A king and Queen was the beginning of most children’s fairy tales. It is a tradition that the King’s wife serves as Queen. Britain, however, is an outlier in this regard. Charles III, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, succeeded his mother as monarch after she passed away. But Camilla, his wife, will not be crowned monarch. She is referred to instead as the “Queen Consort.”
Why doesn’t Camilla receive the title of Queen, despite being the King’s wife? Why is she known as the Queen’s Consort? – The report of the British-based media Independent and the Indian-based media Indian Express seeks answers to these issues.
What is Queen Consort?
In Britain, the succession to the throne is established through inheritance. In other words, the title will be inherited by the Queen from her predecessor. Consequently, her rank, actions, and obligations will be comparable to those of a king. She inherited the kingdom from her father, as did the recently departed Elizabeth II.
However, the woman who marries the King will be referred to as the Queen Consort. Since Camilla entered the royal family by marrying Charles III, she has no claim to the throne.
The Queen Consort is traditionally crowned alongside the King, as stated on the official British Royal Family website. There isn’t anything particularly impressive about this event, though. There is no official role for the Queen Consort in the administration. Furthermore, she lacks the authority to access any official records of the state. Instead, a queen consort’s primary role is to stand by her husband, the King, in all his decisions.
Since marrying King Charles, Camilla has led more than 90 charitable organisations, as stated on the official royal family website. These groups fight for causes as diverse as women’s rights after sexual assault, health care, education, the arts, animal rights, and more.
Charles’s messy marriage
The tragic car accident in which Princess Diana died is still fresh in the minds of nearly everyone. In 1997, the entire planet was shaken by a single event. The future Charles III wed Diana, Princess of Wales, first. But before he married Diana and started a family with her, Charles was much in love with Camilla. Thus, Charles ended his relationship with Diana.
Numerous people believe that Camilla and Charles’s relationship was the cause of their divorce. Also, Diana alluded to the upheaval in Camilla’s life. He used the term “Rottweiler” to describe Camilla in a 1995 interview (a breed of dog). Diana recalled, “There were three of us at the wedding,” including herself and Camilla (to Charles). Simply put, it was a shambles.
After Diana’s separation from Charles and her death in 1997, public ire toward Camilla increased. At the time, only 7% of Britons believed that Camilla was deserving of the throne. In 2005, Charles and Camilla were wed. At the time, there was controversy around his title.
Diana was Princess of Wales during her marriage to Charles; Charles was Prince of Wales. Charles also held the title of Duke of Cornwall. After their marriage, Camilla assumed the title of Duchess of Cornwall. The Prince of Wales ‘ residence stated that Camilla would be dubbed Princess Consort upon Charles’ accession to the throne. They were concerned that Camilla could upset people.
From Princess to Queen Consort
In a 2010 interview with NBC, Charles was asked if Camilla would succeed him as Queen upon his accession to the throne. Good thing…we’ll see when the time comes, won’t we? Replied Charles. It is possible.’
Then, in February of this year, Queen Elizabeth II revealed that it was her “heartfelt intention” that, when Prince Charles becomes King, the Duchess of Cornwall will be known as Queen Consort rather than Princess Consort as had been previously planned.
Queen Elizabeth II once declared, “My son Charles will be King when the time is ripe.” So, after all you’ve done for me, I have no doubt you’ll back him and his wife Camilla just as strongly as you did me. And I hope with all my heart that Camilla will be called the Queen Consort when the time comes.