Baked beans on toast and Strictly: How Camilla won our hearts

Generations of royals have toasted their health with the finest of champagne. But down-to-earth Queen Consort Camilla prefers toast topped with baked beans, mud beneath her fingernails after a day of gardening, Happy Valley on the TV and a bawdy joke. There’s a wicked twinkle in her eye and a rescue dog at her feet.

Meet Camilla, breaking the mould as a former mistress who became a Ma’am and won over everyone she met.

Take, for example the offers from various Americans she’s met – who discreetly tell her they can share the numbers of their plastic surgeons if she wants to have some ‘work’. Camilla happily re-tells this story, and hoots with laughter.

Her natural demeanour even won over her once-harshest critic – Queen Elizabeth, who initially blamed Charles’ long-time love for the break-up of his unhappy marriage to Diana.

When Charles and Camilla finally wed in April 2005 – decades after their romance started in the 1970s – the date coincided with the Grand National, and Queen Elizabeth couldn’t attend the ceremony because she had a horse running.

But the Queen did make a speech at the reception later, and said she had two important announcements.

The first was that Hedgehunter had won the race at Aintree; the second was that, at Windsor, she was delighted to be welcoming her son and his bride to the winners’ enclosure.

Queen Elizabeth added with a smile ‘They have overcome Becher’s Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles. They have come through, and I’m very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.’

Happiness for Charles is sitting in front of the fire with his wife and her Jack Russells from Battersea Dogs Home at their feet.

Recently, the ever-calm Camilla has comforted her husband over the pain of separation from his son and grandchildren, and the TV and publishing revelations of both Harry and Meghan.

Indeed, close friends of Camilla have been struck by her growing confidence since the death of the late Queen.

One pal told Metro: ‘Camilla is very self-conscious about her position and would never wish to upstage any member of the Royal Family but she is increasingly comfortable in her new role.

‘She is the perfect foil for the King because she is happy to dive into any conversation and has no hesitation in asking questions if she’s unsure about something.

‘The King does have very particular interests and sometimes feels awkward in certain situations but Camilla can handle most situations and be authentic at the same time.’

Another long-time confidante said: ‘People always say she is very down to earth but that really doesn’t do her justice.

‘It’s very true that she will speak her mind with the King and with the senior courtiers and advisers because she is also very savvy and has very good instincts about people and issues, especially current affairs ‘She has no time for nonsense and when she is working a room, she will happily stay talking to a person she personally finds particularly interesting while her aides want to rush her along to meet as many people as possible.’

Another friend admitted that Camilla had initially considered the prospect of being Queen ‘daunting’ even though it had been discussed nearly two years ago with the Archbishop of Canterbury with the blessing of the late Queen Elizabeth.

‘It has never been a title she has actively sought or coveted but she does have an enormous sense of duty and loyalty to the King and if her being Queen alongside the King is the best way for her to be supportive of him that’s what she will do – but it will not change the way she is or the quirks of her own distinctive personality.’

An established royal watcher, who has seen the new Queen Consort working at close quarters, said: ‘The simple truth is that Camilla is incredibly friendly and that always shines through.’

He added: ‘Camilla totally understands the importance of the relationship between the media and the monarchy and that they cannot survive without each other. If a photographer politely asks her to pose in a certain way, and she knows it makes a better photo, she is only too happy to oblige.’

On the King and Queen Consort’s visit to Liverpool to the Eurovision song contest arena, when they met the UK’s entry Mae Muller, Camilla was heard to say: ‘I hope I don’t get nul points,’ a jokey reference to the Eurovision points system. The friend added: ‘Camilla is in touch with popular culture despite her age. She knows what people are talking about and this helps her relate to people from all walks of life.

‘When she hosted a reception for International Women’s Day she met Sarah Lancashire, who played Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley, and Sarah could be heard telling her there was no series four, so she was clearly a fan.’

Camilla is also known to be a massive Strictly Come Dancing fan – as was the late Queen Elizabeth – and occasionally casts her vote in the BBC show. Indeed,high-level discussions have taken place about a Strictly show actually being staged at a Royal residence – with the enthusiastic support of Camilla.

Ever informal and warm, she sent a good luck message to three female rowers who called themselves Team ExtraOARdinary who were taking part in a 3,000-mile transatlantic crossing, describing the challenge as ‘oarsome’ and writing: ‘May I wish you fair winds and following seas,’ in language far from the stiff formality of royalty.

The rowers – Kat Cordiner, Abby Johnson and Charlotte Irving – smashed the world record by making the journey in 42 days, seven hours and seven minutes and received an invitation to a private tea and champagne reception with Camilla at Clarence House.

Abby said: ‘Her support for women’s sport and female empowerment is inspiring. Her genuine interest was incredibly encouraging.’

Kat added: ‘Her openness and kindness made our meetings truly memorable. Her sincerity and interest in our challenge was striking and it was great to hear her talk about her own interest in ballet. It’s wonderful to know that someone as influential as her is rooting for us and other women taking on ambitious goals.’

Charlotte said: ‘We felt she was genuinely behind us, willing us to succeed and that was incredibly motivating. She asked lots of questions about the actual rowing experience, especially our encounters with wildlife. We are very grateful to have shared our experience with her.’

More at home with a copy of Horse And Hound and a G&T than a formal royal event, Camilla will nonetheless charm and dazzle as King Charles’ Queen Consort.

And, Strictly speaking, she remains his greatest asset.

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