Royal Feud! How Camilla Secretly Schemed To Sabotage Queen-To-Be Kate
Fifteen years of feuding! The Duchess of Cornwall, otherwise known as Camilla Parker Bowles, has despised Prince Williams' stunning wife, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, since she first laid eyes on her, royal biographer Christopher Andersen writes in his scandalous new tell-all, Game of Crowns.
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Kill her with kindness? When Parker Bowles, now 68, first met Middleton, 34, during her University of St. Andrews courtship days with the Prince, she "paid special attention" to the future Duchess. Middleton appreciated her efforts. "She's very warm, a kind of earth mother type, really," she allegedly told her parents.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge
But beneath the surface, Parker Bowles was scheming for her future stepson to choose a much more posh bride. "Camilla had been closely monitoring William's love life…and actively campaigning for William to marry an aristocrat," a source told the author. "Ideally someone from one of the royal houses of Europe."
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In addition to Middleton's low upbringing, Camilla allegedly loathed her mother Carole's smoking habit, and "gauche and pushy" demeanor.
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As for Middleton's personality, she seemed "pretty, but rather dim," Parker Bowles reportedly judged. ("Beneath it all, Camilla is a snob," a source spilled.)
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The real reason for her seething? Prince Charles' wife "couldn't stand to be upstaged," an insider shared. "It only makes sense that Camilla resented being eclipsed by a beautiful young woman like Kate Middleton."
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Parker Bowles banned Middleton from her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles, the author writes. "This was at long, long last, Camilla's moment," a source said. "She was not about to be upstaged by any other woman — and certainly not someone as stunning as Kate Middleton who might someday be a court rival. Camilla is no fool."
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Camilla on top! She allegedly coaxed Prince William into dumping his girlfriend of six years in 2007. "Camilla still harbored misgivings about Kate's working class roots," a royal insider said. (Of course, they later got back together.)
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When Middleton's family scandals were leaked — her wild Uncle Gary was accused of abusing cocaine — Parker Bowles went straight to her husband, Prince Charles, to tattle. Much to her chagrin, "the Prince of Wales had no stomach for blowing the whistle on the Middletons," wrote Andersen.
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Parker Bowles never succeeded in her mission to push the Duchess out, of course: Prince William married Middleton in a televised, fairytale ceremony on April 29, 2011.
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Now, "Kate and Wills' are the parents to two children: Prince George, 2, and Princess Charlotte, 11 months.