Camilla, the queen consort, has just been officially named Queen Camilla for the first time in invitations to King Charles’ coronation this week.
The ornate invitation to the big event, which will take place on May 6, begins by calling it “the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla”.
Titles are of the greatest importance within the royal family, an institution steeped in tradition and hierarchy.
So while this might seem like just a small change in Camilla’s role, it’s actually quite significant.
So why is it such a big deal?
It all boils down to Charles’ story: Camilla is the monarch’s second wife.
He divorced his first, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1996 after years of highly publicized events and alleged affairs (including between Charles and Camilla).
Known as the People’s Princess, Diana is still considered a cultural icon to this day and has a loyal fan base more than 25 years after her death.
Charles waited until 2005 to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles (who was herself a divorcee) and stated that out of respect for his ex-wife, he would only take one of her lesser titles. This made Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, so as not to tarnish Diana’s memory or suggest that she would replace her.
But since Charles had not yet taken the throne during his marriage to Diana, it was unclear whether he would let his next wife take the title of queen.
But palace officials were in a different situation when Charles and Camilla, both previously divorced, decided her future role in the royal family.
Traditionally, the wife of the reigning monarch is given the title of queen, but the divorced monarch and later head of the Church of England has not sat on the throne for centuries.
So there has been much controversy over what title Camilla will be given when her husband inherits the throne one day.
Was Camilla supposed to be the princess consort?
Before the late Queen Elizabeth’s death, it was believed that Camilla would become HRH Princess Consort, as the couple announced at their wedding.
This would follow the model the Queen developed for her husband, Prince Philip, who was her Prince Consort (he could not be King because he is a higher rank than the Queen).
What did the late Queen Elizabeth want?
Queen Elizabeth then said in February 2022 that it was her “heartfelt desire” for Camilla to become queen consort when Charles eventually became king.
What is a queen consort?
The royal website explains: “Unless otherwise decided, a queen consort is crowned king in a similar but simple ceremony. If the new ruler is a queen, her consort is not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony.”
A consort has no official functions related to the government, unlike her husband, the constitutional monarch, who has inherited the throne.
So removing the word “husband” is seen as a power move by Twitter.
Was it a power move?
Well, it’s not clear, but it makes no difference to Camilla’s official roles, and on the royal website she is still officially listed as Queen Consort.
And, as Emily Nash of HELLO! Good Morning Britain magazine said that no other queen consort had held the title of queen consort in British history: they all dropped it and only used Queen as a prefix to their names.
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