- The Queen announced that
Camilla will be titled "Queen" when Charles king. - Royal experts told Insider that she made the statement to prevent a PR scandal.
Queen Elizabeth II announced on Saturday that she wants
"When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," the Queen, 95, wrote in a statement on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the British throne.
As Charles is the Queen's eldest son, he is heir to the British throne and will become monarch upon her death. Camilla will become his consort, a term used to describe the spouse or companion to the monarch.
The Queen's endorsement of Camilla contradicts a previous statement made by the royal household in 2005 that said the duchess's title would change to "princess consort" when Charles became king, according to People.
The Queen made the endorsement to prevent a PR crisis, according to experts
Royal commentators Richard Fitzwilliams and Kinsey Schofield told Insider that Queen made the announcement to encourage public support for the couple — something that has been lacking in recent years.
"I fear there would have been a real and ugly debate had the Queen not addressed this," Schofield, founder of the royal blog, To Di For Daily, told Insider. "They are cutting the debate off before it even begins, which is a brilliant strategy," she added.
Fitzwilliams said that the announcement was made to reduce the backlash from Princess Diana supporters, many of whom he said will be "hostile" toward the idea of Camilla becoming queen.
In November 2020, Charles and Camilla's social media team disabled their Twitter replies after the couple were trolled by Princess Diana fans who had watched the fourth season of "The Crown."
The fourth season of the historical drama portrayed the love triangle between Charles, Diana, and Camilla, and showed Charles and Camilla's affair.
Since the Queen's announcement, public support for Camilla appears to have increased.
In a YouGov poll taken in November 2021, 15% of the British public said Camilla should become queen and 40% said she should become princess consort. Whereas in another YouGov poll asking the same question on February 7, 41% of people said she should become queen, with 10% saying she should be princess consort.
"The monarchy is not run by opinion polls and if this announcement had not been made, there would have been considerable controversy after Charles ascended the throne and the coronation approached," Fitzwilliams said.
Schofield said ensuring that Camilla is titled queen, not princess, shows that the future king is "not less than" and therefore ensures "the future of the monarchy."