A devoted mother to her four children, one of the Queen’s final and most significant statements as monarch was born out of love for her eldest son.
In a statement released to mark her milestone Platinum Jubilee in February 2022, she told how it was her “sincere wish that Camilla will be known as Queen Consort” – something she knew would mean the world to her son, Britain’s new King.
In response, Charles paid an emotional tribute to his mother on that historic day, 70 years after the death of his grandfather, King George VI, saying: “We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish.
“As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my steadfast support throughout.
“The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of the Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come.”
The close relationship between Charles and his mother followed years of speculation that the Queen had been distant in her relationship with her children, especially in their younger years.
But as long ago as 2002 this was something strongly disputed by her daughter, Princess Anne, who said: “I simply don’t believe there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest she wasn’t caring.”
She added: “I don’t believe any of us for a second thought she didn’t care for us in the same way as any other mother did.”
But, of course, the monarch’s experience of motherhood was far from average. Still a princess and a week short of her first wedding anniversary when she became a mother at 22, her first born wasn’t just any baby. He was the heir to the throne.
And while her future as monarch may have seemed a long way off when he arrived in November 1948, less than four years later she was Queen.
In Charles’ earliest years, the young princess had the support of nannies.
She spent periods overseas away from her infant on visits to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was stationed for two years in Malta with the Royal Navy.
Daughter Anne arrived in the summer of 1950, born in Clarence House, and the siblings were still toddlers when their mother acceded to the throne in February 1952.
A six-month tour around the Commonwealth after the Queen’s Coronation that began following year meant the youngsters were
separated from their parents, left behind in the care of nannies and their grandmother, the Queen Mother.
The Queen’s third and fourth children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward arrived later, in 1960 and 1964, by which time their mother had taken her place on the throne and was getting to grips with her remarkable place on the world stage.
She was said to have had a more hands-on approach with her younger children, enjoying the ordinary jobs of parenthood such as putting her young sons to bed.
Closeness also came with her older children. As Charles and Anne, the Princess Royal, approached adulthood, the Queen herself was still a young woman.
She shared many interests with her daughter, particularly a love of horseriding. And while Anne pursued the sport, even competing at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, her mother was there to support her.
The warmth and affection between the Queen and Prince Charles became clear as the years progressed.
For her 92nd birthday celebrations, Charles prompted a comical eye roll from his mother when he called her “Mummy” on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.
He got further laughs from introducing her as “Mummy” at Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, before thanking his mother for her lifetime of work.
“I was three when my grand-father George VI died and suddenly, unexpectedly, you and my father’s lives were irrevocably changed when you were only 26,” he said.
“So as a nation this is our opportunity to thank you and my father for always being there for us. For inspiring us with your selfless duty and service and for making us proud to be British.”
Despite the warmth of her relationships with her children, many difficult times presented themselves for the Queen in her role as mother.
Three of her four children divorced (all but Prince Edward) and Charles and his sons faced unspeakable turmoil with the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
Towards the end of her life the Queen made the dramatic move in 2022 to strip Prince Andrew of all his royal titles amid allegations of sexual assault in the US.
She is also said to have donated £2million to his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s charity to help settle the civil case against her son.
As she had for more than 70 years of her reign, the Queen strove to balance her duties in her personal life with those in her role as monarch.
