Camilla, the Queen Consort, said Queen Elizabeth II had beautiful blue eyes and a smile she would never forget in an extract from a BBC interview released on Sunday.
The tributes to the former Duchess of Cornwall come almost two weeks after the monarch died “peacefully” at her home in Balmoral, Scotland aged 96.
The comments also come ahead of the Queen’s funeral, which will draw 2,000 attendees, including President Joe Biden and members of the royal family, to Westminster Abbey on Monday for a service to honor the monarch’s life.
“She has these lovely blue eyes,” Camilla says in a clip of the interview, which will be broadcast in full at 8pm. BST on Sunday. “When she smiles, it lights up her whole face. I’ll always remember that smile, you know, that smile is unforgettable.”
Queen Elizabeth II followed by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005. Getty Images
Elsewhere in the interview, Camilla spoke about how the Queen established herself as a formidable female force at a time when world leaders were predominantly male.
“It must have been so difficult for her to be a single woman. There were no female prime ministers or female presidents,” the Queen Consort said. “She was the only one, so I think she carved out her own role.”
Camilla’s relationship with the late monarch has evolved greatly since the controversial start of her relationship with King Charles III in the 1990s.
Charles and Camilla’s romantic relationship reportedly dates back to 1986, when he was married to Princess Diana and she was married to Andrew Parker Bowles. The pair was only released as a pair in 1997.
Queen Elizabeth II at Poundbury, Dorset, in 2016. Samir Hussein/Getty Images
But it wasn’t until 2000 when the Queen reportedly agreed to officially meet Camilla, according to the New York Times. Although the Queen was not present at their wedding in 2005, the years that have passed have shown that she and the monarch appear to be developing a close bond.
In February, Queen Elizabeth II made clear her approval of Camilla when she announced she wanted her daughter-in-law to hold the title of Queen Consort when Charles III became king, ending years of confusion over who would be her future royal title.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support as you have given me; and it is my earnest desire that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known. as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” the Queen wrote in a statement reflecting on her 70-year reign.
