King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles’ Coronations Will Make History for One Major Reason
King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, will be simultaneously crowned on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. The couple rose to power in the United Kingdom upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Sept. 2022. They will formally ascend to the throne in a lavish but somewhat scaled-back coronation weekend. The couple’s reign will be historical for a significant reason. Can you guess what it is?
Charles and Camilla will be the first king and queen consort crowned together in 86 years
Charles ascended to the monarchy’s top spot upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in Sept. 2022. The coronation formalizes the monarch’s role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of his title and powers.
As for Camilla, being crowned as consort also formalizes her role as the spouse of a sovereign. Camilla will be the first consort crowned at a British coronation since 1937. Then, Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the queen mother, was crowned alongside her husband, King George VI.
However, the couple’s reign will also be historic for another reason. Both Charles and Camilla are breaking new ground in this manner.
King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles’ coronations will be historical for a significant reason
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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King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles’ dual coronations will be historic as the first of the 21st century. However, the couple will also set a record for another significant reason.
Charles, 74, and Camilla, 75, will be the oldest king and queen consort crowned in British history. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, was just 25 when she ascended to the throne.
Sky History reports that the oldest British monarchs were at least 10-20 years younger than Charles, in their fifties and sixties, when they began their reign. Before Charles, the oldest monarchs were 64-year-old King William IV in 1830, King Edward VII in 1901 at 59, and King George IV, who took the throne at age 57 in 1820.
Camilla is also the oldest queen consort. Before her ascension, Queen Alexandra, at 58, was crowned queen consort in 1902.
King Charles is also the first divorced King of England
Charles was allowed to become King of England, even after divorcing his first wife, Princess Diana. First, the 1772 Royal Marriages Act requires members of the royal family to obtain permission from the ruling sovereign to marry.
Queen Elizabeth II gave her permission for her divorced son to marry Camilla, a divorcee. Therefore she sanctioned their union. It was an endorsement that formally signified the royal family’s acceptance of Camilla as a respected senior member and was seen as a move by Elizabeth to pave a smooth transition for Charles to reign.
Charles was first in line for the crown after his mother and the first male heir. After his divorce, Charles and Camilla’s relationship evolved slowly in the public eye, and they married with the the queen’s permission in 2005. Seventeen years later, Queen Elizabeth released her vision for the monarchy’s future.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife, Camilla, the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her loyal service,” Elizabeth said in February 2022, as reported by The Associated Press.
The most recent Queen Consort in British history was George VI’s wife Queen Elizabeth, known in later years as the Queen Mother after her daughter became monarch in 1952.
