Queen Camilla? Royal Experts Believes Camilla Parker Bowles Will ‘Absolutely’ Drop ‘Consort’ From Her Title When Charles Is Crowned King
Camilla Parker Bowles was named the new queen consort when her husband, King Charles III, acceded to the throne. Buckingham Palace also announced that Camilla’s investiture will take place during Charles’ coronation ceremony on May 6, 2023. But according to some royal experts, Camilla will “absolutely” drop “consort” from her title when her husband is crowned king next spring.
Camilla Parker Bowles’ Queen Consort title was endorsed by the late Queen Elizabeth II
When The Guardian announced Charles and Camilla’s engagement in 2005, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that Camilla would be known as princess consort when Charles acceded to the throne. And for years, palace officials insisted that Camilla “intended” to be known as the princess consort instead of the traditional queen consort.
However, there was no precedent for that title and it was only a suggestion from royal officials. The similar title of Prince Consort was used once, by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert from 1837 to 1901.
The speculation over Camilla’s title ended in February of this year, when Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement noting it was her “most sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.”
Royal experts believe she will ‘absolutely’ drop ‘consort’ from her title
The word “consort” in a royal title basically means you got it through marriage, and a wife generally assumes the female form of her husband’s title. When a king is on the throne, the title of queen is symbolic with no sovereign powers. Instead of meaning “female monarch,” it means “wife of the monarch.”
According to royal expert Peter Hunt, he believes Camilla will drop the “consort” part of her title when Charles is crowned next year. He told Express that he believes the queen consort title was given to “prepare” the British public for the idea of referring to her as Queen Camilla.
“Quite an extraordinary moment will be the crowning of Camilla,” Hunt said. “Queen Camilla, after her husband she too will be anointed…I am absolutely convinced that she has always been Queen Camilla. I’ve always been convinced that Queen Consort was a mechanism by which the Palace prepared us for this moment. And I suspect that between now and May 6th, they will start calling her Queen Camilla.”
What are Camilla Parker Bowles’ duties as Queen Consort?
In his first public address, when King Charles officially bestowed the title of queen consort to Camilla, he said that he had complete faith in her ability to fulfill her duties.
“I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much,” Charles said of his wife.
In her new role, Camilla will accompany the king to official engagements and she will be addressed as “Her Royal Highness.” The queen consort also serves as a counselor of state along with four other royals in the line of succession: Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.
As a counselor of state, Camilla can temporarily carry out some duties on behalf of the monarch if he is ill or traveling abroad. According to the royal family’s official website, those responsibilities can include signing routine documents, attending Privy Council meetings, and receiving the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.
