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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall "lives in dread" of Prince Harry's upcoming memoir as the ghost of Princess Diana "still rattles at the gate," according to a biographer of the princess.
Tina Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles and The Palace Papers and former editor of Vanity Fair, has spoken about the princess' legacy to mark the 25th anniversary of her death in a Paris car crash. Brown's comments addressed the impact Diana continues to have on her sons, her former husband Prince Charles and his second wife Camilla.
In an interview for The Daily Beast, Brown explained that although the palace's efforts to change Camilla's image from prince's mistress to popular future queen-consort have been successful, the duchess "lives in dread" of revelations in Harry's memoir.
"Harry's memoir will resurface a particular agony for Charles," Brown said.
"The queen was re-stabilized after the death of Diana, whereas Charles has continually battled to end those ghosts. The rehabilitation of Camilla's image has been utterly successful, but she lives in dread of Harry's book. In some ways, Diana's ghost still rattles at the gate."
Since publisher Penguin Random House announced the memoir last year, royal watchers have questioned how the Duke of Sussex will portray his relationships with his family given the reports of a rift.
"I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become," Harry said in a press release in 2021.
"I've worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story—the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think.
"I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I've learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a first-hand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful."
Richard Kay, a journalist and former friend of Diana, wrote in a recent column for the Daily Mail that courtiers are concerned Harry may take aim at his stepmother in his book, given Diana's distress at Charles and Camilla's affair.
It prompted Diana to make the famous comment that "there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," during her 1995 interview for the BBC's Panorama.
"Understandably there is considerable anxiety in Buckingham Palace circles that Harry, 37, will use the memoir to settle perceived scores with family members and senior courtiers," Kay wrote.
"They are particularly nervous about his attitude towards his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, the women who many of the late princess's supporters still blame for the collapse of the Charles-Diana marriage."
In her recent book The Palace Papers, Brown charts Camilla's entry into the royal family after the death of Diana, writing that her relationship with her stepsons has not always been easy.
Brown wrote that Harry resented Camilla's taking over his bedroom at Highgrove, Charles' country home, to convert into a closet. The prince "would never fully embrace Camilla or understand her appeal," describing their relationship as merely "cordial," she added.
Despite this, in an interview given to mark his 21st birthday in 2005, a few months after Charles and Camilla married, Harry appeared to dispel rumors that there was any animosity between the new duchess and Diana's sons.
"To be honest with you, she's always been very close to me and William," the prince said per The Times.
"But no, she's not the wicked stepmother. I'll say that right now. Everyone has to understand that it's very hard for her. Look at the position she's coming into. Don't always feel sorry for me and William—feel sorry for her."
He concluded by adding that Camilla was a "wonderful woman and she's made our father very, very happy."
It remains to be seen whether the prince's opinion on his stepmother has changed in the intervening years, which included his marriage to Meghan Markle, their decision to step down as working royals and his claim that Charles had "stopped taking my calls" during their Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021.
No firm release date has yet been announced for the prince's memoir. It is expected in "late 2022," according to the publisher.
Newsweek has approached Clarence House and representatives of Prince Harry for comment.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more