Camilla Parker Bowles’ 100-Year-Old Coronation Crown Gets a Queen Elizabeth-Inspired Makeover
Camilla Parker Bowles will wear a crown well over 100 years old when she is coronated Queen Consort alongside her husband, King Charles III, on May 6, 2023. Camilla will be the first consort crowned at a British coronation since 1937. Before her, Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the Queen Mother, was crowned alongside her husband, King George VI, according to the Royal Collection Trust (RCT). Camilla will wear a crown that belonged to Queen Mary. It will receive a Queen Elizabeth II-inspired makeover ahead of the lavish event.
How much power will Camilla Parker Bowles have as Queen Consort when Charles becomes king?
According to Express, Camilla’s title, Queen Consort, will not change her status within the royal family. Hers is a role that rests entirely on her marriage to the king. This means she will not take the throne if Charles dies before her.
A consort does not share the monarch’s political or military powers unless required to act as a regent. In any event, Camilla’s change of power could only happen if King Charles III were incapacitated for an extended period. Nor will her new title allow her to rank higher or on par with her husband. A queen has the same rank as a king, reigns over her kingdom, and has sovereign, military, and political powers.
The royal family website notes that a queen consort “is crowned with the king, in a similar but simpler ceremony.” Alongside Charles, Camilla will be coronated with a 100-year-old crown that will be updated to pay homage to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.
Camilla Parker Bowles’ 100-Year-Old coronation crown gets a Queen Elizabeth-inspired makeover
Queen Mary’s Crown has been removed from display at the Tower of London for modification work ahead of the Coronation, where it will be worn by The Queen Consort.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 14, 2023
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The royal family’s official website reports the Queen Mary crown, worn by the monarch in 1911, has been removed from the Tower of London in preparation for Camilla, Queen Consort’s crowning. The event will take place at Westminster Abbey.
Camilla Parker Bowles appears to take a page from King Charles’ sustainability playbook. She is reusing an existing piece of royal jewels for this important event. This is the first time in recent history an existing crown is used for the consort’s coronation.
However, the Crown Jeweler will make some minor changes and additions. This will keep with a tradition that the insertion of jewels is unique to the occasion, reflecting the consort’s style. Camilla will also pay homage to Queen Elizabeth by using some of the late monarch’s favorite diamonds.
Camilla’s crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds. These diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry collection for many years and were often worn as brooches, the site reported.
What other changes will be made to the crown?
For Camilla Parker Bowles’ coronation as queen consort, four of the Crown’s eight detachable arches will be removed to create a different impression from when Queen Mary wore the Crown in 1911, the royal family’s website reported.
The original Queen Mary crown was made by the official royal jeweler, Garrard’s, for Queen Mary, the consort of King George V, to wear during her 1911 coronation.
Camilla’s repurposing of a historical crown is the first time a queen consort’s crown has been re-used since the 18th century. Then, Queen Caroline, consort of George II, wore Mary of Modena’s crown. Camilla Parker Bowles and King Charles II’s coronation will occur on May 6, 2023, at Westminister Abbey.
