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Charles weighs in on ‘Queen Consort Camilla’ as he leads jubilee tributes
By Kate Holton
London: Prince Charles has thanked his mother Queen Elizabeth for publicly stating her desire that his wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort when he becomes king.
The Queen’s statement – made to coincide with the 70th anniversary of her accession to the British throne – should remove any discussion about future titles upon her death.
Queen Elizabeth and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – pictured here at Royal Ascot – have increasingly appeared together in public.Credit: AP
The 95-year-old Queen said it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla be known as Queen Consort after Charles takes the throne.
Charles responded on Sunday as he led tributes from world and religious leaders to mark the Queen’s milestone – one not reached in almost 1000 years.
“We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish,” Charles said in a statement.
“As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout.”
It closes a chapter on a royal era that saw Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, vilified by the tabloid press for her role in the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to his first wife, the late Princess Diana.
Charles and Camilla – lovers before and then during his marriage to Diana – were married in 2005. Camilla has since gradually taken on a more prominent role within the royal family. She is now broadly popular among the public and regularly appears at official duties both on her own and alongside the Queen and Charles, as well as alongside his son, William, and his wife Catherine.
William’s mother Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.
The statement on the future of the monarchy comes as the country celebrates the Queen’s role over the last 70 years. Britain will hold four days of national events in June to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
Charles was joined by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the White House, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other politicians in praising the Queen for her dedication to public service.
“Throughout the past 70 years, she has strengthened the ties of friendship, shared ideals, and faith in democracy that forever unite our countries,” the White House said in a statement.
Seventy years of change
During her seven decades on the throne, the Queen has been a symbol of stability for the country during huge social, economic and political change, including witnessing the end of the British Empire.
A photograph released of Queen Elizabeth at Sandringham to mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations shows her with a red box that houses official government documents.Credit: Buckingham Palace via AP
But her anniversary comes after a very difficult time for the monarchy following the sex abuse accusations her son Prince Andrew is facing in the United States and allegations of racism in the royal household from grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
Elizabeth became the queen of Britain and more than a dozen other realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, on the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952. At the time, 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was on a tour of Kenya.
The news was broken to her by her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99 after more than 70 years by her side.
When she ascended the throne, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong and Harry Truman were running the Soviet Union, China and the United States, respectively, while Winston Churchill was British Prime Minister.
The Queen has continued to carry out official duties well into her 90s, but has been seen much less regularly of late. She spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment and was then instructed by doctors to rest.
On Sunday, Buckingham Palace released a new video of the Queen, smiling broadly near a red despatch box that contains official government paperwork and discussing a message from Biden. On Saturday, she was filmed meeting local community groups and joking with officials.
“I think I might just put a knife in it,” she said when presented with a large cake. “Somebody else can do the rest.”
Reuters
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