Prince William is set to become King one day and it would lead to his stepmother Camilla being given a new title.
Queen Camilla’s roles and titles have been the subject of plenty of uncertainty and debate due to the unfamiliar path that saw her enter the Royal Family.
When Charles was crowned King during the Coronation earlier this month at Westminster Abbey, Camilla was given the title of Queen.
At one point it had appeared as though she would have been known as the Queen Consort but it was Charles’ wish that she be called the shortened version.
And in the circumstances that Charles were to die before Camilla, it has led to the question of what role she would then have.
She would not become the monarch as that is passed down the bloodline and so the Prince of Wales is the heir to the throne.
And so her new title would be the Queen Dowager as the widow of the King, which is a title that was first used by Queen Adelaide in 1830.
In recent years the last example where a spouse outlived the monarch was Queen Elizabeth’s late mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was married to King George Vl and was known as the Queen Mother.
Camilla’s situation has been unusual due to the way that she was originally Charles’ lover. Princess Diana and Charles divorced in 1992.
It also meant that while she technically became the Princess of Wales when she married Charles in 2005, because that title was associated so much with Diana, instead she was known as the Duchess of Cornwall.
Then it was thought that she would be known as the Princess Consort when Charles became King because the public might not have welcomed her as Queen.
But over time Camilla has won over many and the late Queen during the Platinum Jubilee stated: “It is my sincere wish that, when the time comes Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
An indication that she would go on to just be known as the Queen came ahead of the Coronation and the world consort was dropped for the new edition of the bible.
It stated: “To commemorate the Coronation of their majesties King Charles lll and Queen Camilla. In the Abbey Church of St Peter. Westminster. The sixth day of May 2023.”
It was also reportedly said earlier this year by a royal insider: "There’s a view in the Palace that Queen Consort is cumbersome and it might be simpler for Camilla to be known just as the Queen when the time is right.”
