The role of royal consort is now held by Camilla – officially Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
Prince Philip was consort to the late Queen Elizabeth II, though he did not use a ‘Prince Consort’ title, and was known as His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.
And the previous Queen Consort was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
During the reign of her husband, King George VI, she was known as either Queen Elizabeth however, or as Her Majesty The Queen – only becoming The Queen Mother upon George’s death in 1952.
Many will be wondering why Their Majesties have different titles – Elizabeth as straight up ‘Queen Elizabeth’, but Camilla being referred to as ‘Queen Consort Camilla’ or ‘The Queen Consort’, rather than just ‘The Queen’.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why was The Queen Mother called Queen but not Camilla?
Both royals held the same role as Queen Consorts.
Camilla is the wife of King Charles III, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (as she was originally known) was the wife of King George VI.
Both Camilla and Elizabeth also held Duchess titles, as The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duchess of York respectively, before becoming consort.
Queen Elizabeth II, meanwhile, was a Queen Regnant – i.e. monarch in her own right, rather than through marriage. There is also a Queen Dowager, who is the widow of a king.
But all types of Queen are historically known as ‘Her Majesty The Queen’.
So, why the difference?
It’s simply just what Buckingham Palace opted for.
Charles and Camilla married in 2005, and have been married now for 17 years. It is both of their second marriages.
Upon their marriage, Camilla used The Duchess of Cornwall as opposed to her highest-ranking title, The Princess of Wales, due its close association with the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Originally, Camilla was set to become ‘Her Royal Highness Princess Consort’ upon Charles’ accession – amid some contention over what her future title would be.
The couple expressed that Princess Consort was still the plan as of 2020, with a Clarence House spokesperson confirming: ‘The intention is for The Duchess to be known as Princess Consort when The Prince accedes to the throne.
‘This was announced at the time of the marriage and there has been absolutely no change at all.’
However, in February 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth II specified that she would like Camilla to be known as Queen Consort, after putting in almost two decades of service to The Crown.
In a Platinum Jubilee statement, Her Majesty wrote: ‘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 that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’
Her Majesty’s wish left Camilla feeling ‘very touched’, and Queen Consort is ultimately the exact title chosen.
Camilla is now listed on the Royal Family website as Her Majesty The Queen Consort. You may see Her Majesty referred to as ‘Queen Consort Camilla’ or ‘Camilla, The Queen Consort’.
However, according to former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt, it’s all just semantics – as Camilla is very much The Queen.
He said: ‘Despite all of the progress so far, royal officials – perhaps mindful of the Diana legacy – continue to be cautious about the precise nature of Camilla’s new status.
‘They prefer to focus on the fact she’s the consort of a king. The reality is that… Queen Camilla will be crowned at her husband’s coronation.’
A spokesperson for The King did tell iNews that dropping the ‘Consort’ was a ‘question for the future’.
They said: ‘The King and Queen Consort are focused on getting through those next 10 days.
‘I think those who saw The Queen Consort movingly meeting people outside Buckingham Palace know how moved she is at the moment and that’s her focus so that will be a question for the future.’
Indeed, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have been undertaking a flurry of engagements and duties since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96, on September 8, 2022.
They have travelled up and down from Scotland to London in recent days, and will travel to Belfast and later Wales, before attending The Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
So, with time, Her Majesty may become known as Queen Camilla after all.
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