Camilla to be crowned Queen at coronation next month, King Charles confirms
Camilla has been referred to as Queen Consort since the death of Queen Elizabeth II
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Queen Consort Camilla will officially be named Queen Camilla at King Charles III’s coronation next month.
The newly-released invitations for the British monarch’s forthcoming coronation revealed Camilla Parker-Bowles’ new title. She was referred to as Queen Consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.
The elaborate invitation, which was reportedly sent to 2,000 people, invites guests to attend “The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla – By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to invite…to be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023.”
The invitation, designed by Andrew Jamieson, also includes an illustration featuring Camilla’s coat of arms enclosed by the Garter, to represent her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a senior royal aide confirmed that royal will henceforth be called Queen Camilla once the King is crowned on 6 May. “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,” they told the outlet on 4 April.
“Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using ‘Queen Camilla’ in an official capacity. All former Queen consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name.”
The royal website will also be updated post-coronation to reflect Camilla’s change in title, with Queen Consort being replaced with Queen Camilla, the Palace said. To mark the King’s coronation, a new joint portrait of King Charles and Queen Camilla has also been released. The couple are seen smiling in Buckingham Palace’s blue drawing room, with the Queen Consort wearing a royal blue Fiona Clare dress.
There has been much speculation about what title Camilla would inherit when Charles acceded to the throne. In an unprecedented move, the late Queen Elizabeth II said in February last year that it was her “sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort”.
It was later confirmed last March that the ceremony will involve the coronation of both Charles and Camilla, who will be crowned alongside each other. Traditionally, the wife of a reigning king is given the title of the Queen Consort. She is crowned and anointed at the coronation ceremony. While the Queen Consort does not hold a formal government position, her primary role is to “provide companionship and moral and practical support” to the reigning monarch, according to Buckingham Palace.
Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is Charles’ second wife, was made the Duchess of Cornwall when the two were married in 2005. Following her wedding to Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, Camilla decided not to take on the Princess of Wales title – which had famously been used by his late ex-wife, Princess Diana.
King Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May, 2023.
Additional reporting by PA.