From royal mistress to Her Majesty the Queen, Camilla has seen an extraordinary transformation. She will be by the side of King Charles III at his coronation and is expected to wear the Queen Mother’s 1937 coronation crown. As soon as Charles became King following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Camilla became Queen Consort.
There was a time when she was disliked by the public and seen as the reason for the breaking down of Charles and Diana’s marriage. She married Charles in 2005 but reports suggest that Camilla did not want to be known as Queen Consort, even though it was something that she was entitled to. She instead wanted to be known as Princess Consort when the time came. This title has never been used before in British history.
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On the eve of her 70th accession day in February this year, Queen Elizabeth had expressed the desire for Camilla to take the title when the time comes. “When, in the fullness of time, 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, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” the Queen wrote.
Queen Consort is the same title that was given to Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI. After the monarch passed, she was given the title of Queen Mother.
The massive shift in public opinion is a huge reason why Camilla is all set to become the Queen today. Diana’s 1995-interview where she openly talked about her marriage and that “there were three of us in this marriage”, made things worse for Camilla. Charles and Camilla took time to appear in the public together after that, waiting for two years.
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But things changed when the Queen herself signalled her approval to the relationship by attending a lunch with Charles and Camilla in 2000. She took on the title of HRH The Princess Consort after getting married in 2005. Thousands of people cheered for her at the event.
Prince Harry’s endorsement of her as a “wonderful woman” who has “made our father very, very happy, which is the most important thing” turned the tables entirely in Camilla’s favour.
(With inputs from agencies)
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