Was Princess Diana The Reason Why Camilla Parker-Bowles Never Became A Princess?

Princess Diana is the reason why Camilla Parker-Bowles has never become a “princess.”

In Princess Diana's famous BBC Panorama interview, she blamed the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles and Camilla’s affair. Following the late Princess of Wales' tragic car crash in Paris in 1997, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall publicized their romance, but the people weren't warm to them.

During a recent “On Heir” podcast, royal commentators Emily Andrews and Omid Scobie said Camilla was never called “princess” due to PR.

“When they [Charles and Camilla] were married in 2005, I think the situation both in the U.K. and abroad, the PR situation was felt that people were still very hostile to Camilla,” Andrews explained.

The public “remembered Diana” and have not forgotten her famous "there were three of us in this marriage" quote that suggested Prince Charles' infidelity.

“Prince Charles was essentially marrying the woman that he committed adultery with while he was still married to Princess Diana, so I think Clarence House were very sensitive about this fact and what she would be called,” Andrews added.

Scobie has the same take on the matter. “I think this is more of a PR situation,” he said. “We saw her slowly introduced as the future Queen of this country and it’s taken a long while for her to be as popular as she is now.”

Aside from Andrews and Scobie, royal expert Marlene Koenig voiced the same opinion. According to her, Camilla wasn’t well liked that's why she was never called “princess.”

“Camilla was not popular or well liked, [though] this has changed a lot since the marriage as Camilla has taken on a lot of patronages and Charles is a lot happier,” royal commentator Koenig said. “Still, [there was] a lot of tension and anger among a certain element of the population — so it was decided that Camilla would be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall, even though, of course, she is the Princess of Wales.”

Although Camilla has never become a princess, she is expected to become a queen when Prince Charles takes over the throne. According to royal author Robert Jobson, “there will have to be a change in the law for her not to be the Queen Consort.”