Queen Camilla is said to be “deeply competitive” with King Charles, as noted by her son, Tom Parker Bowles.
The King, a strong advocate for the environment, has long enjoyed mushroom picking—a pastime he continued on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Parker Bowles revealed that both he and Camilla share a love for foraging mushrooms and are “deeply competitive about their hauls.”
In his latest book, Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, Tom Parker Bowles mentioned that wild mushrooms are “somewhat of an obsession” for both the King and Queen Camilla.
Charles was first seen foraging for mushrooms alone in August 2011. On the day Queen Elizabeth II passed away in 2022, he spent an hour by her bedside at Balmoral before heading to Birkhall to gather mushrooms.
In 2007, while Charles was preparing for a memorial service for Princess Diana, Camilla was spotted picking mushrooms at Balmoral with a royal protection officer.
Reports of the couple’s “competitive” nature come as Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, noted that Charles faces a “constant battle” living with his wife. Described as “polar opposites,” the 75-year-old King and 77-year-old Queen engage in playful banter at home.
Elliot revealed in Robert Hardman’s biography, King Charles: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, that Charles prefers a cool breeze in their home, while Queen Camilla favors a “warm and cozy” atmosphere. This difference leads to a “constant battle” over whether to keep the windows open
Elliot added: “There’s a lot of: ‘Oh, darling, you shut the window’, ‘Yes, I have, because we’re all freezing.’ So a lot of banter goes on.”
She concluded that the King “usually wins on that front”, but Queen Camilla “wins most other things”.
