LONDON — The wife of King Charles III is paying tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II and her strength as a woman in a world dominated by male leaders for much of her 70-year reign.
In a video message being broadcast Sunday night, Queen Consort Camilla says: “It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman.”
She adds: “There weren’t women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role.”
The late queen, who died Sept. 8 aged 96, ended years of debate about Camilla’s title when she said on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year that it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, be known as queen consort when her eldest son became king.
In a personal reflection on her time with the queen, Camilla says: “She’s got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face.”
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— Queen paved the way for transition to Charles in final years
— Chinese factory churns out British flags after queen’s death
— Find more AP coverage here
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LONDON — London Police say they have charged a man who is accused of lunging at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lay in state at the Houses of Parliament with a public order offense.
The Metropolitan Police say in a statement that Muhammad Khan, a 28-year-old from east London, is charged with behavior intended to “cause alarm, harassment or distress.”
Tracey Holland told Sky News that her 7-year-old niece was pushed out of the way by a man who tried to “run up to the coffin, lift up the standard and try to do I don’t know what.” She said police detained the man in “two seconds.”
Khan is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday – the day of the queen’s state funeral.
