In 2021, Queen Elizabeth appointed Camilla a "Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter," the most senior order of knighthood in the British honors system.
The Queen's 2022 Platinum Jubilee statement said it was her "sincere wish" that Camilla should be known as Queen Consort on her death - although Buckingham Palace appears to have decided to drop the second part of that title.
Now that Charles is king, Camilla's official title is queen consort rather than Duchess of Cornwall. A queen consort is also addressed as a queen, meaning Camilla will be known as Queen Camilla. While the title of queen consort was instantly given to her when Queen Elizabeth passed, it wasn't always guaranteed to her.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl said Queen Elizabeth II once referred to Camilla as "that wicked woman." For years, the Queen refused to sanction Camilla and Charles' relationship after their affair.
What is a Queen Consort? According to the Royal Family website, the Queen Consort is the title of the woman who is the wife of the reigning king. Therefore, Camilla (formerly the 'Duchess of Cornwall') should be the Queen Consort as she is the wife of the former Prince of Wales, soon-to-be crowned King Charles III.
As NBC royal commentator Daisy McAndrew puts it, a “queen consort is a woman who married a man who is king,” and a “queen is a woman who is born to be queen and is head of state — not the wife of a monarch.”
After Queen Elizabeth III died in 2022, Camilla initially took on the title of queen consort, as the queen wished. Unlike a queen regnant, a queen consort does not have any real authority and the title is usually given to the spouse of a monarch.
Camilla may have been at Diana's wedding but she was not welcome at her funeral, which was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world. Still, to many her absence echoed around the ancient hall. The Queen made it clear to Charles that he could not take his paramour to the service.
Change of the wedding location and date
On 22 February, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen would not attend the wedding ceremony, but would attend the church blessing and host the reception afterwards. The reason stated by the palace was the couple wanted to keep the occasion low key.
King Charles has allegedly been campaigning for years to have his wife, Camilla, officially recognized as Queen, according to Christopher Andersen, author of "The King: The Life of Charles III".
William Technically Has to Bow to Queen Camilla
“The personal impact is likely the protocol changes that roll into action almost immediately,” an insider said shortly after Charles took the throne. “The family will now have to bow or curtsy to King Charles and Queen [Consort] Camilla.”
A royal source told CNN last month that the coronation was an appropriate time to start the transition of titles. “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,” the source added.
But Camilla, on the other hand, is not called Grandma. Instead, she is known as GaGa to the Cambridge children. During an appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 2016, Camilla told singer Lady Gaga about her unusual nickname. She expanded upon this shortly after the birth of Prince George.
This means that neither Camilla nor Kate will ever be known as Queen, only as Queen Consort. When William becomes king, that will be the title that awaits her.
Camilla Originally Wanted to Be “Princess Consort”
So why did Camilla initially want to be Princess cCnsort and not Queen Consort? Apparently, this decision was made partly out of respect to Princess Diana—which is also why Camilla doesn't use the title Princess of Wales and instead goes by Duchess of Cornwall.
On top of being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and step-grandmother, Queen Consort Camilla also contributes a lot to charity. Since marrying Charles in 2005, she has become patron or president of more than 90 charities.
Princess Diana married now-King Charles back in 1981, and the current Queen Consort was in the congregation watching the ceremony. Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was known then, wore a pale grey dress to the service which many assumed was a white gown.
King Charles is married to Queen Consort Camilla, whom he married in 2005. So what did King Charles inherit from Queen Elizabeth? After the Queen's death, King Charles inherited the Sovereign Grant, a taxpayer fund each year to the British royal family.
As for what the queen kept in her bag, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith says the items weren't all that different from what normal women carry with them: a mirror, lipstick, mint lozenges and reading glasses. As for the rest of the royal family, they have their own dress code rules they have to follow.
Ms Junor wrote: “Camilla had at first thought that Diana's injuries amounted to little more than a broken arm – which is what Charles had been told. “So when he rang at 3.45am with the news that Diana had just died on the operating table, she was as shocked as he was – and terrified for him.
The queen stood with her family, and as Diana's funeral cortege passed by, she bowed her head. It was not a quick bow, nor a shallow one. The woman accustomed to being bowed by the world now lowered her head and humbly honored the princess.
Yes, Diana and Camilla's Agonizing Lunch From The Crown Really Happened.
Charles has been king since the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September. While his wife, Camilla, was also crowned at the coronation, because she is not a member of the royal family by blood, she would not take over the throne if Charles were to die or step down.
A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns suo jure (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king; or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch and rules pro ...
Early in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II — clearly wanting no doubt to linger over her intentions — said that when Charles did become king, it was her "sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service" to Britain.