After being crowned alongside her husband King Charles III, Camilla is now officially referred to as Queen Camilla, which sounds more formal than “Queen Consort.” However, the change in title does not imply any practical differences in her role as a senior member of the royal family. While Queen Consorts do not share the sovereign’s powers officially, dropping the “consort” part of the title doesn’t change that. Despite this, the title change marks a significant milestone in Camilla’s reputation rehabilitation. Previously, she was once reviled as the other woman in Prince Charles’ first marriage to Princess Diana, but she is now largely accepted by the British public.
The question of what title Camilla would hold when Charles became king has long been a contentious issue, due to sensitivity about her status as Charles’ second wife. Camilla and her first husband divorced in 1995, shortly after Charles admitted to his relationship with her in a television interview. Charles and Diana divorced the following year. In 2005, Camilla and Charles married in a private civil ceremony, which led to questions about whether Camilla would eventually be styled as queen.
Queen Elizabeth II settled the matter last year by giving her blessing for Camilla to be referred to as Queen Consort. This endorsement was widely seen as a formal sign that the royal family had finally accepted Camilla as a respected senior member. Last month, Buckingham Palace introduced the title “Queen Camilla” in official coronation invitations for the first time, as it was deemed an appropriate time to do so since several months had passed since Elizabeth’s death in September.
It is worth noting that the change in title does not change Camilla’s role as a Queen Consort, and the most recent queen consort in British history was George VI’s wife, Queen Elizabeth, who was known as “The Queen” and later the Queen Mother. Therefore, while Camilla is now officially referred to as Queen Camilla, she will not formally share the sovereign’s powers. Nonetheless, this title change is significant as it represents a step forward in Camilla’s journey towards being accepted as a respected senior member of the royal family.
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