As Charles takes throne, Camilla becomes Queen Consort, capping years of image restoration
Earlier this year, Queen Elizabeth issued a letter that was seen as a major moment of recognition for a long beleaguered member of the royal family, intended to smooth the path for her ascent when the inevitable finally came.
In a statement marking her 70 years on the throne, the queen laid out how her daughter-in-law Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles, should become the Queen Consort when Charles, “in the fullness of time”, ascended the throne.
Elizabeth also asked the nation to pass on the goodwill it had long shown her to the woman who would bear the title of queen.
So when Elizabeth died on Thursday at 96, there was no question that as her eldest son became King Charles III, his wife would become Queen Consort; a title indicating she is the spouse of the reigning king. In everyday contexts, she will be known simply as Queen Camilla. Elizabeth’s statement had put to rest years of uncertainty about what role she would play.
But even more important, Camilla’s ascendance was seen by many royal watchers and historians as a culmination of years of careful image repair by the royal couple, who had often endured outright abuse, much of it directed disproportionately at Camilla by the British tabloids.
Arianne Chernock, an associate professor of history at Boston University and an expert in the modern British monarchy, said the images of both Charles and Camilla have been rehabilitated through the work of the queen and through the couple’s own efforts. But the two are also quite aware of the public’s perception of their past.
“If we think back to 1992, it’s actually quite difficult to imagine that they would be where they are today, with this kind of dignity about them, the sense of large public approval and a genuine desire for them to succeed in their roles,” she said.
On Friday, some of that public approval was on display as the new king and queen greeted the crowds that had gathered outside Buckingham Palace as the royal couple made their first public appearance with their new titles.
Dressed in black and wearing pearls and an elegant diamond knot brooch, Camilla walked alongside her husband and greeted the crowds before the two walked together into the storied palace.
Later in the day, in his first address to the nation as king, Charles spoke of his “darling wife Camilla”, who has now become queen, saying, “I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty which I have come to rely on so much.”
Analysts say the couple’s standing could be benefiting from the precarious situation Britain finds itself in right now, amid a cost-of-living crisis and a volatile political landscape.
“There’s a broad, widespread recognition that the UK really needs the sovereign to remain a stable entity,” Chernock said. “And that the monarchy must remain this tradition that unites the United Kingdom.”
But, she added, the role of Camilla alongside her husband can be seen as a transitional one. She said that if and when Charles’ son William and his wife, Kate, take the throne, there could be more significant changes but “attuned to and mindful of tradition.”
Camilla’s new status could pave the way for her to capture some of the fondness that was accorded to a queen so many in Britain now mourn.