Will Camilla be crowned Queen after King Charles's Coronation?

3 May 2023, 10:25

Camilla Parker-Bowles will be crowned alongside her husband King Charles at the coronation on May 6th - but will she be Queen or Queen Consort? And what will her title be if King Charles dies?

King Charles will stand before the rest of the world and the UK on May 6th and officially be crowned the King of England following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

Alongside him, also being coronated and receiving a crown will be his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles - but will she be known as Queen or Queen Consort?

After marrying Charles in 2005, Camilla took on the royal title of the Duchess of Cornwall, opting to avoid the title of Princess of Wales which was previously used for his ex-wife Princess Diana.

Read more: Why isn't Meghan Markle attending King Charles's Coronation?

Read more: How much is King Charles III's Coronation going to cost and who pays for it?

But as Charles gets promoted to king, Camilla's royal titles will also change, with some royal fans a little surprised by what she's opted for.

Is Camilla Parker-Bowles going to be Queen?

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla, as wished for by the late monarch, became Queen Consort.

However, upon releasing the official invite to the coronation this May, it has been confirmed she will officially go by Queen following the historic royal event.

A royal source told the BBC it made sense to use 'Queen Consort' following Queen Elizabeth's death to avoid confusion between Elizabeth and Camilla.

But from the coronation onwards, it would be the right time to officially change to "Queen Camilla".

Following on from Charles's lengthy coronation ceremony, Camilla herself will have her own coronation.

As stated on the Royal Family's website: "A Queen Consort is crowned with the King, in a similar, but simpler ceremony." She will be anointed with holy oil and then crowned.

The Queen Mother was the last Queen Consort to be crowned alongside King George VI in 1937.

Prior to being Queen Consort, Camilla made it known that she would be known as 'Princess Consort', a first in royal history.

It was seen as a move to respect the public's view of her, following the rumours and reports of her relationship with Charles that suggested they had an affair.

This is also why she chose to not take the Princess of Wales title following Diana's death and instead focused on her Duchess of Cornwall title.

Will Camilla become Queen if King Charles dies?

Despite being called 'Queen Camilla', she can never actually be Queen of England as she's not part of the royal blood line and the throne can only be inherited.

Should she outlive Charles, it's likely she will then receive a different title as Prince William and Kate Middleton will ascend the throne and royal titles.

What crown will Queen Camilla wear?

Breaking from tradition, where a new queen would commission a new crown for herself, Camilla has instead opted to recycle.

During her coronation, she will wear Queen Mary’s crown from her 1911 coronation which she will have modified with new diamonds and jewels. As a fine-jewellery enthusiast, it was an obvious choice for Camilla.

However, in recycling the crown, there will of course be some criticism as it not only once featured the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond, it also features the Cullinan diamond, a jewel tied to British colonialism.