Is it really an official title?
Who else has been Queen Consort in the past.
And, well…what does it even mean?
All that and more ahead.
As it turns out, there's a lot more to becoming a queen than meets the eye.
A very recent example of the complexities of monarchy exists today in Prince Charles
and his wife Camilla, who is currently the Duchess of Cornwall.
Due in large part to the scandalous nature of Prince Charles' first marriage to Princess
Diana and their subsequent divorce, the title of queen has always seemed out of grasp for
Duchess Camilla.
Indeed, there was a time not long ago when it was almost certain she'd carry the title
of HRH The Princess Consort should Charles be named king.
Most queens rule over the monarchy as queen regnant, a prestigious title that carries
with it a great deal of power separate from the king's.
The queen consort is essentially the same in title as a traditional queen, albeit resulting
in a slightly different social status, as the queen consort lacks the sovereign right
of power that traditionally gets passed down with the throne.
Now in the face of actual kingship, it appears Camilla Parker-Bowles will be called queen
after all, according to the wishes of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, her title, like her decades-long romance with Charles, is still pretty complicated.
There are several key differences between the traditional title of queen and the slightly
adjusted moniker she's being offered of queen consort, both in power and ceremonial demonstration.
Essentially, royal consorts are the spouses of ruling monarchs.
Despite not having formal positions within the monarchy, they can still have an influence
on royal operations.
Notedly, the queen consort's crowning ceremony is usually "simpler" than the king's in the
event that she is crowned separately from her husband.
In most situations where the king and queen are already married, the crownings take place
simultaneously.
In fact, there hasn't been a separate queen consort coronation since 1553, when Queen
Consort Anne Boleyn indulged in a particularly over-the-top coronation…
only to be executed a few years after the ceremony took place.
"Boom."
Power for this position is somewhat limited, but the crown lies heavy nonetheless — literally.
The queen consort's crown typically features the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, which contains
a staggering 105.6 karats worth of bling.
Noteworthy queen consorts of the past include Queen Caroline of Ansbach, as well as Queen
Elizabeth II's mother, who was better known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Following Camilla's marriage to Prince Charles in 2005, Royal aides had suggested that her
title, upon her husband's ascension to the throne, would be princess consort.
English common law dictates that spouses of kings are to be called queen consorts, while
husbands of queens are given the title of prince consort, meaning that the originally
proposed "princess consort" moniker would have required a change to the legislation.
To add further to the confusion, it appears that even Camilla's family weren't sure what
title she would eventually receive — in early 2021, her son, Tom Parker-Bowles, told
The Sunday Times:
"I honestly don't know if Mum will be called queen."
The use of royal consorts isn't confined strictly to the United Kingdom and its monarchy, either,
and there are other examples to be found elsewhere in the world.
For example, Letizia of Spain was on course to gain the title after marrying Spain's Prince
Felipe in 2004.
It became official in 2014, after Prince Felipe's father, Spanish King Juan Carlos, announced
his plan to abdicate the throne.
A former television news presenter, Letizia has a unique place in Spain's history, as
she is the first commoner to ever be named queen.
Just across the English Channel from the United Kingdom, another nation has a queen consort
on the throne.
Mathilde of Belgium married King Philippe of Belgium in 1999 and became queen consort
upon his coronation in 2013.
Mathilde is a particularly good example of how royal consorts can still carry influence
both publicly and within the monarchy despite not having a traditional position.
Whether Camilla follows suit, however — and what kind of power she will wield within the
British royal family when she becomes queen consort — remains to be seen.
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