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The royal family gets a lot of press worldwide, and it isn’t always positive. But without knowing the family personally, it isn’t always easy to tell who is nice and who isn’t. Some might be all smiles for the cameras and not so kind in private; others may appear stoic in public but be very kind-hearted behind closed doors. 

One photographer who does have insider knowledge recently spoke up and talked about the member of the royal family he considers the nicest. And it may not be the one you think.

The royal tea is spilled

The podcast Spilling Royal Tea is about dishing out royal family gossip, from Meghan Markle drama to King Charles’ coronation. Zak Hussein, who has been photographing the royal family for years and has spent quite a bit of time with them, recently appeared on an episode called “Kate and Camilla: Up Close and Personal. “

According to Hussein, Camilla Parker Bowles is actually the nicest member of the royal family. Hussein says Queen Camilla is one of the only royals who actually acknowledges the press and is always polite to everyone. 

“Watching her and having met her, she is a really, really nice person — one of the nicest royals I’ve ever met,” Hussein said, calling her “down to Earth and fun.” He added, “I really like her.” 

During the Coronation, King Charles III and Queen Camilla smile at each other on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
King Charles III and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Coronation | Leon Neal/Getty Images

Hussein stressed that Camilla’s kindness is genuine and that she is nice both when the cameras are around and when they aren’t. He added that she knew for years that the public didn’t care for her, so she had to play “the long game,” but that the people of Britain have come to like her and appreciate her notorious sense of humor. 

The transformation of Queen Consort Camilla 

Of course, Camilla and the public didn’t get off to the best start. Her relationship with King Charles was extremely controversial at first since Charles was notoriously married to Princess Diana while he was in love with her. But as the decades have passed, the public seems much more accepting of their relationship, and the past has been forgiven. 

Many biographies and tell-all stories have also been published since the news broke of Charles and Camilla’s affair. It was apparent that they were smitten with each other before Charles met Princess Diana. In fact, the two hit it off as soon as they met in 1970, although they both ended up marrying other people (Camilla’s first husband was Andrew Parker Bowles). 

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The pair reunited eventually, but they were still married to other people. After audio recordings of their pillow talk were leaked to the public, they each divorced their spouses and reunited once again. However, they didn’t appear in public as a couple until a year after Princess Diana’s tragic death. 

While many were slow to forgive them for their affair, it was also obvious Charles and Diana’s marriage was not a healthy one. It was also clear Charles and Camilla truly loved each other. They were married in 2005, and Camilla slowly improved her public image. These days, she is fairly well-liked by the public.