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Camilla 'Is No Diana'

One the eve of their first official visit to the United States as husband and wife, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles seem happy, and Camilla seems to be gaining acceptance at home, according to royals correspondent Robert Jobson of Britain's Evening Standard.

He's the royals watcher who broke the news that the two would wed.

"(It will be interesting) to see how the reaction will be in America," Jobson tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler. "The truth is, in Britain, Charles and Camilla have been well received. I think they've turned the corner and are being seen as a future king and queen, in my view. Over here, Camilla is no (Princess) Diana, and I think that's the problem.

"The fact is, Camilla is almost twice the age of Diana when she died. The truth of the matter is, Diana was an incredible icon and great figure. I covered those events with her around the world and there was a buzz wherever she went. I don't think that's gonna happen with Charles and Camilla but the reality is that they're happy. She's playing a supporting role to Charles, and it seems to be working. Everyone deserves a little bit of happiness."

One of the things that came out in Steve Kroft's 60 Minutesinterview with Charles was that Camilla really wants to stay in the background and support him, as opposed to forging an identity of her own, Syler says.
"Can you imagine how boring it must be for Prince Charles to go around the world without anybody to, at the end of the day, to kick off his shoes and say, 'What about that day?' Jobson says. "At least, he's got someone now that he loves and supports him. I think she's happy to play that role."

One sign of Camilla's growing stature in Britain was her wearing a royal tiara recently.

"The tiara was loaned by the queen to Camilla," Jobson says. "I think that was seen as the crowning of Camilla, in Britain, anyway."

Jobson reports that New Orleans is being added to the royal couple's U.S. itinerary.

"It was reported all over the place that it wasn't going to happen," he says, "that (President) Bush was going to say he didn't really want that to happen, but I'm told that they are going to go now, and Charles is very much looking forward to it."

Jobson says he believes the 60 Minutes conversation was "quite candid."

"I think he was quite open," he says. "But he looked a little nervous. He looked like he was worried about the killer question that might upset him. Remember 10 years ago, the documentary in which he confessed to adultery? There were going to be no displays talking about his personal life."

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