By royal biographer Emily Andrews
‘SHE IS NOW QUEEN CAMILLA AND SHOULD BE STYLED AS SUCH’
I can’t believe the coronation is almost upon us! The costumes have been created (a gold supertunica for the King!), jewellery polished, and Charles III and Camilla have been rehearsing for the ceremony in the Buckingham Palace ballroom.
It’s looking like it will be an historic moment and one that’s momentous for the country and the monarchy – after the glorious 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
It was she who settled one of the more problematic issues of Charles’ future reign.
When he and Camilla married in 2005, Clarence House said she would be known as Princess Consort when Charles acceded, mindful of public opposition.
Last year, as part of her succession planning, the late Queen publicly decreed that ‘when that time comes’ Camilla should be known as Queen Consort.
I’ve met Camilla many times and in my personal opinion she is the most approachable, friendly and down to earth of all the senior royals, despite the public opprobrium that has been heaped upon her.
Whatever your view on Charles’ (and Princess Diana’s) adultery, she has definitely earned her stripes.
There will always be some residual antipathy towards her – partly because of the love many people felt for Diana and partly because many still blame her (wrongly, in my personal opinion) for the break-up of Charles and Diana’s marriage.
He had always loved Camilla – but in the late 1970s could not marry her due to out-dated conventions of the time. We all know what happened next, but it was not until Lady Susan Hussey reportedly phoned Camilla (she and Charles had cut off contact) saying how unhappy Charles was in the mid-1980s that the affair restarted.
My view has always been that Camilla married Charles in spite of the crown, not because of it (at the age of 75, most women would be putting their feet up rather than taking on the biggest support role in British history) and deserves our backing.
She has coolly got on with the job, promoting worthy causes and being a calming influence on our King.
I know she’ll be nervous ahead of the ceremony – as the coronation is both religious and highly symbolic – and Queen Mary’s Crown is rather heavy.
Quite the pressure when the eyes of the world are upon you!
And Charles’ de
