Camilla becoming Queen Consort is ‘royal stamp of approval Charles always craved’

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The Duchess of Cornwall being crowned ‘Queen Camilla’ is the ‘ultimate royal stamp of approval’ Prince Charles has always craved, a royal biographer has said as royal experts respond to the Queen‘s historic Platinum Jubilee statement.

The Queen assured Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort when Charles becomes King in a statement issued late last night, ending years of uncertainty over the issue.

Charles and Camilla were ‘touched and honoured’ by the Queen’s gesture, Clarence House said.

Royal experts have been responding to the news, saying there was ‘no finer vote of confidence in Camilla’ than making her Queen Consort. 

Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent said: ‘The Queen is ensuring the transition, when it comes, to her son as king is as seamless and trouble free as possible.

‘She’s future-proofing an institution she’s served for seventy years.

‘And for Camilla, the journey from being the third person in a marriage to queen-in-waiting, is complete.’

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward said Camilla becoming Queen is the ‘ultimate royal stamp of approval’ Prince Charles has always craved.

‘It’s a remarkable rehabilitation for the woman who a large proportion of the public blamed for the end of a royal fairytale’, she wrote in the Sun.

‘Far from being “the other woman”, Camilla has cemented her place at the heart of the Royal Family.

‘It is the ultimate royal stamp of approval he has always craved and “in the fullness of time when he becomes King” it is something he will always cherish.’ 

In her surprise announcement, Her Majesty declared it was her ‘sincere wish’ for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds her.

The Queen issued the message, shoring up her support for her heir and his wife, as she today marks a milestone 70 years on the Throne.

It is the clearest sign yet not just of the Queen’s unswerving support for her daughter-in-law but proof of her enduring affection for the woman who has secured her eldest son’s happiness.

The Queen’s statement also quashed speculation that the 95-year-old Monarch might abdicate, as she reiterated her Coronation pledge. She told her subjects ‘my life will always be devoted to your service’ – and that she would continue to honour that ‘with all my heart’.

In her message to the nation – signed ‘Your Servant, Elizabeth R’ – the Queen said: ‘When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’ 

Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, said the announcement showed the Queen was ‘tying up loose ends’, aware of her own vulnerability and by acknowledging the work Camilla has done.

Writing in the Mirror, she said: ‘[Camilla] has been absolutely marvellous in everything she’s done – proving to be an incredibly good support not only for the Prince of Wales but also for the Queen, who she has become very close to. She will be good for the King and good for the country.

‘And she is good for the country even now. If you go anywhere in the United Kingdom where Camilla has visited, you will find they have welcomed her with open arms and have gone away very light-headed and thankful that she’s been there.’ 

Camilla’s biographer Penny Junor said the Queen’s endorsement was ‘a hugely significant moment’ for the Duchess.

‘This is brilliant news because if this is the Queen’s wish, then I don’t think people will question it,’ she said.

‘The Duchess of Cornwall thoroughly deserves the title. She will not overshadow Charles when he becomes King but she will be the strength behind the throne, giving him the confidence and courage he needs.’

And Royal historian Hugo Vickers said: ‘Making it clear that Camilla should be Queen is not just a wise and generous decision, it is a masterstroke and typical of a thoughtful sovereign. The timing has great symbolism. This is an important moment for the Monarchy.’ 

Royal biographer Robert Johnson said there should have been a law change for Camilla to be made Queen Consort, but added there was ‘no appetite for changing the law given how well Camilla has committed herself to the cause’.

In the Evening Standard, he wrote: ‘I believe the duchess since her marriage to the Prince of Wales has shown herself to be a dedicated public servant and loving supporter and adviser to the heir to the throne.

‘In 2016 Her Majesty elevated Camilla to her most senior advisory body, the Privy Council. She has also been made a Lady Member of the Order of the Garter. These were clear signs that the Queen backed her daughter-in-law for the official Queen Consort role.’ 

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said: ‘Using an address released in honour of her Platinum Jubilee the Queen has rededicated herself to the nation once again and expressed her wish for Camilla to be known as “Queen Consort” when the time comes. There could be no finer vote of confidence.’

She added: ‘The sanctimonious tweets reducing Camilla to little more than Charles’s “mistress” are pretty laden with ignorance and sexism. People would do well to read up on Britain’s future “Queen Consort.” She’s a pretty remarkable lady.’

Prince Charles will make his own public declaration on Sunday celebrating his mother’s Jubilee.

A spokesman for the couple said: ‘The Prince of Wales will be issuing a statement of congratulation to the Queen on Accession Day. He and the Duchess of Cornwall are touched and honoured by Her Majesty’s words.’  

The Queen’s official statement, written in Sandringham, overturns previous Palace guidance that Camilla would only ever be known as ‘Princess Consort’.

Announcing the Prince of Wales’s engagement in February 2005, two months before their wedding in Windsor’s Guildhall, a Palace statement said: ‘It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to the Throne.’

Princess Diana would have automatically been granted the title Queen Consort had she lived and the couple stayed married. But it was never certain that, as his second wife, Camilla would receive the same title.

The Queen has always been keen to sanction the union and gave a warm speech on Charles and Camilla’s wedding day, telling guests: ‘My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.’

The Queen is said to have been impressed by the hard work shown by her daughter-in-law and the support she has shown Prince Charles. Similarly, as she remembers her father, she recognises the role her mother played in supporting him as King.

Her statement noted: ‘I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family. I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father’s reign.’

She also thanked all those people who had shown her goodwill and support over the years, writing: ‘I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me.’

Due to her age, the Queen has increasingly relied on Charles and Camilla to shoulder some of the burden of the head of state.

