Like the late Queen Elizabeth before her, Camilla is known for keeping her own counsel and very little is known of her opinions on anything.

She's often perceived as a loyal wife to King Charles who is not a driving force in her own right, but according to her biographer nothing could be further from the truth.

Christopher Wilson, author of A Greater Love – Charles and Camilla, insists that the Queen has a secret steely nature and indeed a 'ruthless streak'.

It comes amid claims that Camilla, 78, together with Prince William, 43, are leading the crusade against the York family, with the King's wife and eldest son said to have been a vital force in pushing Charles to act to punish Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the wake of the Epstein scandal.

'She's every bit as convincing as the old Queen Mother was when it comes to putting on a sweet smile and saying just the right thing to put people at their ease,' Wilson said.

'But – again like the Queen Mum – there's a ruthless streak to Camilla which she takes care to keep hidden from view.

'Her job, as she sees it, is to support and protect her man. Her predecessor as Queen Consort, Elizabeth, did just the same during the war years and after with her husband, King George VI.

'Monarchy is about survival, and Camilla understands that. She's read the history books and knows how, when the House of Windsor was brought to its knees in 1936 with the Abdication of King Edward VIII, she put fire in the belly of her reluctant husband, turning him into a successful wartime monarch who did a great double-act with Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

'King George needed her iron-clad courage, just as King Charles needs Camilla's today.

'If Charles has a weakness, it's that he's too kind and too forgiving when things go wrong – just as his mother was,' I was told by an ex-courtier. 'He's lucky to have Camilla there to stiffen his backbone when needed.''

'This weekend it emerged that plans are finally afoot to take Andrew Mountbatten Windsor out of the line of succession, an uncomfortable procedure for Charles to agree to, but one which, according to royal expert Phil Dampier, Camilla is urging him to do.

'Leading the charge against the old House of York alongside her stepson, Prince William, it's even likely that her influence will take Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie out of the royal pecking order as well.

'Royal biographer Andrew Lownie has said that they were complicit in Andrew's association with Jeffrey Epstein and must pay the price, too.

'Camilla agrees. Interestingly, it's clear that while Charles has some lingering affection for his (ex) York nieces, she has frozen the family out – even though back in the good old polo days at Smith's Lawn, she was chums with Sarah Ferguson's mother, Susan Barrantes.

'But friendship must come second to loyalty to the Crown. Camilla was nowhere to be seen at the Duchess of Kent's funeral, where the House of York stood centre-stage (and William had words with his uncle).

'Neither was her name attached to the list of names congratulating Eugenie on her pregnancy. As far as she's concerned, their names need never be mentioned again.

'The Queen Mother ensured, after the damage of the Abdication, that her brother-in-law, the Duke of Windsor, went into exile - and stayed there. Camilla is likely to push for the same thing to happen to her brother-in-law, Andrew.

'She once famously wielded her hefty hunting whip over the heads of photographers who came too close during her problem days before her marriage to Charles.

'With Andrew, Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie in her sights, looks like she'll be cracking it again.'

'The Queen has apparently concluded that all the Yorks, including Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie and their children, should be excluded from the line of succession.'

The cracks in Camilla's relationship with the Yorks, it seems, surfaced some years ago when the Queen was a no-show at Andrew's daughter Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel in 2018.

Her excuse was a longstanding commitment to visit Crathie Primary School, located near Balmoral, but even locals were surprised and told the Daily Mail at the time they would have understood if she'd had to reschedule.

'We are used to seeing the royals out and about – they are part of the Crathie community – and frankly they could drop in at any time,' one shared.

'I don't think anyone would have been too startled if the engagement was cancelled because of the wedding.'

While friends insisted there was no 'snub' from Camilla (who reportedly sent Eugenie a handwritten apology letter), her tensions with both Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were hard to ignore.

Two years later, Camilla didn't attend Beatrice's summer wedding to Edo Mapelli Mozzi either.

The small wedding was restricted due to the COVID-19 safety guidelines, but unlike the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Andrew and Fergie, Charles and Camilla did not make the 20-person cut.

Then, in September last year, Camilla's absence was noted again at the Duchess of Kent's funeral - a sombre occasion that Andrew was front and centre at.

Andrew and William's 'frosty' exchange after the funeral made headlines - with a body language expert claiming the future King declined to converse with his uncle.

Camilla appeared to distance herself from the York family once again by failing to publicly congratulate Eugenie on the announcement of her third pregnancy, revealed earlier this month.

But most recently, news arrived that Camilla, together with Charles and other senior royals, will attend Peter Phillips' wedding to NHS nurse Harriet Spearling in June - but Beatrice and Eugenie were notably not invited.

While Andrew and Sarah's friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein continued to be unveiled in the files, Camilla has been busy with her work to bring attention to the sexual violence faced by women.

In March, the Queen gave a speech in defence of the victims and survivors of violence and abuse, saying: 'Shame must change sides.'

Speaking as president of the Women of the World group at St James's Palace in London to mark International Women's Day, she told guests: 'We stand with you.'

Camilla's intervention is likely to have been seen as a thinly veiled reference to the Jeffrey Epstein case and her brother-in-law Andrew's alleged role.

The Queen has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'I think Her Majesty's speech speaks for itself.'