Palace confirms Duchess of Cornwall still ‘intends’ to pass over title of Queen for Princess Consort when Prince Charles ascends the throne
- Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as Queen when Charles ascends throne
- Clarence House confirmed she’ll be known as ‘Princess’ when Queen steps down
- Camilla assumed the title of Duchess of Cornwall following her wedding in 2005
The Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as Queen when her husband Prince Charles ascends the throne, the palace has confirmed.
Camilla, 72, still ‘intends’ to pass over the title of Queen Consort, which she originally announced would be the case when she and the Prince of Wales, 71, officially tied the knot in a civil ceremony in 2005.
In a statement to the Daily Star the palace confirmed Camilla is still set to take the title ‘Princess’ when Her Majesty dies, after she reportedly avoided the title due to the public outcry surrounding the death of the Princess Diana.
Clarence House said: ‘The intention is for The Duchess to be known as Princess Consort when The Prince accedes to the throne.’
The Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as Queen when her husband Prince Charles accedes to the throne, the palace has confirmed. She is pictured in Amsterdam in 2013
Camilla assumed the title of Duchess of Cornwall following their wedding at Windsor Castle in 2005. They are pictured during an official visit to Devon and Cornwall last year
Camilla assumed the title of Duchess of Cornwall following their wedding at Windsor Castle, with the palace stating at the time: ‘Mrs Parker Bowles will use the title HRH The Duchess of Cornwall after marriage.
‘It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne.’
This was reconfirmed in 2007 when senior royal figure told the Evening Standard newspaper that the pair had ‘no secret plan’ to give Camilla the title of Queen as she simply wished to ‘support her husband both publicly and privately’.
‘There has been a lot of talk about ‘Queen Camilla’ but it is not something that exercises the minds of either of their Royal Highnesses’, said the source.
The Duchess of Cornwall originally announced she would snub the title when she and the Prince of Wales, 71, officially tied the knot in a civil ceremony in 2005 (pictured)
‘The Duchess is technically the Princess of Wales but chose to use another of her rightful titles, the Duchess of Cornwall.
‘With this in mind, no matter what the precedent is, the Duchess fully intends to be known as the princess consort when the time comes. She is fully supported by the Prince in this.
‘There is no secret plan to install her as queen, far from it. She simply wants to support her husband both publicly and privately.’
However rumours began to circulate once again in 2018 when Clarence House removed a statement from their official website insisting Camilla would be known as Princess Consort in it’s FAQ section.
In a statement at the time, Clarence House said: ‘Our frequently asked questions are updated regularly.
She reportedly originally snubbed the title due to the public outcry surrounding the death of Prince Charles’ first wife, Princess Diana (pictured)
However rumours began to circulate once again in 2018 when Clarence House removed a statement from their official website insisting Camilla would be known as Princess Consort. They are pictured attending Charles’ 70th birthday
‘This is one question (we have) not been asked by the public for some time, which is why it no longer features.’
Despite Camilla’s decision to take the title princess consort, the current constitution means she will still officially be Queen Consort by law.
Under current law, wives must take the rank of their husbands. There is no precedent for having a king married to a wife who is not queen.
The Department of Constitutional Affairs has always insisted she will become queen unless Parliament legislates to strip her of the right to the title. Any change to her status may also have to be approved by the 17 parliaments in Commonwealth countries where the new king will be head of state.
MailOnline has contacted Clarence House for comment.