Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, there were several changes to royal titles. Prince Charles's became King Charles III. And, as his wife, Camilla, the former Duchess of Cornwall, became officially known as Her Majesty the Queen Consort.
In Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee message last year, she said it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla be known as Queen Consort when her husband becomes king.
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The title also means she sat at King Charles's side at his coronation on Saturday where she was also crowned. She is now officially Queen Camilla.
A queen consort is a royal by marriage, the king's wife. It is a symbolic role, meaning she is queen while the king is on the throne, but won't inherit the throne after he dies.
Queen Elizabeth, however, did inherit the throne from her father, making her the ruling monarch, the queen. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was also a queen consort. She was not Queen Elizabeth I, that title belongs to the Tudor royal and daughter of King Henry VIII, who was born into the role and reigned from 1558 until 1603.
When Prince William becomes king, after the death of King Charles, the Princess of Wales will probably become Catherine, Queen Consort.
Why wasn't Camilla automatically Queen Consort?
King Charles's marriage to Camilla is, famously, not his first. He was married to Diana, Princess of Wales, from 1981 until 1996.
He married Camilla in 2005, however, the title of Princess of Wales was not passed on in the marriage because it was still strongly associated with Diana. Instead, Camilla became a duchess; Duchess of Cornwall was the female version of another of Charles's titles.
Until Queen Elizabeth's announcement, the official position of Clarence House, the couple’s office, was that Camilla would be known as Princess Consort when Prince Charles becomes king, as per a statement released in 2005 at the time of their wedding.
"Camilla was not popular or well-liked, though this has changed a lot since the marriage as Camilla has taken on a lot of patronages," historian and royal family expert Marlene Koenig explains in her blog. "Still, [there was] a lot of tension and anger among a certain element of the population, so it was decided that Camilla would be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall, even though, of course, she is the Princess of Wales."
However, it has been suggested that behind palace doors it was decided Camilla would be known as Queen Consort years ago.
In 2010, Prince Charles was interviewed by NBC and asked if Camilla would “become Queen of England”, to which he sheepishly replied; "That’s well … we’ll see won’t we? That could be."
In the 18 years since their wedding, public opinion of the duchess has changed and the statement disappeared from the Clarence House website in 2018. At the time, British politician Andrew Mackinlay said: "This is absolutely unequivocal that she automatically becomes queen when he becomes king."
The British royal family's website now reads: "Her majesty the queen consort (formerly HRH the Duchess of Cornwall) supports her husband, formerly the Prince of Wales, now his majesty the king, in carrying out his work and duties. She also undertakes public engagements on behalf of the charities that she supports."
King Charles's title
It was not a given that Prince Charles would become King Charles III, however, it was confirmed by the royal family that he would take the title in the hours after his mother's death.
Royals are given the option to change their name when they take the throne.
Although Queen Elizabeth II kept her given name, her father was born Albert Frederick Arthur George, but chose to honour his father, King George V, and went by King George VI after his coronation in 1936.
The queen's great-grandfather, King Edward VII, was born Albert Edward, and even Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II's great-great-grandmother, chose a different name as queen as she was christened Alexandrina Victoria.
Why wasn't Prince Philip a king consort?
Queen Elizabeth's late husband Prince Philip was never named King Philip, per the tradition that a man who marries a queen is named Prince Consort.
The only figures in the British royal family to have the title of king, in any form, are born into the role.
Prince Philip was born a prince, but dropped his titles as Prince of Greece and Denmark when he married Princess Elizabeth, who became the Queen of England.
