As Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years on the throne, making her Britain's longest-reigning
monarch, conversation turns to what will happen after her death.
The queen is 95 years old and had some health issues at the end of 2021, spending one night
in the hospital for tests.
Shortly after, she was also seen in public with a walking stick and had to cancel several
planned trips, including one to Ireland and one to Scotland for the COP26 climate summit.
Just as the queen's 70th anniversary as the sovereign arrived, she also announced that,
when her first son, Prince Charles, becomes king, his second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles,
also known as the Duchess of Cornwall, will be called Queen Consort — something that
many people never expected when Charles and Camilla married in a 2005 civil ceremony that
the queen didn't even attend.
Now comes news of where Charles and Camilla will live when he becomes king and she becomes
queen consort.
Since 1837, when Queen Victoria took the throne, Buckingham Palace has been the traditional
main residence of the monarch.
But there was word that, when Queen Elizabeth II dies, it would become more of a workspace
for the monarchy than a home.
However, the Daily Mail now reports that Prince Charles and Camilla will live there when he
becomes king, with a source telling the outlet that Charles is, quote, "firmly of the view
that it's the visible symbol of the monarchy in the nation's capital and therefore must
be his home."
The source added:
"There is no question about it.
HRH's view is that you need a monarch at monarchy HQ.
This has never been in doubt."
Currently, Charles and Camilla make their main home Clarence House in London, the same
home that Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, shared before she became queen.
While Charles' son and daughter-in-law Prince William and Kate Middleton will remain in
an apartment at Kensington Palace, sources tell the Daily Mail that they will eventually
inherit Windsor Castle, another favorite home of the queen.
There's more talk than ever about Charles' life when he becomes king, and where he will
live is only part of the planning.
On February 12, when Charles was still recovering from his second COVID-19 diagnosis, the Daily
Mail reported on "Operation Golden Orb" which is the code phrase used for plans for his
coronation, the big event when he will be crowned as the new monarch.
Due to Queen Elizabeth II's record time on the British throne, the country hasn't seen
a coronation in 70 years.
When the queen was crowned a year after her father, King George VI, passed away, it was
a grand affair televised to 27 million people, with 11 million more people listening on the
radio.
It looks like Charles' coronation won't be quite as grand as the Prince of Wales looks
to scale it back in a much quieter affair.
"There's only room for one sovereign at a time, not two."
According to the Daily Mail, both Charles and his wife, Camilla, will be crowned together
as he becomes king and she becomes queen consort, but a source tells the outlet that the event
will be, quote, "shorter, sooner, smaller, less expensive and more representative of
different community groups and faiths."
However, the ceremony will still be an Anglican one in keeping with religious tradition.
While Queen Elizabeth II's coronation included 8,000 dignitaries at Westminster Abbey, Charles'
coronation will be limited to a maximum of 2,000 in attendance and, as another source
told the Daily Mail, will be, quote, "far shorter because you have to consider Charles's
age."
Even fewer members of the royal family will be in attendance, as a royal source notes.
"It will be a slimmed-down Monarchy on display throughout.
I wouldn't be surprised to see just Charles and Camilla, Kate and William and their children
on the Buckingham Palace balcony afterwards."
Once he is king, Charles will stick with the tradition of living at Buckingham Palace,
but he does intend to make another change aside from his scaled-back coronation.
He also plans to use a different royal insignia from his mother, who uses the St. Edward's
design.
Instead, Charles plans to go with the Tudor crown to usher in a new era in the British
monarchy.
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