Camilla Parker Bowles Has ‘Earned’ Queen Title Says Royal Photographer
Camilla Parker Bowles‘ title change to Queen Camilla on her, and King Charles III’s official coronation invitation ruffled some feathers among royalists. The event will usher in a new season for the royal family, with King Charles III as its leader and Camilla as queen consort. However, as the dust settles one day after the announcement, a royal photographer believes Camilla has “earned” the updated title. Here’s why.
Since 1999, Camilla Parker Bowles has tried to earn the public’s trust after years of scandals
Camilla Parker Bowles was branded the other woman in the marriage of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. From the onset of Diana and Charles’ union, Camilla appeared square in the middle.
However, Camilla stayed out of the public spotlight after Diana and Charles’ separation and subsequent divorce. She quietly divorced her husband of over 21 years, Andrew Parker Bowles, in 1995.
Ten years later, she and Charles married in 2005. Neither Queen Elizabeth nor Prince Philip attended the civil ceremony. They did, however, attend a blessing by the Archbishop of Canterbury in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and the reception.
In the years after their wedding, Camilla reportedly worked diligently as a senior royal. She appears to have earned the public’s trust, attempting to put years of bad press behind her.
In February 2022, Queen Elizabeth wrote a message marking the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. She told her subjects it was her wish Camilla would become queen consort after her death. On Apr. 6, 2023, an invitation to her and Charles’ coronation showed a shift in the title to Queen Camilla. A royal photographer believes the title is justly deserved.
Camilla Parker Bowles has earned her new title, says royal photographer
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards said in an opinion piece for The Sun that Camilla Parker Bowles had earned her new title of queen. He discussed his long relationship with the queen consort and her evolution from the other woman to a queen.
“In the late 1970s, I photographed Camilla for the first time when she competed in the same equestrian cross-country team as Charles,” Edwards wrote. Then Mrs. Parker Bowles seemed a confident, charismatic woman, always smiling, and who didn’t seem phased by anything.”
Edwards discussed how they became friendly over the years, but he didn’t get to know Camilla until she wed Charles in 2005. “I loved her. She had that common touch with everyone and a brilliant sense of humor.”
He continued that she is the “easiest person” to work with. And, “You could see just how much Charles loves her in his face.”
Edwards concluded, “Camilla was famously the third person in his and Diana’s marriage, but crowds treated her with respect. She won people over with her force of character. She has long been ready for this role. When she is crowned Queen in May, it will be a day she has truly earned.”
When will Camilla Parker Bowles be crowned?
The official invitation for the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort has been revealed.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 5, 2023
Designed by Andrew Jamieson, the invitation features the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign.
1/7 pic.twitter.com/MpajIk0SQw
Although Camilla Parker Bowles has used the queen consort title since September 2022, she will officially be crowned on May 6, 2023. The coronation will change Camilla and her husband, King Charles’ status in a public fashion.
Camilla Parker Bowles is the first consort to sit alongside a reigning king since Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She is the 8th queen consort in the history of the royal family.
The first queen consort was Caroline of Ansbach (Queen Caroline). Her husband was King George II, and her coronation was held on Oct. 11, 1727 (per Town & Country).
Following was Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Queen Charlotte). She was corononated alongside her husband, King George III, on Sept. 22, 1761, and holds the title of the longest-serving consort at 57 years.
Caroline of Brunswick became queen consort on Jan. 29, 1820, but was never crowned alongside King George IV. At the time, she was estranged from her husband and died three weeks after her ascension.
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Queen Adelaide) was married to King William IV and coronated on Sept. 8, 1831. She died during the reign of her niece, Queen Victoria.
Princess Alexandra of Denmark (Queen Alexandra) became queen consort alongside King Edward VII on Aug. 9, 1902. Following, Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary) married King George V and reigned as queen consort beginning on Jun. 22, 1911.
Finally, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth ), married to King George VI, ascended on May 12, 1937. She was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, who took the throne in 1952. From that point, Queen Elizabeth was known as the Queen Mother, a title she held until her 2002 death at 101.
