Why is Camilla being crowned and will she be called ‘Queen’?
By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN
Queen Camilla? Technically yes. That’s because if a male sovereign is married when they accede the throne, his wife is traditionally anointed and crowned in a short ceremony.
That takes place after Charles III is crowned and the homages are paid.
On Saturday, Camilla became the 29th Queen Consort to be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremony
Like her husband, she was anointed with holy oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury, this time without a screen, which demonstrates the different nature of anointing a consort compared to a reigning sovereign.
The Keeper of the Jewel House then presented the Consort’s Ring, which symbolizes promise and commitment, “marrying” her to the King and both to God and their people.
Next, she was crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown, marking the first time in recent history that a new crown wasn’t made specifically for this occasion.
Back when Queen Mary paid for the silver crown in 1911, her intention was for it to serve as the permanent crown of future consorts.
Camilla opted to wear Queen Mary’s Crown – a decision made “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” the palace said.
However, she made some “minor changes and additions,” the palace added. Specifically, she wanted to honor her late mother-in-law by resetting the crown with some diamonds — the Cullinan III, IV and V — from the Queen’s personal collection.
She was then presented with the Sceptre and Rod before committing herself to life-long service supporting her husband.
Finally, Camilla was enthroned.
This was followed by an original composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber that set verses from Psalm 98 to music.
Why is Camilla called ‘Queen’?
You may have seen that she’s now being titled as “Queen Camilla.”
There’s always been a bit of sensitivity around how Camilla would be titled, particularly whether she would be known as Queen because it had been destined for Charles’ first wife, Diana.
When Camilla wed Charles back in 2005, it was announced that she would be known as “Princess Consort,” despite having a right to the title of Queen.
But Queen Elizabeth II intervened to change that last year before her death.
Many wives of a sitting monarch have often been titled as Queen, with the most recent example being Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Charles became King following the death of his mother in September.
But the first time we saw his wife titled as “Queen Camilla” was in the elaborate coronation invitations sent out to esteemed VIPs.
So why hasn’t the changeover happened until now?
A royal source told CNN last month that the coronation was an appropriate time to start the transition of titles.
“It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the Queen Consort in the early months of His Majesty’s reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the source added.
“The coronation is an appropriate time to start using ‘Queen Camilla’ in an official capacity,” the royal source said. “All former Queen Consorts have been known as ‘Queen’ plus their first name.”
The-CNN-Wire
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