Queen Consort Camilla reportedly will be known as “Queen Camilla” once her husband, King Charles III, has his official coronation in May. Buckingham Palace will recognize the new description for Camilla, which appears to go against the late Queen Elizabeth’s wishes, according to a report by Daily Mail on Feb. 25.
“There’s a view in the Palace that ‘Queen Consort’ is cumbersome and it might be simpler for Camilla to be known just as the ‘Queen’ when the time is right,” a source for the outlet stated. The move may have been foreshadowed last week when Camilla’s ongoing charity project called “Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room” was suddenly rebranded the “Queen’s Reading Room,” per the insider.
Camilla, who married Charles in 2005, had been known as the Duchess of Cornwall until the beloved monarch’s death in September, when she became the Queen Consort. The new title for Charles’ second wife was bestowed upon her per a letter written by Queen Elizabeth in February of 2022.
“And 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 the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” Her Majesty wrote.
At the time, Charles said he was “deeply honored” that his mother wished his “darling wife” to take the title of “Queen Consort” when he becomes King. The letter was also welcomed by the Royal family, as there had been suggestions Camilla might use the title of “Princess Consort” due to remaining public tensions over the tragic 1997 death of Charles’ first wife Princess Diana.
The description change may be welcomed without any drama, if history has anything to say about it. “Her Majesty is the Queen after all,” the Daily Mail’s source said of Camilla. “Prince Philip was Prince Consort officially, but he wasn’t known as Prince Consort. The Queen would of course still be Queen Consort so the Palace of course wouldn’t stop anyone calling Her Majesty that if they so chose.”
The insider also pointed out that during her time as a non-reigning queen, King George VI’s wife was “technically ‘Queen Consort’ but was known in public simply as ‘Queen Elizabeth.'”
In addition, the UK’s Sunday Times explained their decision to drop “consort” in their posts weeks ago. “’Consort’ is a description, not a title,” explained the newspaper’s archivist Rose Wild, per Daily Mail. “While all previous wives of kings have been queens consort, none have been referred to as such.”