Ever since the marriage of the then Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles, the thorny question has arisen of her title should Charles ascend to the throne. As a divorcee, as was Charles, their marriage was a civil one; at first she was to be known as ‘princess consort’, later ‘queen consort’. But Buckingham Palace’s invitation to the Coronation confirms what most have suspected all along, that from the coronation on, it will be officially Queen Camilla, as Charles has always wished.
A new photograph of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort, taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, has been released. The photograph (seen above) was taken by Hugo Burnand.
The Palace has danced around the question of what Camilla would be known as when Charles acceded the throne for several years; in 2005 on her marriage to the then Prince of Wales, the official position was that she would be known as ‘princess consort’, and in February last year, Queen Elizabeth II made clear that she wished for her daughter-in-law to hold the title of ‘queen consort’.
The official invitation, sent out to more than 2,000 guests for the 6th May ceremony at Westminster Abbey, seems to be the last word, as it invites recipients to the “Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla”.
Consort
The announcement marks a remarkable progression of Camilla, born Camilla Rosemary Shand in 1947, from a good friend of the then Prince Charles to adulterous lover, official partner, and finally wife. When she is formally crowned queen alongside the new king, the royal website will be updated post-coronation to reflect Camilla’s change in title, with queen consort being replaced with Queen Camilla, the palace said.
A palace source said: “It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the queen consort in the early months of His Majesty’s reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“‘Queen Camilla’ is the appropriate title to set against ‘King Charles’ on the invitation. The coronation is an appropriate time to start using ‘Queen Camilla’ in an official capacity. All former queen consorts have been known as ‘Queen’ plus their first name.”
Queen
Camilla was raised in East Sussex and South Kensington in England and educated in England, Switzerland, and France. In 1973, she married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles; they divorced in 1995. Camilla and Charles were romantically involved periodically both before and during each of their first marriages. Their relationship was highly publicised in the media and attracted worldwide scrutiny .In 2005, Camilla married Charles in the Windsor Guildhall, which was followed by a televised Anglican blessing at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. From the marriage until her husband’s accession in 2022, she was known as Duchess of Cornwall.
Camilla carries out public engagements representing the monarchy, often alongside her husband. She is also the patron, the president, or a member of numerous charities and organisations. Since 1994, Camilla has campaigned to raise awareness of osteoporosis, which has earned her several honours and awards. She has also campaigned to raise awareness of issues such as rape, sexual abuse, literacy, animal welfare, and, ironically, poverty.
