What Will Camilla's Title Be When Prince Charles Is King?
When Prince Charles becomes the king of England, his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, will receive a new royal title. While most people presume that Camilla will take on the title of queen, that may not actually be the case. Upon marrying Charles in 2005, Camilla did not become the Princess of Wales out of respect for the late Princess Diana, who was well known by that title, according to Town & Country. Instead, Camilla became the Duchess of Cornwall. Of course, Camilla's title will change once again when her husband, Prince Charles, ascends to the throne.
On the day that Camilla got engaged to Charles back in 2005, Buckingham Palace shared a press release about Camilla's future title within the monarchy. "It is intended that Mrs. Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne," the statement read. However, there seems to be some confusion nowadays — even amongst Camilla's own family — about whether or not she will become Queen Camilla in the not-so-distant future.
Camilla Parker Bowles could still become queen
Flash forward to 2021, and many believe that Camilla Parker Bowles will end up receiving the title of queen, as she technically will be the queen consort. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Camilla's son, Tom Parker-Bowles, revealed that he didn't know which title his mother would be given once Prince Charles becomes king. "I honestly don't know if Mum will be called queen," he said, adding that his mom's title "hasn't been decided." He went on to say that while there may be "a lot of interesting Sky documentaries about that," he "honestly [doesn't] know if that's true."
Interestingly, as People magazine points out, Buckingham Palace "removed the question of whether or not Camilla will be Queen from the FAQ on Charles's official website a number of years ago," which only leads to more speculation — and more confusion. Charles is set to become king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, dies, or if she decides to step down. Conversations about when Charles will become king and what title Camilla will be given have become more frequent following the April 9 death of Prince Philip. If Camilla does become queen consort, officially, she will be crowned with Charles, in a "similar but simpler ceremony," according to the monarchy's official website.
Is the time nearing for Charles and Camilla to take the throne?
In the latter months of 2021, concern about Queen Elizabeth II and her health grew. The queen was first seen with a walking stick in public and then news came that she was hospitalized for one night for tests. She also had to cancel a trip to Ireland and another planned trip to the COP26 global climate summit (via CBS News). The queen was also advised by her doctors to spend a few weeks resting at Windsor Castle but spent some time at her castle in Sandringham, as well (via the Daily Mail). This all left a question of whether the queen might step down and allow Charles to ascend to the throne sooner, but the queen has long been an opponent of abdicating the throne, as her uncle, King Edward VIII did so in 1936 (via The Daily Beast), making her father king and herself the future queen she was never born to be.
However, there have also been questions about whether British citizens want Charles to become king, making Camilla his princess consort, or queen consort should the agreement made in 2005 change. Prince William and Kate Middleton are much more popular than William's father and stepmother and many want him to be king rather than Charles. As The Daily Beast points out, though, that will not happen because it is "not how a constitutional monarchy works and that fantasy is not going to happen."
Charles and Camilla waited decades to marry
Whether Camilla Parker Bowles ends up with the title of "queen" or not, their bond seems strong enough to weather anything. She and Charles waited decades to just be together after first meeting at a polo match in 1970 and began dating. They were smitten with each other, but when Charles was away for nearly a year in the Royal Navy, Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles. A decade later, Charles would marry Lady Diana Spencer and Britons expected she would one day be queen until they divorced in 1996 and Diana was tragically killed in a car crash a year later. However, during his marriage to Diana, he and Camilla had a long affair that Diana admitted she knew about. As Camilla divorced not long before Charles and Diana did, they finally were able to marry in a civil ceremony in 2005 (via Town and Country).
While there is still speculation about what Camilla will be called when Charles becomes king, it appears to many that she and Charles are just happy to be with one another after waiting 35 years for that to happen.