U.S. Visit Was a Defining Moment for Queen Camilla
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Victoria MurphyFri, May 1, 2026 at 2:55 PM UTC
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U.S. Visit Was a Defining Moment for Queen Camilla
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The focus was squarely on her husband and his historic speech. But as King Charles and Queen Camilla spent four days in the U.S. on their first State Visit, the Queen was quietly having a defining moment of her own.
This trip was not 78-year-old Camilla’s first official visit to the U.S., but it was her first since holding the title Queen. That’s notable because it is a title that many did not want her to have when she married Charles in 2005—and indeed that the Palace said at that time she would not have for fear of backlash.
The story of Camilla’s transformation from pariah and the “other woman” in Charles and Diana’s marriage to an accepted Queen today ranks as one of the most retold royal narratives in the UK. There, regular polling typically now has her popularity at an acceptable, if not triumphant, 40%. But what of the U.S.? The country where Princess Diana danced with John Travolta at the White House and commanded a type of transatlantic interest in royalty never seen before.
Interestingly, while polling is less readily-available in the U.S, a survey from 18 months ago found that Diana remains the most popular royal in America. Some 76% of people had a favorable opinion of her versus just 30% of Camilla. And while it was almost six years ago now, the release of The Crown’s season four in 2020 revived anti-Charles and Camilla sentiments to the extent that Clarence House turned off comments on their social media.
Queen Camilla looks on from the balcony of the White House during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn.Samir Hussein - Getty Images
Yet, if liking Diana and disliking Camilla strongly prevails in America, there was little sign of it on this official trip. “I haven't heard Diana's name mentioned once at all,” said GB News Royal Correspondent Cameron Walker. “I mean, there's always people online…and I think there is going to be always that hard core group of fans. But I think the Queen, since marrying the then Prince Charles, now King, she has really done so much in terms of the public duty, and just kept calm and carried on. She hasn't got involved in any scandals, just on with the job quietly and with dignity. And I think people respect that.”
This is what has been key to Camilla’s acceptance in the UK—in a sense, she has won over the public one at a time as she has met people on individual visits. And the itinerary for this trip was designed in a way that gave her a chance to do the same.
“I think, actually, American people have been incredibly warm towards her, and quite surprised by her,” said the Daily Mail’s longtime Royal Editor Rebecca English. “I was at the 9/11 memorial site, and a lady who had lost her brother whispered in her ear and said to her, ‘Can I have a hug?’ She said, sure, of course you can and gave her a big hug. And I think that certainly meant a lot to the families involved. And they didn't expect it. They would think of her as being as a more old school Brit, and it just showed you how very warm and very human she was.”
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Queen Camilla and Sarah Jessica Parker at the New York Public Library.Michael M. Santiago - Getty Images
The program also ensured that Camilla’s charitable focusses and personal passions were front and center, allowing her to meet like-minded people who appreciated her interest. She was praised by multiple advocates for her work in domestic and sexual violence. “I’m just so completely honored to have found out that someone in her position is so interested in this, and being such a strong advocate for it,” Avery Harper, Executive Director of the Phoenix project for Front Royal, Virginia told T&C.
And her visit to the New York Public Library—where her book club The Queen’s Reading Room was highlighted—attracted famous faces from across New York society. “The first Americans I met in life were the characters I met in my treasured childhood novels,” Camilla told guests.
“America is suffering the same kind of issues that the UK is in terms of too much screen time, not enough reading, mental health,” Cameron Walker said. “And she has really kind of managed to convene all these big American names to start talking about reading, and the joys and the benefits of reading. And because she has managed to do that, she's really gone up in people’s respect.”
Perhaps the visit where the Queen was most in her element was her final stop of the trip to Smitten Farm, Virginia. There, she fed horses and talked about her racing and breeding interests with fellow enthusiasts. “She loves horses,” farm manager Hunter Marek told T&C. Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority added that they were all “just so delighted and flattered that she picked a horse farm and groups in horse racing to end her visit.” For her part, Camilla described it as “a lovely way to finish off this trip.”
Queen Camilla in the Kent Amethyst Parure at the State Dinner.Chris Jackson - Getty Images
The Queen’s fashion on the visit was received with enthusiasm, and she used her jewelry to pay tribute to her hosts and also reach through royal history. Arriving wearing a brooch featuring U.S. and UK flags that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth, she also wore other pieces once owned by the beloved late Queen, some handed down through generations.
“She’s held her own fashion style, and Melania has seemed eager to see her,” Rebecca English observed, citing the “rapport that she’s struck up with the First Lady,” despite the generational gap.
The King and Queen arrive for a Joint Session of Congress.Anna Moneymaker - Getty Images
“Here it has been the King’s show and she’s very comfortable with that, she lets him shine,” said Rebecca English. Their teamwork and her support for him is a dynamic that those close to the couple recognize. “She is his rock, and I can’t actually emphasize that enough,” Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot said in the Coronation year documentary.
It was a week in which Camilla showed the U.S. how she is crafting her role as Queen, and those who met her were full of praise for what they saw. But the focus was squarely on her husband and his historic speech.
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