In recognition of this, Buckingham Palace last year announced that Camilla was to be made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.

But there have been other signs of Camilla’s elevation in status. In 2016 she was promoted to the Privy Council, a role which will ensure that she is by Charles’s side when he is officially sworn in as King.

On social media, there was a mixed reaction to the Queen’s statement, with some saying she was ‘removing the stigma around divorce’, while others called it a ‘terrible decision’.

While others criticised the decision due to the age of Charles, 73, and Camilla, 74. One social media user wrote: ‘I hope they both do the right thing; abdicate and pass the baton to William and Kate. They are too old, plus they must realise they are not popular by virtue of extra marital affair they had.

‘Except they are tone deaf, and the royal family is normalising extra marital affairs and adultery… They may have forgotten, we have not.’ 

However, Ian Bray, on Twitter, wrote: ‘She’s removing the stigma around divorce, nothing more. Same rules would have hurt Meghan even further had her and Harry stayed in public life. As for Camilla- only William and Harry’s opinion matters.’

Marie Griffeth said Camilla should be Queen Consort when the time comes as ‘she has earned that title’.

While other social media users questioned why people were getting outraged by the decision surrounding Camilla when Prince Andrew is facing civil charges of sexual assault.

However, some questioned their support for the Monarchy, adding: ‘I’ve always preferred a royal family over republic, until now. I have to assume our elderly Queen has been coerced into this. The public don’t even want Charles as king, let alone Camilla as queen. A terrible decision.’

Camilla’s public image has been transformed after she was initially cast as the ‘third’ person in the Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales’ marriage, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy prepared to serve the nation.

During the 17 years she has been married to Charles, the duchess has grown into her role and is now an assured royal host when staging events at Clarence House and a confident representative of the Queen when invited to foreign lands.

She is patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations.

But her most significant role is supporting the prince and being the comforting presence at home that enables him to take on the role of heir to the throne.

After Charles and Camilla both divorced – and Diana died in 1997 – the duchess’ emergence as the prince’s long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne’s spin doctor Mark Bolland.

Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off.

The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the long-time lovers who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. 

Yesterday’s message was released after the Queen appeared at her first public event since October. She laughed and chatted to guests as she hosted a tea party in the ballroom at Sandringham for community groups.

Today, however, will be a moment of ‘private reflection’, according to Palace sources. She will remember not only her father, George VI, who died at Sandringham on this day in 1952, but also mourn the Duke of Edinburgh, who died last April, in the 74th year of their marriage.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to the Queen’s service, saying: ‘Today marks a truly historic moment as Her Majesty The Queen becomes the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. I pay tribute to her many years of service and look forward to coming together as a country to celebrate her historic reign in the summer.’

The Queen famously referred to Prince Philip as her ‘strength and stay’ and is now said to feel that it is only right for her son’s wife to receive the proper recognition for Camilla’s future role as Consort to the King.

In vowing her continued service, the Queen was echoing sentiments she expressed on her 21st birthday.

Four years before she became Queen, she said: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’

Her message last night concluded with the hope her Jubilee celebrations might bring people together ‘after some difficult times for so many of us… to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign’.

On the eve of her Platinum Jubilee,The Queen made guests laugh as she joked about cutting a cake during a special reception for the historic milestone – with attendees saying she was on ‘sparkling’ form.

The monarch joined members of the local community in the ballroom of Sandringham House in Norfolk as she just hours away from becoming the first British sovereign to reach a historic 70 years on the throne.

She cut a Jubilee cake, met members of the local Women’s Institute and chatted to former cookery school student Angela Wood who helped to perfect the famous coronation chicken dish served to guests after her 1953 Coronation ceremony.

Wearing an Angela Kelly wedgwood blue crepe with white brocade dress, the Queen, who beamed with delight throughout, used a wooden walking stick to rest on and also carried her trademark black handbag. 

The Queen was aptly wearing glittering platinum jewellery – The Nizam of Hyderabad Rose brooches – given to her as part of a diamond tiara set when she married Philip in 1947.

During the event, her Majesty was presented with a locally-baked cake and a large knife and was invited to cut the first slice.

Plunging the blade in, she made guests laugh when she joked: ‘I think I might just put the knife in it… someone else can do the rest.’

Yvonne Browne, vice-president and chairman of the Sandringham WI, described the Queen as being on ‘sparkling’ form.

In her message, the Queen also reflected on the sad anniversary of the death of her father.

‘It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign,’ she said.

The Queen, who signed the message ‘Your servant Elizabeth R’, pledged to continue to ‘serve you with all my heart’.

She spoke of looking forward to the rest of her Jubilee year, writing: ‘As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for.

‘These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth.’

She acknowledged the challenges faced by the nation during the pandemic, saying she hoped the Jubilee would ‘bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities – after some difficult times for so many of us’.

The Jubilee is the Queen’s first without her consort Philip – her ‘strength and stay’- who died just 10 months ago at the age of 99.

Today’s celebration followed the release of official photos yesterday, kicking off a series of Jubilee celebrations.

The images showed the Queen looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.

Her Majesty made sure to pay a touching tribute to her beloved ‘Papa’, George VI, wearing the aquamarine and diamond clip brooches he gifted her for her 18th birthday in April 1944.

National celebrations to mark the Jubilee are being held on a special four-day bank holiday weekend in June, with festivities including a pop concert at the Palace, a service of thanksgiving and a pageant on The Mall. 

There have also been calls to make the extra public holiday permanent, as a ‘Thank Holiday’ in recognition of the Queen‘s extraordinary 70 years of service. 

It is understood Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie are ‘highly supportive of the idea’, which would require a change in the law.