Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty
AsCamilla, Duchess of Cornwallprepares to turn 75 years old, she is opening up about being a grandparent and how she’ll be celebrating her big day next month.
“You know the nice thing about being a grandmother is that you can spoil them occasionally, give them more of the things that their parents forbid them to have,” she says mischievously during an interview withBritishVogue. “The girls are beginning to get into clothes and make-up and, you know, it’s rather frightening when you see them, coming out with pierced ears and a lot of new make-up and funny coloured hair and stuff,” she says
Due to celebrate her milestone birthday on July 17, the royal wife who will one day be crowned Queen Consort next toPrince Charles, says she’s always happy to learn from her grandchildren, of which she has five in total, from both her children with Andrew Parker Bowles; Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. “We learn from very young people and they learn from us too. That’s the way it’s always been.”
Camilla,Duchess of Cornwall in the July issue of British Vogue.Jamie Hawksworth / British Vogue
Although she draws the line at competitive word games. “I do Wordle every day with my granddaughter. She’ll text me to say, ‘I’ve done it in three’, and I say, ‘Sorry, I’ve done it in two today.’ It’s very satisfactory when it tells you how brilliant you are,” she says in the candid interview for which she was photographed at Clarence House, the London home she shares with Charles.
One thing she won’t be taking advice from her grandchildren on? Ear piercing. “No, I’m not going to give it to myself as a 75th birthday present. [The grandchildren] will try to persuade me but nothing’s going to pierce my ears.” Instead, she says her birthday will be a low-key affair. “There won’t be much celebration,” she says. “I shall spend it with my family and a few friends.”
Duchess of Cornwall with her two children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
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As to whether she pays much attention to the passing of time, Camilla is very matter-of-fact. “I mean, I’d be very happy to turn the clock back,” she says, laughing. “When you get to any big number, whether it’s 30, 50, 70, you think: “God, that’s so old.”
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles.Dominic Lipinski-WPA Pool/Getty Images
In a more serious moment of reflection, she notes: “You know, my mother died when she was 72, so I’ve out-lived my mother, which is quite strange.”
As to whether there are any positives to reaching your mid-seventies? “Well, I think you can’t do much more about yourself,” she says with a sigh. “You’ve done what you can. I think you just accept that you are who you are. You get to be a 75-year-old.”
source: people.com
