New Poll Reveals Brits' True Feelings About The New Title Camilla Will Get After Coronation
In just two weeks, King Charles III and Queen Camilla's coronation will make history. A lot will change for the royal couple when Charles' reign officially begins, and plenty will change for the public as well. It's to be expected that the public tends to be somewhat split on the topic of Charles and whether he'll make a good king or whether the royal family is headed in the right direction, just as folks are split on many questions regarding the monarchy.
In addition to the myriad obvious changes that will occur as a result of the beginning of Charles' reign, Camilla will reportedly be known as "queen" after the coronation, and "consort" will be axed from her title. Seeing as there are so many important aspects of a new king and queen taking over, whether or not the term "consort" will be included in Camilla's title may not seem like an important part of the shift. In reality, though, this little word has a big meaning. In the U.K., the title of queen consort is reserved for the wife of the current king. While this is an honor and an important role, the queen consort does not have the same power as the king. When "consort" is stripped from the title, however, the queen and the king are equals in power and rank. Consequently, Camilla's impending shift from queen consort to queen is a big step, and a recent poll shows just how the public really feels about it.
Most folks polled don't think Camilla should be the queen
A recent poll by the Daily Mail asked royal fans, "What should Camilla be called [after the coronation]?" Only 14% selected the name Queen Camilla, while over a third of voters believe that she should remain Queen Consort Camilla. Surprisingly, almost a quarter of folks polled think that Camilla should have no royal title at all. Her previous title, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, snagged 16% of the votes.
These numbers are pretty shocking, considering only 14% of folks are in agreement with the amount of power Camilla will soon have. The poll also showed that 64% of those polled believe that Charles will be a good king. So, while folks seem to have a generally iffy opinion about the new queen, that doesn't mean that the public doesn't have faith in the upcoming reign as a whole. That said, something is certainly going to have to change to get the British public more on board with their new queen.
The journey to Queen Camilla
Some folks wondered whether Camilla, Queen Consort would ever take on the title of queen. Yet, King Charles III's coronation invitation referred to the event as "the coronation of their majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla," making the soon-to-be queen's official title clear. A senior aid to the royal family explained to the Daily Mail, "It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the Queen Consort in the early months of His Majesty's reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using 'Queen Camilla' in an official capacity. All former Queen Consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name."
While the step up from "queen consort" seems like a big one now, there was a time when it seemed that Camilla would always be called "princess consort," which was the title she took when marrying Charles in 2005. Yet, on the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's own coronation, she released a statement saying, "It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service." Now Camilla's promotion to queen feels like a natural progression. Yet, in order to get the public truly on board with the title change, time and comfortability with the new king and queen are sure to make all the difference.