As head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth didn’t attend King Charles and Queen Camilla’s civil wedding ceremony in 2005 but she still found a special way to signal her "approval" for their marriage. The couple tied the knot at Windsor Guildhall on 9th April and had a service of blessing at St George’s Chapel, which she was at.
The Queen hosted a reception afterwards at Windsor Castle and it’s here that she "could be the proud mother" and "showed it by breaking convention" according to royal biographer Robert Hardman. In his new book, Queen Elizabeth II, he reflects that "instead of the usual speech from the father of the bride, guests would hear from the mother of the groom".
"Many of the guests were not expecting it at all. Someone just tapped a glass and there was the Queen talking," he quotes one of the Household involved.
"It was her idea. She’d decided she could not go to the civil wedding but, having navigated all the official problems, this was her informal way of showing approval and marking the occasion."
The source adds that the late monarch "came out with every racing metaphor in the book", including the proclamation that King Charles and Queen Camilla had now "reached the winners’ enclosure". Their wedding date coincided with the Grand National that year and as a horse racing fan, Elizabeth’s turn of phrase gave her speech a personal feel.
This surprising way of giving her son’s second marriage her seal of "approval" sounds so touching and she arguably played a huge role in introducing the idea of ‘Queen’ Camilla to the world and having it accepted by the public.
Before then, she had been set to be known as "Princess Consort" when Charles became King. She also never went by "Princess of Wales", despite being entitled to do so. Both decisions were made out of respect to Diana, Princess of Wales and the public’s enduring devotion to her.
Then, out of the blue, Queen Elizabeth made a decisive move the day before the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. In a message to the nation she gave her blessing for her daughter-in-law to be known as "Queen Consort" instead of "Princess".
"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 declared.
Queen Elizabeth’s "sincere wish" helped pave the way for the public to accept the change and after being known formally as the Queen Consort for many months, Her Majesty is now simply known as Queen Camilla.
She and King Charles are celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary this year and although the date is now likely tinged with some sadness (it is also the anniversary of Prince Philip’s death), they have so many special memories to reminisce about, not least the wedding itself and that "informal" speech!
