It is my sincere wish that when the time comes Camilla will be known as the Queen Consort
Her Majesty’s historic announcement
CAMILLA will take the title of Queen Consort when Prince Charles becomes King, the Queen revealed last night.
Her Majesty broke the unexpected news in an address to mark the anniversary of her accession to the throne, 70 years ago today.
For years insiders were convinced Camilla would take the title Princess Consort when her husband succeeds his mother as head of state.
But that idea was swept aside in the shock 10pm statement to the nation.
The Queen wrote: “When my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me. And it is my sincere wish that Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
A spokesman for Charles said: “The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are touched and honoured by Her Majesty’s words.”
Former BBC royal correspondent
Peter Hunt said: “This is the most extraordinary message.”
And recalling Diana’s famous remark about Charles’ infidelity during her Panorama interview, he added: “For Camilla, the journey from being the third person in a marriage to queen-in-waiting is complete.”
Historian Dr Ed Owens, author of The Family Firm, said the decision to make Camilla the Queen Consort was a “very smart PR move on the part of the palace”.
He said: “This is about the Queen trying to legitimise the succession.
“With it appearing that it is the Queen’s wish, as opposed to Charles’ wish, it confers legitimacy on Camilla as a successor Queen.”
A royal consort is the spouse of a serving monarch, whose main duty is to provide support and companionship during their reign. While Camilla will be known as Queen Camilla, she will not have a formal position or set tasks and responsibilities. But those in the role of consort have held considerable influence – most famously Prince
Albert, who was Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. The last Queen Consort was the Queen Mother, who was King George VI’S consort.
The issue of Camilla’s title was contentious as she is a divorcee and was Charles’s mistress when he was married to Diana. She and Charles wed in 2005, eight years after Diana died in a Paris car crash, aged 36.
Pledge
In the Queen’s 385-word statement, which she signed off “Your Servant, Elizabeth R”, Her Majesty also recalled the loss of her father and renewed her lifelong pledge of duty ahead of her 96th birthday.
“Tomorrow, 6th February, marks the 70th anniversary of my Accession in 1952,” she wrote. “It is a day that I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign. It gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service.”
Her Majesty went on to pay tribute
to her late husband, Prince Philip – the longest-serving consort in history – and thank the UK and commonwealth nations for their support.
She said: “I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family. I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father’s reign. This anniversary also affords me a time to reflect on the goodwill shown to me by people of all nationalities, faiths and ages. I would like to express my thanks to you all.”
And she hoped this year’s jubilee celebrations will bring people together “after some difficult times for so many”.
Royal watchers said the statement marked the completion of a dramatic turnaround in her relationship with her daughterin-law. Royal author Dr Andrew Lownie said it showed how “the
Queen, who wouldn’t have Camilla in the room at one point, has become very fond of her”.
He added: “I think there’s a real sense of the passing on of the crown.”
Charles and Camilla met at a polo match in the 1970s and began dating but broke up when he went off to sea.
She went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, while Charles wed Diana in 1981. But they remained close and, in 1993, an intimate phone call was leaked, causing a scandal. In 1995 Diana told Panorama: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Charles and Camilla finally made their relationship public in 1998. When they tied the knot in 2005, aides announced Camilla “intended” to be known as Princess Consort when Charles became King. That would have been a historic first but all mention of the idea was removed from Charles’s website in 2018.
Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen, told the People: “At the time, I think they came up with that title as an alternative as Diana had only been dead eight years and the public mood was hostile towards Camilla. But the mood has changed and that hostility has evaporated.”
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