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Prince Harry Defends Camilla In Surprising Interview: "She Is Not A Wicked Stepmother"

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There's two sides to every story, and Britain's royal family knows that fact very well.

After all, the infamous love triangle between Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Camilla Parker-Bowles is still the subject of a lot of tabloid gossip.

But the people most closely affected by the story - Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Prince Harry - don't always see these stories the way we do.

EJ Hersom - Department of Defense / Kelvin Boyes - Flickr

In a recently unearthed interview, Prince Harry was surprisingly supportive of his stepmother, and it reveals just what the princes really think of Camilla after all these years.

A Royal Affair

Charles and Camilla had known each other since they were very young, and began a romantic relationship in the early 70s, when they were both in their 20s.

But it was not meant to be for the couple. Charles' career in the Navy took him away from Camilla, and her parents didn't approve of the relationship.

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She eventually settled down with military officer Andrew Parker-Bowles, and of course Charles later married Diana Spencer.

Still, they both kept a place in their hearts for each other. Charles even wrote to his godfather about a "feeling of emptiness" after his breakup with Camilla.

Camilla and Charles stopped visiting each other socially after his engagement to Diana. But as the marriage crumbled, both Charles and Diana pursued affairs with other people.

AFP

Diana nicknamed Camilla "Charles' woman," and it seems her young sons picked up on the anger she felt towards their father's mistress.

"The Wicked Stepmother"

By 1992, Charles and Diana's marriage was officially over.

After separating, the prince publicly admitted to having affairs. But it would be another five years before he officially introduced his sons to Camilla.

Press Association

William, just 15 when he heard the news, was reportedly very upset about welcoming Camilla into the family.

The next year, both princes introduced themselves to Camilla by hosting her at their London home.

Harry's meeting with Camilla and her children reportedly went well. But after a private conversation with William, Camilla reportedly said, "I need a drink."

Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005.Tim Graham Photo Library

Over the years, the princes began spending more and more time with Camilla at public events and family gatherings.

Her marriage to Charles in 2005 officially made her their stepmother, but that doesn't mean the friction between Camilla and her stepsons is completely gone.

"Don't feel sorry for me and William, feel sorry for her."

The princes always seem happy to greet Camilla and spend time with her at public events.

The princes in the documentary 'Diana, Our Mother.'HBO

But William may have made his true feelings known in a documentary about his late mother.

In Diana, Our Mother, William explained how he keeps Diana's legacy alive for his young children.

"I do regularly when putting George or Charlotte to bed, talk about her and just try and remind them that there are two grandmothers "” there were two grandmothers "” in their lives."

Oops, did the prince mean to leave out Camilla as a "grandmother" to his children? Or was he excluding Kate Middleton's mother? It's difficult to say.

Bauer

But Harry, who has always been more welcoming to Camilla, isn't afraid to defend her publicly as well as privately.

A new biography, Harry: Conversations With The Prince, includes an interview from 2005 where the newlywed says that he has "always been very close" with Camilla.

"To be honest, she's always been very close to me and William," he explained. "She's not a wicked stepmother. Look at the position she's coming into. Don't feel sorry for me and William, feel sorry for her."

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It seems that - despite how the public may feel - Harry understands his father's complicated relationship with his first love.

"She's wonderful woman and she's made our father very, very happy which is the most important thing. William and I love her to bits."

[H/T: Express, PopSugar, Closer]

What do you think of Prince Harry's point of view? Can you see things from his perspective?

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