Dubai: For many, Prince Charles's wife Camilla will always be known as the marriage wrecker who destroyed the life of the late lamented Princess Diana.
But it seems Britons are slowly taking a shine to the Duchess of Cornwall, with many now even hoping she will become Queen when her husband ascends the throne.
According to a recent YouGov poll for London's The Daily Telegraph, 28 per cent of Britons would like her to use the title Queen when Charles takes over.
That is not a huge number, but it is a big improvement on a poll at the time the couple married, when a mere seven per cent wanted her to become Queen Camilla, instead of Princess Consort, as her officials have said she will be known.
Six months on from the Charles and Camilla's high-profile visit to the UAE, Britons based here are divided in their views on the Duchess, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday.
Accountant Gary Kennedy, 35, said Camilla damaged the British monarchy by having an affair with Charles while he was married to Diana.
"I would never want her to be Queen. I don't think she's a very nice person. She pursued this affair in a very persistent way and the Royal family has been diminished by her," he said.
"She didn't deserve the hatred with which she was initially regarded, but she's still an adulteress."
Vanessa Porter, 40, a marketing manager, said she too did not want Camilla to become Queen, although she said she admired the way the affection between Charles and Camilla had "stood the test of time".
"They really did love each other and you cannot criticise them for that, although in many ways it would be better to pass [the throne] straight on to the next generation - Prince William," she said.
Record company executive Rachel Monk said she liked the current Queen Elizabeth II a great deal - but had little fondness for the rest of the Royal Family.
"What does the modern monarchy do, apart from cost us a lot of money when there are homeless people on the streets," she asked.
"Camilla can do what she likes, I really don't care. Diana had some connection with the people, but I think that's been lost."
Jack Pearce, who runs a public relations company, said Camilla is "not very glamorous" although he said he had "no objection" to her becoming Queen.
He added: "It's pretty irrelevant nowadays."
'Dignified'
Publisher Graham Stacey, 30, was one of the few real Camilla fans Gulf News found. He described the Duchess of Cornwall as "great", adding that he "fully expects" her to become Queen.
"She wasn't the most popular person to start with, following the Diana thing, but time is a great healer and she has not really put a foot wrong. Following Diana was never going to be easy, but she's conducted herself with the utmost dignity and people accept her," he said.
