- Queen Elizabeth said she wants the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as “Queen Camilla” in the future.
- “It is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort,” she said.
- The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks 70 years on the throne, is Sunday.
Queen Elizabeth II wants Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to be known as “Queen” when Prince Charles takes the throne, she announced on Saturday.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” the Queen said in a statement released on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since she ascended the throne in 1952 following the death of her father King George VI.
—The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 5, 2022
Representatives for Clarence House and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Camilla was expected to become ‘Princess consort’ — not ‘Queen’
It was previously unclear if Camilla, 74, would receive the title of “Queen” when 73-year-old Charles — who is next in the line of succession — one day becomes King.
According to People, a press release shared on the day of Charles and Camilla’s engagement addressed the issue, saying: “It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne.” The press release, from February 10, 2005, no longer appears on the Prince of Wales’ official website, however it is available to view via The Wayback Machine at the time of writing.
Camilla and Charles married on April 9, 2005, at Windsor Castle. After marrying Charles, Camilla received her title of Duchess of Cornwall.
Rob Jefferies/Getty Images
As a working royal, the Duchess of Cornwall is a patron or resident of over 90 charities with a focus on “health, literacy, supporting those in need; the elderly, victims of rape and sexual abuse and domestic violence, empowering women; food; animals, dance and heritage and the arts,” according to her official website.
When Prince Charles becomes King, Camilla could be crowned alongside him
Following Charles’ accession to the throne following the Queen’s death, Camilla could be coronated alongside her husband, according to the royal family’s coronation traditions which stipulate that “unless decided otherwise, a Queen consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony.”
This was not the case for Prince Philip, however, at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. According to tradition, “if the new Sovereign is a Queen, her consort is not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony.”
It’s likely that the Duke of Edinburgh was not named King consort as the title traditionally ranks higher than Queen, as Insider’s Samantha Grindell and Mikhaila Friel previously reported.
Joe Giddens/Getty Images
The Queen, 95, will become the first monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the UK, the Realms, and the Commonwealth, on Sunday.
As People reported, the Queen hosted a public reception with cake and gifts at Sandringham Estate on Saturday, and plans to spend Sunday, the anniversary of her father’s death, privately.