Scroll through the gallery below to see Queen Camilla's fashion evolution
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Queen Consort Camilla wearing a black shift dress and pearl choker, arrives at a party in London in June 1996. Photo: UK Press -
The queen consort in a green floral gown, arrives at the Vogue & Jaguar It's Fashion charity gala on June 11, 2001 in Buckinghamshire, England. Getty Images -
The queen consort in a pink floral dress and coat, arrives at the Sandringham Flower Show in Norfolk on July 31, 2002. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a gold dress with a co-ordinated coat, arrives at the Globe Theatre for The Prince's Trust Shakespeare Gala Performance Evening in London on September 1, 2003. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a black dress and velvet coat, at the UK film premiere of Merchant Of Venice in London on November 29, 2004. Getty Images -
The queen consort after marrying Prince Charles, wears an Anna Valentine set for her civil ceremony at The Guildhall, Windsor on April 9, 2005. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in Anna Valentine, and Prince Charles leave the Service of Prayer and Dedication after their marriage at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005. Getty Images -
The queen consort, wearing a light-blue set, visits a mosque in Cairo on the second day of a 12-day royal tour visiting Egypt, Saudia Arabia and India in 2006. Getty Images -
The queen consort, wearing a blue printed dress, and King Charles after a Falklands War flypast on June 17, 2007 in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort dances with Craig Revel Horwood during a visit to St Clement Danes School in London on October 20, 2009. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a teal gown, arrives at the Royal World Premiere of Alice In Wonderland on February 25, 2010, in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a cream silk chiffon dress with a matching coat and a wide-brimmed straw hat by Philip Treacy, with King Charles at the wedding of Prince William and wife Katherine at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. Getty Images -
The queen consort attends the London 2012 Olympics Equestrian Eventing at Greenwich Park wearing a blue animal print dress on July 6, 2011. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a brown dress, cardigan and scarf, during a visit to Borough Market in London on February 13, 2013. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a silvery blue sequinned top and trousers, with Queen Rania of Jordan arrive for a private dinner in Amman, Jordan on March 11, 2013. Getty Images -
The queen consort and King Charles are met at Jeddah Airport by the Governor of Makkah Prince Khalid al Faisal on March 16, 2013. Getty Images -
The queen consort, dressed in a black and red lace gown, attends a Gala Concert and Reception to mark the 125th Anniversary of ICAN at St James's Palace on January 21, 2014 in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort wearing a tweed coat and black boots for an official visit to the new Wine Research Centre at Plumpton College on March 26, 2014. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a navy dress and coat, walks with Sabina Coyne during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle on April 8, 2014. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a purple tartan jacket and skirt, attends an official visit to The London Book Fair at Earls Court on April 9, 2014. Getty Images -
The queen consort in a tweed coat and fur hat at the Cheltenham racecourse on March 11, 2015. Getty Images -
The queen consort wearing a black and navy lace gown for a reception for supporters of The British Asian Trust at Natural History Museum on February 2, 2016 in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a white and gold coat, in Al Ain on the second day of a Royal tour of the UAE on November 7, 2016. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a light yellow salwar kameez with a parasol, tours the Humanitarian City in Dubai on November 8, 2016. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a navy polka dot dress and coat, with King Charles attends a service for the VC and GC Association at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London on May 10, 2016. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a green velvet gown, attends a reception for supporters of The British Asian Trust on February 2, 2017 in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a red coat and hat, attends a Christmas Day church service with King Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on December 25, 2017. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a pink dress and a feathered hat, with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and King Charles, leaves St George's Chapel in Windsor after the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan on May 19, 2018. Getty Images -
The queen consort has an ice cream with Dame Judi Dench on July 24, 2018 in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a green dress and black cape, is greeted by a Guard of Honour during her visit to the Malmesbury Residents Association on January 23, 2019 in London. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a cream silk gown and tiara, attends the State Opening of Parliament in London on on October 14, 2019. AFP -
The queen consort, in a dark green coat, arrives for ladies day at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 11, 2020. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a pink tweed coat and black boots, visits the Community Vaccination Centre at St Paul's Church on March 3, 2021 in Croydon, England. Getty Images -
The queen consort, in a blue Fiona Clare dress, and Jordan's Queen Rania visit the Children Centre in Amman on November 16, 2021. Reuters -
The queen consort, in a white Anna Valentine gown, attends a private dinner at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman on November 16, 2021. Reuters -
King Charles and the queen consort, wearing a green floral dress, at the of Umm Qais in Jordan on November 17, 2021. Getty Images -
King Charles and the queen consort, who is dressed in white Anna Valentine piece, attend a centenary celebration of the founding of the Jordanian state, at the Jordan Museum in Amman on November 17, 2021. Reuters -
King Charles and the queen consort, who is wearing a light pink Anna Valentine outfit, arrive at the presidential palace in Cairo on November 18, 2021. Getty Images -
King Charles and the queen consort, wearing a wool and cashmere blend robe by Saudi designer Yahya Al Bishri, on stage during the platinum jubilee concert on June 4, 2022. AP -
The queen consort, wearing a red and white Max Mara dress and Chanel pumps, at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on June 9, 2022. PA -
The queen consort, wearing a blue Bruce Oldfield gown, in photo taken for British Vogue at Clarence House for the magazine's July issue. AP -
The queen consort, wearing a green floral Fiona Clare dress, walks with Lady Rothermere at the Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival on June 20, 2022. Getty Images -
The queen consort, wearing a blue floral dress from Sophie Dundas, poses for an official portrait to mark her 75th birthday, at her home in Wiltshire, England. AP -
The queen consort in a red coat dress by Fiona Clare and a striking beret by Philip Treacy at a Royal Navy ceremony in April 2023. AFP -
King Charles III and the queen consort, wearing a blue wool crepe coat dress by Fiona Clare, in a portrait released in April 2023 ahead of the coronation. Reuters
— This story was originally published on February 10, 2022
