Here on this blog, I think we referred to “Queen Consort Camilla” a handful of times before we dropped “Consort” completely. Some of that is simply a space issue, especially for headlines, it’s easier and faster to write “Queen Camilla” than whatever gaudy half-measure title the palace dreamed up as a placeholder. Plus, everyone could see the writing on the wall: Queen Consort Cam would be phased into “Queen Camilla” in no time. And that’s exactly what will happen officially:
Buckingham Palace is set officially to describe Camilla as ‘Queen’, rather than ‘Queen Consort’. The change is likely to come after King Charles’s coronation in May, according to well-placed sources. It will set the seal on a remarkable transformation for Camilla in the nation’s affections.
When she married the then Prince of Wales in 2005, it was widely assumed she would never be called Queen when he acceded to the throne. That was because of her longstanding relationship with Charles while he was married to Diana, who famously said in her Panorama interview: ‘There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.’ But Camilla has won around the public, and the late Queen’s intervention in February last year when she called for her daughter-in-law to be known as ‘Queen Consort’ is seen as a crucial show of support.
Now Buckingham Palace is set to go further, according to insiders. The first sign of the new approach came last week when Camilla launched the ‘Queen’s Reading Room’ – without the ‘Consort’ – when she updated the name of her charity, the Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room. It is thought that the Court Circular – the official register of Royal engagements – may also soon reflect the change.
A well-placed source said: ‘There’s a view in the Palace that Queen Consort is cumbersome and it might be simpler for Camilla to be known just as the Queen when the time is right. The Reading Room was a sign of that. Her Majesty is the Queen after all. Prince Philip was Prince Consort officially, but he wasn’t known as Prince Consort. The Queen would of course still be Queen Consort so the Palace of course wouldn’t stop anyone calling Her Majesty that if they so chose.’
This was always what Charles wanted and he basically just wore everyone down. It’s not that Camilla is suddenly some beloved figure in the UK, and it’s not like the vast majority of Britons forgot that she’s a homewrecking side-chick who actively tried to destroy Princess Diana. It’s just that no one cares about this heifer’s title at this point. Let Queen Sidepiece have her title, she’ll probably be the last consort.
Meanwhile, William and Kate’s titles have now been formalized too:
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s titles as the Prince and Princess of Wales are now official. Just one day after the Sept. 8, 2022, death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III gave his first speech as the United Kingdom’s monarch. In the televised broadcast, the new sovereign announced that his son Prince William would be the new Prince of Wales and his daughter-in-law Kate would become the Princess of Wales.
However, the royal titles only became official this month, when the Letters Patent passed the Great Seal of the Realm on Feb. 13. The full notice from the Crown Office was printed in The Gazette on Friday.
The announcement read in full: “In accordance with the direction of HIS MAJESTY THE KING Letters Patent have passed the Great Seal of the Realm, dated the 13th February 2023 for creating His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge, Earl of Carrick and Strathearn, Baron of Renfrew, Baron Carrickfergus, K.G., K.T., Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, PRINCE OF WALES and EARL OF CHESTER.”
I forgot how many gaudy titles came along with the PoW title. Plus, they got to keep their Cambridge and Strathearn titles. Anyway, Charles issued a Letters Patent about Peg, but still no Letters Patent about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, huh? Oh well.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, Buckingham Palace.
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Camilla Duchess of Cornwall at The Oldie Luncheon, in celebration of her 75th Birthday at National Liberal Club. Featuring: Camilla Duchess of Cornwall Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 12 Jul 2022 Credit: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visit the Army Training Centre (ATC) Pirbright in Guildford, Surrey, meeting troops from the Commonwealth who have been deployed to the UK to take part in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Soldiers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand have gathered at Pirbright to rehearse their roles in the funeral on Monday. Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2022 Credit: Cover Images 
The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland. Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom When: 06 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
King Charles III and Camilla Queen Consort attend a reception to thank the community of Aberdeenshire for their organisation and support following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Station Square, the Victoria & Albert Halls, Ballater. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 11 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
King Charles III and Camilla Queen Consort attend a reception to thank the community of Aberdeenshire for their organisation and support following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Station Square, the Victoria & Albert Halls, Ballater. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 11 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Camilla, Queen Consort, Patron of the Poppy Factory, during a visit to the Field of Remembrance, in its 94th year, at Westminster Abbey in London, ahead of Armistice Day. Featuring: Camilla, Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 10 Nov 2022 Credit: Henry Nicholls/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
Camilla Queen Consort Hosts Reception At Buckingham Palace Sophie Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, the Queen Consort, Queen Rania of Jordan and Danish Crown Princess Mary during a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 29 Nov 2022 Credit: Kin Cheung/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
The Queen Consort, joined by King Charles III, hosts a reception at Clarence House in London, for authors, members of the literary community and representatives of literacy charities, to celebrate the second anniversary of The Reading Room. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort, King Charles III Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 23 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWhmZYZ0e9CunJ6mj5i8r7%2FOq6uYm5Gitq24wJiuoqSclK%2Bmr86mnJippZqyr6vCmqSipJyWrLCyxaKaopmcocagrcWtnKuXpJ2yoK%2FOq6anmaSevK97