PEACEHAVEN, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 03: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop.) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex make an official visit to the Joff Youth Centre in Peacehaven, Sussex on October 3, 2018 in Peacehaven, United Kingdom. The Duke and Duchess married on May 19th 2018 in Windsor and were conferred The Duke & Duchess of Sussex by The Queen. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
01:01
Meghan and Harry expecting their first child
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank kiss after their wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, Windsor, Britain October 12, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
PHOTO:
TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS
Now playing
01:48
Look back at Princess Eugenie's 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank
WINDSOR, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Queen Elizabeth II attends the third day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park on May 15, 2004 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Carl De Souza/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
Carl De Souza/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
02:22
The Queen's love of Racing
CHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become The Duchess of Sussex and this is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair will open a road bridge in Widnes and visit The Storyhouse and Town Hall in Chester. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Now playing
01:08
Meghan takes first solo trip with the Queen
Savannah Phillips and Prince George at Trooping of Colour.
PHOTO:
@Welshracer / Twitter
Now playing
00:29
The little royals steal the Queen's spotlight
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 01: Meghan Markle presents awards during the 'Endeavour Fund Awards' Ceremony at Goldsmiths Hall on February 1, 2018 in London, England. The awards celebrate the achievements of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women who have taken part in remarkable sporting and adventure challenges over the last year. (Photo by Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
01:18
Meghan Markle brushes off awkward moment
LONDON, ENGLAND -JANUARY 22: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternative crop of image #908732602) Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank pose in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace after they announced their engagement. Princess Eugenie wears a dress by Erdem, shoes by Jimmy Choo and a ring containing a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds on January 22, 2018 in London, England.. They are to marry at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in the autumn this year. (Photo by Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
00:53
Another royal wedding in 2018
Princess Charlotte begins nursery school
PHOTO:
Handout/Kensington Palace
Now playing
01:18
Princess Charlotte's cutest moments
Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee US actress Meghan Markle greet wellwishers on a walkabout as they arrive for an engagement at Nottingham Contemporary in Nottingham, central England, on December 1, 2017 which is hosting a Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Nottingham in their first set of engagements together since announcing their engagement. / AFP PHOTO / Oli SCARFF (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
OLI SCARFF/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Now playing
01:06
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first royal visit
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 27: Hayley Henson and daughter Emily Henson sit with Prince Harry at the Sitting Volleyball Finals during the Invictus Games 2017 at Mattamy Athletic Centre on September 27, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
PHOTO:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games
Now playing
00:45
Prince Harry catches child 'swiping' his popcorn
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 19: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, holds Queen Elizabeth II's arm as she departs Canada House after attending a celebration to mark Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation on July 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Now playing
00:59
Holding the Queen's elbow: A royal blunder
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 press day at Chelsea Flower Show on May 20, 2019 in London, England.
PHOTO:
Pool/Getty Images
Now playing
01:39
The Duchess of Cambridge's best moments
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Prince Harry hosts a reception to mark the 40th anniversary of the children's charity WellChild at Buckingham Palace on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool-Getty Images)
PHOTO:
WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
01:03
Prince Harry opens up about Diana's funeral
ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 18: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attends day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2014 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)
PHOTO:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse
Now playing
01:37
Prince Philip: The man behind the Queen
LOSSIEMOUTH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 20: Queen Elizabeth II is seen during a visit to RAF Lossiemouth on her 67th wedding anniversary on November 20, 2014 in Lossiemouth, Scotland. It was the Queen's first visit to the base since 2003. (Photo by Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
PHOTO:
WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Now playing
01:23
The world's longest serving monarchs
Story highlights
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, preparing for U.S. trip
Charles praises Camilla for how she has defined her public role
The two are coming up on their 10-year wedding anniversary
Watch “Spotlight: Charles and Camilla” Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET to get an inside look at the royal couple as they prepare for their joint visit to the U.S.
(CNN) —
In an exclusive interview ahead of his U.S. tour – and ahead of his 10-year wedding anniversary – Prince Charles paid tribute to the “brilliant” way his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has taken on the “real, real challenge” of defining her public role.
