Camilla Parker Bowles joins Justin Welby's crusade against payday lenders I said to him quite bluntly: 'We're not in the business of trying to legislate you out of existence, we're trying to compete you out of existence. He's a businessman: he took that well. The Duchess, whose father was a wine merchant, joined a credit union in May. She said she wanted to highlight the practical help that credit unions offer their communities in difficult economic times. Camilla joined the London Mutual Credit Union, in Peckham, where she has access to its financial services. The London Mutual Credit Union is run by lending out its members" savings and encouraging customers to take control of their money and only borrow amounts they can afford to repay. She had visited five other credit unions in the past three years. It is, however, a sensitive subject, politically. The Archbishop was criticised after his comments about Wonga, with many pointing out that payday loans firms offer a useful and safe alternative to loan sharks who prey on the poor. Ed Miliband announced last week that he would force payday lenders to hand over millions of pounds of profits to the Government, to help families facing a "personal debt crisis" to gain access to cheaper loans. The Labour leader wants to double government funding to credit unions to £26million a year. The proposals mean that lenders, such as Wonga, would have a levy applied to profits to raise the extra funds. A Clarence House spokesman confirms that the meeting took place last week, but refuses to comment on what was discussed. However, the spokesman says: "Credit unions are an area that the the Duchess has done some work in and which interest her." A Lambeth Palace spokesman declines to comment.