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Camilla Parker Bowles reportedly had some harsh words for Kate Middleton when she was dating Prince William. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and William tied the knot in 2011 and went on to share three children, but one royal author claims Camilla tried to break them up before things got serious. The Duchess of Cornwall allegedly enlisted Princes Charles’ help to do her bidding, telling him that Kate was “pretty, but rather dim.”

Camilla Parker Bowles Kate Middleton
Camilla Parker Bowles, Queen Elizabeth, and Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Camilla Parker Bowles had a lowly opinion of Kate Middleton claims royal biographer

In his book, Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne, author Christopher Andersen claims that Camilla asked Charles to break up William and Kate early in their relationship.

Anderson has penned over 30 books over the course of his career and used to work as an editor for Time magazine. He has been highly praised for his biographies, including one of President John F. Kennedy.

According to The Sun, Andersen wrote that Camilla thought Kate had “lowly” roots and was not her biggest fan when she was first dating William. Camilla’s negative opinion led to a rocky relationship between the women, which reportedly got worse as time went by.

Camilla Kate Trooping the Colour
Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during Trooping The Colour | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Kate and William started dating after meeting in college. They kept their romance a secret until after graduation, though Kate struggled to adapt to the royal spotlight for several years.

Andersen claims that things got so bad that Camilla tried to convince Charles to tell William he should break up with Kate. And that isn’t the worst thing Camilla allegedly said about her future daughter-in-law.

This is what the Duchess of Cornwall allegedly thought about Middleton

In addition to getting Charles to break up the couple, Andersen claims that Camilla told the Prince of Wales that Kate was “pretty, but rather dim.” It is unclear how Charles reacted to the comment, but he did not attempt to split the couple.

To make things worse, Andersen argued that Camilla grew very jealous of Kate and thought she might eventually eclipse her in popularity. This was at a time when Camilla was just starting to repair her public image after her involvement in Charles’ disastrous marriage to Princess Diana.

As royal watchers will recall, Camilla had an affair with Charles when he was married to Diana, who tragically passed away in 1997. Charles and Camilla kept up their relationship following the divorce and eventually tied the knot in 2005.

Meanwhile, when it became clear that Kate was going to marry William, Camilla agreed to meet her parents. According to Express, the Duchess of Cornwall had some nasty things to say about Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, and likened their first meeting to the film, Meet the Fockers.

Luckily, the relationship between Camilla and Carole eventually improved and the families get along much better. Although they are closer now, Kate was accused of giving Camilla the cold shoulder during a public engagement, as recently as last year.

Did Kate Middleton ignore Camilla Parker Bowles during a royal engagement?

Last year, a video emerged that seemingly showed Kate ignoring Camilla while talking to Spain’s Queen Letizia. According to Marie Claire, the incident happened during a royal engagement at Windsor Castle.

The clip starts with Kate and Queen Letizia chatting by themselves before Camilla turns around and tries to join them. Kate and Queen Letizia did not appear to engage with Camilla, who eventually left them.

Camilla Kate Queen Letizia
Queen Letizia of Spain, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge | Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images
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Fans immediately speculated that Kate had given Camilla the cold shoulder. But body language experts later pointed out that Kate looked like she was just really engaged in her conversation with Queen Letizia.

Kate has not addressed the rumors and is currently isolating at her country estate, Anmer Hall, because of the coronavirus pandemic. She is staying with William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Camilla Parker Bowles has not commented on the rumors surrounding her early relationship with the Duchess of Cambridge.