands, of whatever faith, denomination, or political tradition,” he said.

Sarah Ferguson, who still retains her royal title even after her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew, has shared – some may even say overshared – a lot about her ongoing friendship with her ex. “He’s a great man, and a first-rate father and the bestest friend,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2011, before the Jeffrey Epstein scandal saw Prince Andrew stepping down from performing royal duties. “I love him. He’s my soul mate. It’s actually what we said in front of God at the altar: We honour and respect each other until death do us part.”

In 2013, she also revealed at a literature festival, “He’s still my handsome prince – he’ll always be my handsome prince.” And the gush-fest continued in 2018: “We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other,” she told the Daily Mail. “[My wedding day], July 23, 1986, was the happiest day of my life. Andrew is the best man I know.…I stand by him and always will. The way we are is our fairy tale.”

She remained supportive even after Prince Andrew’s controversial interview in which he denied sleeping with Virginia Giuffre, who says she was sex trafficked to the Duke by Jeffrey Epstein. In an Instagram post following the interview, Sarah said, “I am deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honour and truth.”

The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is known for his straightforward manner, occasional gaffes and disdain for giving interviews. But in one rare sit-down to mark his 90th birthday in 2011 (the Prince , now 99 years old, has been hospitalised for the last fortnight), he plainly displayed his lack of interest in talking about himself. “I couldn’t care less,” he told the BBC when asked if he thought he had been successful in his role. “Who cares what I think about it. I mean, it’s ridiculous.” OK, then!

The nonagenarian was more forthcoming about savouring his last years. “I reckon I’ve done my bit, so I want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say,” Prince Philip, who later retired at 96, said. “On top of that, your memory’s going; I can’t remember names and things. It’s better to get out before you reach the sell-by date.”

The Queen herself hardly ever comments on “private matters.” Even in her first sit-down television interview, in 2018, she revealed nothing more shocking than that her coronation crown was very heavy. But, as Vanity Fair unearthed, the Queen did issue a rare statement in 1957 in response to rumours about her marriage, which stated, “It is quite untrue that there is any rift between the Queen and the Duke.”

Decades later, the Queen gave perhaps her most outspoken public words of love to Prince Philip on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997: “All too often, I fear, Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking. Frequently we have discussed my intended speech beforehand and, as you will imagine, his views have been expressed in a forthright manner,” she said in a speech. “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.” How sweet – and unexpected!

Here’s what else you don’t know about Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage.

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Source: RD.com