The dying of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 heralded the accession of her son Charles, and along with her dying Charles’ spouse, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turned Queen Consort. Nevertheless, the palace started referring to Camilla solely as “Queen Camilla” on its official coronation invitation, which was launched in April – a transfer that sparked some controversy given Camilla’s historical past throughout the household.
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The official coronation invitation for The King and The Queen Consort has been introduced.
Designed by Andrew Jamieson, the invitation options the Inexperienced Man, an historic determine from British folklore, a logo of spring and rebirth to rejoice new reigns.
1/7 pic.twitter.com/MpajIk0SQw
— The Royal Household (@RoyalFamily) April 5, 2023
The preliminary transfer from the Duchess of Cornwall to the Queen consort was acknowledged within the Palace’s transient assertion on the Queen’s dying in September. The Palace first used the title when it introduced that “The King and Queen-Consort will stay at Balmoral tonight and return to London tomorrow”.
Nevertheless, with socially conservative British social mores influencing Charles and Camilla’s relationship, her appointment as Queen Consort was the supply of appreciable hypothesis for years. The couple had an affair whereas each had been married — Charles to Princess Diana, who famously stated, “There have been three of us on this marriage,” and Camilla to her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles — together with the truth that Camilla was then a Divorced ladies nonetheless carried a social stigma. The couple married in 2005.
However in February 2022, through the celebrations marking her 70th 12 months in energy, the Queen ended any uncertainty and stated it was her “honest want” that Camilla would develop into Queen Consort whereas Charles turned king. That she’s now known as Queen as a substitute of Queen Consort… that is a latest improvement. Let’s break down what all of it means.
What’s the distinction between the Queen and the Queen Consort?
The spouse of the reigning monarch is historically generally known as the Queen Consort, whereas the Queen (technically the “Queen Regnant”) refers to a lady who has ascended the throne via pre-established household succession and wields sovereign energy. Since Queen Elizabeth II ascended when her father, King George VI, died in 1952, she is a Queen, whereas Camilla turns into Queen Consort by marriage.
What’s Camilla’s new title?
She has now been established because the Queen Consort, however colloquially Camilla is probably going referred to simply as Queen Camilla. After King George’s dying, his spouse Elizabeth turned generally known as The Queen Mom, primarily to keep away from the confusion of the duel with Queen Elizabeth.
Why is Camilla formally known as Queen Camilla as a substitute of Queen Consort?
With the discharge of Charles’s coronation invitation, Queen Camilla started to be formally utilized by the royal household.
A royal supply defined the transfer, telling CNN that the royal household initially simply known as her Queen Consort to tell apart her from Queen Elizabeth II instantly after her dying. This supply hinted that it was at all times the plan to drop the title of “consort” in some unspecified time in the future — not less than on the coronation invitation, to start with.
“It made sense to discuss with Her Majesty because the Queen Consort through the early months of Her Majesty’s reign to tell apart her from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the supply defined on April 5. “‘Queen Camilla’ is the suitable title versus ‘King Charles’ on the invitation. The coronation is an acceptable time to put in “Queen Camilla” in an official capability. All former Queen Consorts had been generally known as ‘Queen’ plus their first names.”
Senior Information and Technique Editor
Alyssa Bailey is Senior Information and Technique Editor at ELLE.com, the place she leads protection of celebrities and royals (notably Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She beforehand held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves strolling round Central Park, getting folks to #ootd her, and exploring New York Metropolis.
