Prince William and Prince Harry "blindsided" by Queen's decision on Camilla

Royal author Christopher Andersen said that Prince William and Prince Harry were "caught completely off guard" by the news that their stepmother, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, would one day become queen, and that the decision has "driven a wedge" through the royal family.

Speaking to Us Weekly, he said that his new book, Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan Andersen, author of "Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan," said, "It's whether they can get over this bad feeling. And then, of course, there's (the Queen's) health and other considerations. I don't think the Queen's announcement that Duchess Camilla will be queen has helped either, and that's another issue."

He added that the decision has "driven a wedge" in the royal family, adding, "I can tell you now, my sons are completely blindsided by this."

William and Harry are now said to be friendly with Camilla, but they have a long history of having an affair with her during the 1980s and 1990s, when their father, Prince Charles, was still married to their mother, Princess Diana. Prince Charles and Princess Diana separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Princess Diana died in a car accident in 1997, and Prince Charles and Camilla wed in 2005.

Andersen told the outlet that Her Majesty the Queen was "miserable" during Charles' second wedding, saying, "She had him do this with distaste, and one of the key elements was his promise to never call Camilla Queen Consort."

"Elizabeth II was skeptical of Camilla when she married Charles, and the situation was certainly difficult, but she more than proved through her devotion and loyalty to The Farm that she had what it took," he says. Camilla definitely helped Elizabeth II grow during the pandemic." Camilla has grown Elizabeth II more than ever during the pandemic.

According to Andersen, Prince Charles "relentlessly" lobbied for Camilla to become queen after the death of Prince Philip, the queen's longtime husband and queen, last April.

"Prince Charles wore her down on this as well," Andersen says.

"Since Prince Philip's death, I think Prince Charles has intensified his efforts to make it clear to the queen that he needs [a partner] as well. For him to reign, he needs the kind of support that the queen received [from her husband]."