As a person, and as a working royal, there is a lot to like about Camilla, but it is tainted by how she got where she is. I would have more respect for both Charles and Camilla if they had divorced their spouses before embarking on an adulterous affair. I would feel the same way about any couple. It seems like it always causes more harm, especially to the children, when people cheat on their spouses before divorcing and then marry the person with whom they had the affair. When a person is in a public role, whether as a royal, politician, or a celebrity, I personally find it difficult to admire and respect them in that role because they are disrespecting their spouse and children. It makes me wonder what they are doing behind the scenes in their official role that could be deceitful or worse.
I agree it would have been better for everyone if they had simply married when they initially dated. However, many sources say she was more in love with Andrew Parker Bowles than she was with Charles at that time and that is why she married APB. I can’t fault her for that. It’s just too bad that she didn’t realize she wanted out of her marriage before Charles married Diana. It might have saved everyone involved a lot of pain if she had divorced at that point and then they could have been married at that point.
I do think Diana was ill equipped for the role, and at the same time, I feel like she just kept sabotaging herself as well. I believe she was intelligent enough to handle it, once she had some experience and had matured a bit (she was very young at the start, but appeared to have grown into the job), however, emotionally I think she was overwhelmed a lot of the time, all the way up to her death really. She allowed herself to be manipulated as well. I wouldn’t have cared how many tea towels had my picture on them, if I needed more time or wanted to call the wedding off, I would have. I wouldn’t have allowed people to guilt me into going through with it.
It is just a sad situation all the way around, and all three of them share the blame for their part in it. It could have all been handled so much better.