Queen Camilla’s title change if King Charles dies

Queen Camilla will get a surprise new role when Prince William takes the throne, it has emerged.

Queen Camilla will get a major title change if King Charles dies before her, it has emerged.

It comes after much debate over Camilla’s title before the May 6 coronation due to her unconventional path into the royal family as the King’s former lover during his ill-fated marriage to Princess Diana.

Now royal fans are speculating about what Queen Camilla’s title and role would be if King Charles were to die before her, making his son and heir Prince William the new King.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a Celebration of Culture in Armagh, Northern Ireland, last week. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

She would not become the monarch as that is passed down the bloodline and Prince William is heir to the throne.

In this case, as the widow of the King, Camilla’s new title would be the Queen Dowager, a title first used by Queen Adelaide in 1830, The Mirror reports.

It was also used by Queen Mary, the grandmother of the late Queen Elizabeth.

A dowager queen is a former queen consort whose husband has died.

Dowager queens may also take the title of queen mother, referring to their role as mother of the monarch.

Queen Camilla has become more popular with the public over time. Picture: AFP

The most famous Queen Mother in history was Elizabeth, the mother of the late Queen, who took the title after the death of her husband, King George VI.

As stepmother to the heir Prince William, Camilla wold not receive the title of Queen Mother.

Queen Camilla’s titles have caused much debate in the past. She technically became the Princess of Wales when she married the then Prince Charles in 2005.

But because that title was associated so much with Princess Diana, she was instead known as the Duchess of Cornwall.

Queen Camilla’s titles have caused much debate due to her unconventional path into the royal family. Picture: Getty Images

It was thought that Camilla would be known as the Princess Consort when Charles took the throne because the public might not have welcomed her as Queen, The Mirror reports.

But over time Queen Camilla won over the public and during the Platinum Jubilee, the late Queen stated: “It is my sincere wish that, when the time comes Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”

Prior to the May 6 coronation, Buckingham Palace surprised many by confirming that the word “consort” had been dropped from Camilla’s title — a move that would have been unimaginable in previous years.

Confirmation came when aides released the official invitation to the coronation with the wording “King Charles and Queen Camilla”.

Royal watchers viewed Camilla’s title upgrade as King Charles’s aim to move forward from the controversies of the past and assert his legitimacy.