Camilla should be Queen when Charles becomes King, Queen Elizabeth has said in a message to mark 70 years since her accession to the Throne.
When Camilla married Prince Charles in 2005, many Britons disliked her because of her role in the break up of Charles and Diana’s marriage. At one point in the 1990s she was pelted with bread rolls in a supermarket by a furious shopper.
Buckingham Palace said she would not not use the title ‘Princess of Wales’ out of sensitivity to Diana’s memory. Furthermore, she would be known as ‘Princess Consort’, not ‘Queen’, when Charles became King.
However, Queen Elizabeth has now made it clear that it is her “sincere wish” that her daughter-in-law becomes Queen in a message to the Commonwealth thanking people for their “loyalty and affection” over the past 70 years:
“And 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; 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,” she wrote.
✍️ On the eve of the 70th anniversary of her Accession to the throne, The Queen has written a message thanking the public and her family for their support, and looking forward to #PlatinumJubilee celebrations over the coming year. #HM70 pic.twitter.com/U6JfzeZMLn
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 5, 2022
Accession Day
Elizabeth became Queen on 6th February 1952 when her father, George VI, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. At the time she and her husband, Philip, were on tour in Kenya.
She was 25 years old at the time but had already pledged on her 21st birthday in a speech to the Empire that, “my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
'I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.'
On her twenty-first birthday, in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/0URU2tEPj8— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 9, 2020
Today as she marks 70 years on the Throne - a milestone that no other British Monarch in history has reached - tributes have poured in:
“For over half of our history as a Federation, The Queen has been our monarch,” Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“Most Australians have known no other sovereign. She has been a constant presence in a changing world.
“Tonight, iconic buildings and monuments in many parts of Australia will be lit up in royal purple for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and the Duke of Edinburgh during a Royal tour Down Under.In Wellington, New Zealand a 21 gun salute is to be fired and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern thanked the monarch for “her dedication and inspiration.”
“As Queen of New Zealand, she has always shown a deep personal interest in the life and wellbeing of our nation. On behalf of all New Zealanders I would like to wish her well for this historic year,” Ms Ardern said.
In Britain, the public will celebrate with a four day bank holiday in June; street parties will be held up and down the country and a competition to create a new ‘Platinum Pudding’ recipe is underway.
In Northern Ireland, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has set aside £250,000 to mark the occasion - a decision Sinn Féin criticised as a “ludicrous” sum to spend “massaging unionist insecurities about their identity”.
In Canada, the Federal Government is preparing “a series of initiatives to mark the Queen’s remarkable 70 years of service”.
While in other Commonwealth countries, Platinum Jubilee Beacons will be lit and citizens are being encouraged to take part in The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative and ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.
Main image: Queen Elizabeth II with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Royal Ascot 2013, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire. Picture by: Alamy.com.
