What she wants. As Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the British throne —she opened up about her wishes for the future of the U.K. monarchy.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” the sovereign, 95, wrote in a statement, released on Saturday, February 5. “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.”
Prince Charles, 73, previously wed the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, in 2005 following his 1996 divorce from the late Princess Diana, with whom he shared sons Prince William and Prince Harry. As the twosome’s bond continued to grow upon their nuptials, they remained gracious by the longtime monarch’s recent public statement.
“On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the Realms and Commonwealth for seventy years,” Charles and Camilla wrote via a statement on Sunday, February 6. “The Queen’s devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year.”
They added: “We are deeply conscious of the honor represented by my mother’s wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout.”
Buckingham Palace had previously never confirmed the official title that Camilla would receive as the eventual consort when her partner, the Prince of Wales, takes over as regent. (For his part, late Prince Philip was referred to as a prince consort throughout wife Elizabeth’s reign.)
At the time of the duo’s engagement, however, the palace noted that Camilla “should use” the titles of HRH The Princess Consort upon her spouse’s accession. (Camilla has widely been referred to as the Duchess of Cornwall while Diana was known as the Princess of Wales following her July 1981 nuptials to Charles.)
“I honestly don’t know if Mum will be called queen,” Camilla’s son, Tom Parker-Bowles, previously told The Times in April 2021. “That hasn’t been decided. There are a lot of interesting Sky documentaries about that I’m sure, but I honestly don’t know if that’s true.”
A source previously confirmed to Us Weekly in November 2020 that Elizabeth’s heir intended to serve as king with Camilla by his side. “This is something he’s dreamed about his entire life — he sees it as his birthright, and Her Majesty would find it extremely difficult to deprive him of that,” the insider noted.
Until then, the queen’s Jubilee has been marked with a commemorative coin, a British baking competition and a four-day bank holiday in June.
“This anniversary also affords me a time to reflect on the goodwill shown to me by people of all nationalities, faiths and ages in this country and around the world over these years. I would like to express my thanks to you all for your support,” Elizabeth concluded her Accession Day message on Saturday. “I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me. And so as I look forward to continuing to serve you with all my heart, I hope this Jubilee will bring together families and friends, neighbors and communities – after some difficult times for so many of us – in order to enjoy the celebrations and to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign.”