Queen Elizabeth said on Saturday that when Prince Charles becomes king, she wants his wife Camilla to be styled Queen Consort, cementing her place at the heart of the royal family after being viewed as an outsider previously.
Elizabeth said the occasion had given her pause to reflect on the loyalty and affection shown to her by the British public in a letter written to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
She expressed her wish for Charles and Camilla to receive the same level of support.
“It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be referred to as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” Elizabeth said.
Long-time lovers Charles and Camilla married in a civil ceremony in Windsor in 2005. Their Clarence House residence said on Saturday that Her Majesty’s words had “touched and honored” them.
Elizabeth’s decision reflects a growing acceptance of Camilla’s royal status.
She is no longer the target of tabloid newspapers, as she was in the decade following the death of Charles’ first wife, Princess Diana, in 1997.
Camilla, who now holds the title of Duchess of Cornwall, now regularly represents the royal family in public alongside Charles.
The title Queen Consort has been given to the wife of a king throughout British history. It was agreed at the time of their marriage that Camilla would use the title Princess Consort if Charles became King.
While Elizabeth will mark 70 years on the British throne on Sunday, an unprecedented period for the monarchy, the occasion comes at a time of turmoil for the royal family.
From her son, Prince Andrew’s sex abuse court case in the United States to allegations of racism in the royal household by her grandson Prince Harry and his wife, the 95-year-old Elizabeth’s family has rarely faced such scrutiny and damaging headlines.
Philip, her husband of 73 years, died last year, as she acknowledged in her letter on Saturday.
“I was fortunate to find a partner in Prince Philip who was willing to take on the role of consort and make the sacrifices that come with it. It’s a role I watched my mother play during my father’s reign”, Elizabeth said.
POIGNANCY AND POMP
Elizabeth had earlier invited local community groups to her Sandringham residence in the East of England to kick off celebrations for the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
The queen, smiling and dressed in a light blue gown, cut a celebratory cake baked by a local resident and listened to a concert band perform “Congratulations.”
In her letter to the public, she said, “I remain eternally grateful for and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to show me.”
Ironically, Elizabeth was not born to be queen; she only became queen after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
However, in 2015, she surpassed Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in a line that dates back to Norman King William I’s conquest of England in 1066.
The low-key events this weekend are a warm-up for the platinum jubilee celebrations in early June when the government will add an extra public holiday.
However, Elizabeth stated that the anniversary was a time of reflection and melancholy for her.
“It is a day that I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the beginning of my reign, even after 70 years,” she wrote.
“As we commemorate this milestone, it gives me great pleasure to renew my promise to you made in 1947 that I would devote the rest of my life to your service.”
