Bengaluru: Queen Camilla hosted author JK Rowling at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh this week. The Royal Family’s Instagram account described the meeting as centred on a shared interest in children’s reading. The post, published on the final day of Pride Month, led to comparisons being drawn between Camilla and Princess Diana.
Rowling has in recent years become a prominent public voice against trans rights and gender self-identification, a stance that has made her a divisive figure among LGBTQ+ audiences.
The caption of the Instagram post said the two women had “a shared passion for books and a deep commitment to children reading for pleasure,” and that they had discussed the importance of ensuring young people have access to books.
Reactions in the comments section were largely critical, flooded with trans flag emojis. One user questioned whether the reference to “young people” applied equally to all children, posting “All young people? Or only some young people?” alongside a string of transgender flag emojis.
Another said the date was significant, writing simply that doing this during Pride month “is a statement.”
But some defenders pushed back on the post, with one arguing Rowling deserved a damehood given her record as a supporter of women’s rights.
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Diana’s queer activism
Users on X were more explicit in comparing Camilla to Diana.
Matt Bernstein, a popular queer commentator drew a direct comparison to Princess Diana. Quote tweeting the Royal Family’s post on X, he shared four images of Diana with AIDS patients and said that “princess diana transformed public perception by simply hanging out with them and treating them like people.”
Guardian columnist and political commentator Owen Jones simply quote-tweeted the Royal Family’s original post with a photograph of Princess Diana, leaving the image to draw the contrast for itself.
Diana’s most cited moment on queer activism dates to 1987, when she was photographed shaking the bare hand of a patient on an AIDS ward at London’s Middlesex Hospital. She went on to visit AIDS wards on multiple occasions over the following years, a pattern of engagement that HIV and AIDS charities have since credited with shifting public attitudes toward patients.
She would’ve turned 65 today.