“It’s always marvelous to have somebody who, you know, you feel understands and wants to encourage. Although she certainly pokes fun if I get too serious about things. And all that helps,” Prince Charles told CNN.
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Britain's Prince Charles has visited the United States more than 20 times and has met with a number of U.S. Presidents. Here, Prince Charles speaks while visiting President Richard Nixon in 1970.
PHOTO:
Keystone/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Prince Charles, fifth from right, and members of the royal family meet with President Jimmy Carter, fourth from left, and other world leaders in 1977.
PHOTO:
Pool/AP
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Prince Charles sits with President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1981.
PHOTO:
Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
President George H.W. Bush greets Prince Charles in 1990.
PHOTO:
Terry Ashe/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Prince Charles and other world leaders, including President Bill Clinton, attend the funeral of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Jerusalem in 1995.
PHOTO:
Michel Lipchitz/AP
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, visit President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush in 2005. This was Camilla's first official visit to the United States as the Duchess of Cornwall.
PHOTO:
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and the Presidents
Prince Charles speaks with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office in 2011. Charles and Camilla will meet with Obama again on their upcoming visit to the United States.
PHOTO:
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
The couple first visited the U.S. together as newlyweds in 2005, and Camilla was confronted by hardcore Princess Diana fans with abusive placards. Polls at the time found that between 57% and 73% of Brits opposed Charles’ new wife being known as queen. If you go back even further, to 1997, the year Diana died, an Ipsos MORI poll put it at 86%.
But there’s been a change in sentiment since they married. A new poll conducted by Comres for CNN found that only 35% now oppose Camilla being known as queen. Nearly one in four said they liked her more now than they did 10 years ago.
This coincides with a change in palace strategy – away from the aggressive spin machine of the 1990s to simply allowing Camilla to be herself. When she appears in public, she’s either seen supporting her husband or promoting a set of causes she has a genuine connection with.
Prince Charles praised how his wife has handled herself.
“She’s done an enormous amount for the whole issue around osteoporosis, which of course runs in her family,” he said, noting that Camilla’s mother and grandmother both suffered from the bone disease.
He also points to other issues Camilla is associated with, including literacy and preventing sexual violence.
The Duchess of Cornwall, by sticking to what she knows and cares about, is able to connect with the people she meets, which doesn’t always come across on camera.
The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles take a stroll on a chilly January morning.
PHOTO:
CNN
When Charles and Camilla married in 2005, there was huge sensitivity around the legacy of Diana, who was expected to be queen herself.
With this in mind, royal aides announced that Camilla would not use the title of Queen when Charles becomes King. Instead she would be known as Princess Consort. That still stands, although the public of today looks less likely to oppose the title of Queen.
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are coming up on their 10th wedding anniversary. The two were married on April 9, 2005.
PHOTO:
OLIVER DANN/CNN
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla, seated at the left near Queen Elizabeth II, attend the opening of Parliament together in May 2013.
PHOTO:
Jon Bond/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
From left, Charles; Prince William; Camilla; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; and Prince Harry leave a Thanksgiving service in London in June 2012. William and Harry are Charles' sons from his first marriage.
PHOTO:
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
The royal couple hold koalas while visiting Australia in November 2012.
PHOTO:
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Pope Benedict XVI exchanges gifts with Charles and Camilla as they meet in his private library at the Vatican in April 2009.
PHOTO:
Eric Vandeville-Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla add to a mural of Martin Luther King Jr. while in Philadelphia in January 2007.
PHOTO:
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla taste local food during a visit to Skardu, Pakistan, in November 2006.
PHOTO:
Anwar Hussein Collection/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
The couple play pool in November 2006.
PHOTO:
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla leave a prayer service on their wedding day in 2005.
PHOTO:
Toby Melville/AP
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
A gift shop offers memorabilia featuring the couple shortly before they were married. The wedding was initially scheduled for April 8, but it was later postponed a day.
PHOTO:
MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla talk with actor Al Pacino in London in November 2004.
PHOTO:
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
Photos: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Charles and Camilla walk together in February 2003.