Queen Camilla appeared to be momentarily taken aback when she was asked about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step away from royal duties back in 2020.
In a clip from January of that year, royal followers closely examined comments made by the then Duchess of Cornwall during a public appearance.
The exchange occurred during Camilla’s visit to Prospect Hospice in Swindon, not long after Harry and Meghan revealed they would be stepping down as senior members of the royal family and moving to North America.
The couple’s announcement had sent shockwaves through the monarchy just days earlier.
Camilla’s understated response to question about Harry and Meghan
While attending the engagement, a reporter called out: “Will you miss Harry and Meghan?”
Camilla paused for a moment, smiled, and then gave a succinct, carefully spoken response: “Hmm. Of course.”
The moment was later posted to social media by ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship.
“Watch Camilla’s face closely as she answers the question,” Chris captioned the video. “‘Will you miss Harry and Meghan?’ The Duchess of Cornwall smiles, pauses, then says, ‘Hmmm. Course!’”
Her subtle expression and measured tone quickly caught attention online. While some viewers praised her composure, others interpreted her reply as a clever, softly delivered jab.
“Omg Camilla is my flipping hero. Sooo much shade. But with soooo much class. Love her,” one commenter wrote.
Another added: “The master of shade, our Camilla. What an asset she has proven herself to be to the RF. Charles is lucky to have her.”
One person remarked: “She might be missing Harry, but not his wife.”
The master of shade, our Camilla. What an asset she has proven herself to be to the RF.
Others, however, viewed Camilla’s response as tactful and composed, especially given the delicate timing of the situation.
“I think this question at this moment was ill-timed and inappropriate,” one user pointed out. “The duchess was great. She probably did not expect such a question and was polite. Sometimes you don’t need to say much.”
What is Prince Harry’s view on Camilla?
More recently, Prince Harry took part in a BBC interview, in which he spoke about his hopes for reconciliation with his family.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” Harry said during the early May interview. “There’s no point continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
However, despite his overture, reports suggest Camilla, along with Prince William and Princess Kate, remains resistant to the idea of mending ties.
Palace sources believe Camilla’s hesitation stems from the personal attacks she faced in Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.
In the book, Harry accused her of playing the “long game” to secure her position as Queen. He also alleged that, during the early stages of her relationship with now King Charles, she exchanged stories with the press.
“I had complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who, I believed, had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar,” Harry wrote. “In a funny way, I even wanted Camilla to be happy. Maybe she’d be less dangerous if she was happy?”
Royal commentators say that such remarks may have caused irreparable damage to Harry’s relationship with Camilla, making a future reconciliation unlikely.