Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include ‘Queen Camilla’ – with his mother’s blessing, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The insertion of his wife’s title was included as part of a general reworking of plans for the Westminster Abbey ceremony up to five years ago, a senior palace source said.
On Saturday, the Queen announced that the Duchess of Cornwall will become Queen Consort when her husband accedes to the throne.
It can also be revealed that Camilla will have the Queen Mother’s priceless platinum and diamond crown placed on her head when Charles is made king. It was created for King George VI’s coronation in 1937.
Yesterday the Prince of Wales made clear his gratitude to the Queen for her support, saying that he and Camilla – who he described as his ‘darling wife’ – were ‘deeply conscious of the honour represented’ by his mother’s wish.
He marked the Queen’s historic Accession Day, heralding the start of her Platinum Jubilee year, by saying her ‘devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year’.
Buckingham Palace issued a glorious new photograph of the 95-year-old monarch – sitting in an armchair at Sandringham with her ever-present red despatch box of official papers – to mark her historic 70 years on the throne.
Her father, King George VI, died at the Norfolk residence on February 6, 1952, at the age of 56, leaving his elder daughter as Queen at the age of just 25.
In a highly significant announcement at the weekend, Her Majesty used her unprecedented milestone anniversary to express her desire for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds her.
She wrote: ‘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 the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.’
The Mail can reveal today that plans to ‘crown’ Camilla as Queen Consort – as opposed to ‘Princess Consort’, as originally planned – have been under way for some time, and Charles came close to announcing it in 2019.
A royal source said: ‘This is something that has been on the Prince of Wales’ mind for some time, but the timing had to be right. There was a nervousness, they wanted to get it right.
‘It’s been a done deal for some time, but the question has been how best to execute it. You are not going to please everyone.
‘They understand that some people still won’t be happy, but the family believe it is the right thing to do.’
The change was made clear when Clarence House and palace officials embarked on an overhaul of the plans for Charles’s coronation several years ago.
Key national events are regularly the subject of planning reviews and, as the previous coronation took place in 1953, officials wanted to make the ceremony more streamlined and up-to-date.
It is understood to have been shortened from the Queen’s three-hour long event and, while still ‘spectacular’, is designed to ‘better reflect the times’, with more religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.
‘It also included the duchess crowned Queen Consort,’ a household insider said. Any changes would have taken place with the Queen’s blessing and the knowledge of Buckingham Palace.
The Queen Mother’s crown features 2,800 diamonds with a large stone given to Queen Victoria in 1856 by the Sultan of Turkey as a gesture of gratitude for British support during the Crimean War. The front cross holds the famous 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, which originated in India, in a detachable platinum mount.
Charles yesterday made clear his gratitude to his mother for her support, issuing a statement which said: ‘On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the realms and Commonwealth for seventy years.
‘The Queen’s devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year. 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 own 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.’
One senior royal source told the Mail yesterday that the Queen felt Camilla ‘deserved’ to get the proper title that ‘comes with the job’.
They said: ‘She’s never once tried to overshadow her husband, she’s always played a supportive role to the Prince of Wales. He is her top priority.
‘But she has also carved a role out for herself, has travelled hundreds of thousands of miles on thousands of engagements, taken on some really powerful causes such as violence against women, but is still cheerfully willing to go to the back-end of beyond to cut ribbons and shake hands. She is warm, friendly and hasn’t put a foot wrong.
‘The transition to a new monarch after such a remarkable head of state, whose sense of humility and duty is an example to us all, is going to be so monumental that you don’t want any “own goals” in the middle of it all.
'The Queen has always led by example and she continues to do so now. No-one should be under any illusion that this was something Camilla wanted or sought.
‘She’ll be doing it because it’s what the prince wants, and it’s good for the institution in the long run.’
Tributes were paid to the Queen’s 70 years of duty by political leaders in the UK and abroad yesterday, with Boris Johnson acknowledging her ‘unwavering dedication to this nation’.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised her ‘unparalleled public service’ and for being a ‘global symbol of grace and dignity’.
A tweet from the US White House’s official account praised the monarch for having ‘strengthened the ties of friendship, shared ideals, and faith in democracy that forever unite our countries’.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau hailed the Queen for ‘offering steadfast leadership in times of change, hardship, or uncertainty’.
Some 1.3 million coins are being made available on ‘limited release’ at UK post offices. A maximum mintage has been fixed at 5,000,070 coins in a further nod to the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Post offices in Windsor and close to Sandringham were among the first branches to receive the coin.
Postmaster Umesh Sanghani, who has run Dedworth Green Post Office in Windsor with wife Rashmita for 23 years, said: ‘We have had many customers coming in to check that we are going to get the special coin.
‘They don’t want to miss out on this souvenir. I am a royalist. It is amazing the Queen has reached her 70th anniversary. I am really looking forward to the celebrations.’
This article has been adapted from its original source.
