Queen Camilla is emerging as one of the most formidable power brokers inside the modern monarchy, with royal insiders telling RadarOnline.com she has transformed into the Royal Family’s “smiling hit-woman” as pressure intensifies to permanently sideline the former Prince Andrew from public royal life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Behind her carefully polished public image as the loyal wife of King Charles III, 77, biographers and former palace aides increasingly describe Camilla, 78, as a quietly ruthless operator determined to protect the institution at all costs.
According to royal author Christopher Wilson in A Greater Love – Charles and Camilla, the Queen shares similarities with the late Queen Mother in her ability to appear warm and reassuring while possessing what he described as a hidden “ruthless streak.”
The renewed focus on Camilla’s influence comes amid reports she and Prince William, 43, are pushing Charles toward tougher action against Andrew, 66, and potentially the wider York family.
One royal court insider claimed Camilla has become increasingly influential in shaping how the monarchy handles reputational crises.
They said: “Camilla has spent enough years around the monarchy to understand that its entire existence depends on public confidence and stability. People close to the institution say she views scandals as existential threats if they are allowed to drag on unresolved, which is why she favors firm action rather than endless internal hand-wringing. In her mind, preserving the Crown sometimes means making brutally uncomfortable decisions, even when those decisions involve family members.”
The insider added: “Within palace circles, there’s an increasingly strong belief that Camilla has become one of the key figures pushing for Andrew to be permanently sidelined from royal life once and for all. Publicly, she projects warmth, patience, and diplomacy, but privately, she is said to be extremely clear-eyed and unsentimental when it comes to protecting the monarchy’s future.
“People around the King believe she sees the survival of the institution as more important than personal loyalties or emotional attachments, and that attitude has made her a far more influential figure behind the scenes than many outsiders realize, and she will appear calm to someone’s face and then work to have them removed from the institution from behind the scenes – like a smiling hitwoman!”
Wilson wrote Camilla’s role mirrors the support once provided by the Queen Mother to King George VI during the constitutional crisis caused by the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.
He argued Charles, like his mother Queen Elizabeth II before him, can be overly forgiving. A former courtier told Wilson: “If Charles has a weakness, it’s that he’s too kind and too forgiving when things go wrong.”
Reports now suggest discussions are underway about further reducing Andrew’s remaining royal standing, including possible changes to his ceremonial role within the line of succession.
Sources said Camilla is encouraging Charles to take such action, while others say Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, should also face consequences over their continued support for their father.
One palace aide added: “Camilla really is now leading the charge to have Andrew booted totally out of the royal family.”
The fractures between Camilla and the York family are said to have simmered for years.
Her absence from Eugenie’s 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel fueled speculation about tensions, despite aides insisting she had a prior commitment near Balmoral.
She was also absent from Beatrice’s scaled-down 2020 wedding to Edo Mapelli Mozzi during the COVID pandemic.
More recently, Camilla’s decision not to publicly congratulate Eugenie on her latest pregnancy announcement reignited claims she has deliberately distanced herself from Andrew’s side of the family.
At the same time, Camilla has intensified her public campaigning on violence against women and sexual abuse.
Speaking at St James’ Palace earlier this year for International Women’s Day, she declared: “Shame must change sides.” She added: “We stand with you.”
The remarks were widely interpreted by royal commentators as an acknowledgment of the damage caused to the monarchy by Andrew’s association with sex trafficking pedophile Epstein and the continuing fallout surrounding the scandal of Andrew’s longstanding friendship with the pervert.