Queen Camilla 'gave up' royal title amid 'tension and anger' over Princess Diana
She was known as the Duchess of Cornwall until Charles became king instead
Queen Camilla didn’t take a royal title that she was entitled to due to strong feelings around the late Princess Diana, a royal expert claimed.
Tradition dictates that when a woman marries into the royal family, she gets the female version of her husband’s title. So, when Diana married King Charles – then the Prince of Wales – she became the Princess of Wales.
It became strongly associated with the late princess. Diana is still often the first royal to come to mind when people think of the title. Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022 and Charles’ accession to the throne, Prince William became Prince of Wales as the monarch’s elder son. Therefore, his wife, Kate Middleton, is the current Princess of Wales.
But why did Queen Camilla opt for a different title when Charles was known as the Prince of Wales?
Was Camilla ever Princess of Wales?
Queen Camilla was technically the holder of the Princess of Wales title between marrying Charles in 2005 and him becoming king in 2022. Therefore, she should have been referred to as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales. But, she was known as the Duchess of Cornwall instead, the female equivalent of another of Charles’ titles at the time.
The reported reason Camilla wasn’t known as the Princess of Wales is that the title was so strongly associated with Diana. Royal historian Marlene Koenig explained that the decision was also in part to prevent the public from feeling more negatively towards Camilla.
“Camilla was not popular or well liked, [though] this has changed a lot since the marriage as Camilla has taken on a lot of patronages and Charles is a lot happier,” Koenig said of the queen, via Town & Country. “Still, [there was] a lot of tension and anger among a certain element of the population – so it was decided that Camilla would be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall, even though, of course, she [was] the Princess of Wales.”
Camilla became more popular over time. Despite this, she was still known as the Duchess of Cornwall up to Charles becoming king.
Why Kate Middleton almost ‘refused’ Princess of Wales title
Camilla isn’t the only royal spouse to struggle with changing titles. Last year, Robert Jobson wrote in his biography about Kate that she had reservations about taking on the Princess of Wales title.
“She knew she’d inevitably be compared with Diana, whose untimely death had provoked such a tsunami of anger and grief,” he wrote. “And she was right.
“Kate found all such talk stressful. Indeed, it got to the point where she felt she might follow Camilla (who opted to become Duchess of Cornwall) in refusing — when the time came — to be known as HRH Princess of Wales.”
Camilla has taken on a lot of patronages and Charles is a lot happier.
He added: “In the end, however, she accepted her promotion with good grace. That was out of respect for her husband and the king. Enough time had passed to make the title more palatable. And Catherine had been on the world stage long enough to be appreciated for her own qualities.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘wish’ over Camilla
Since Charles became king, Camilla has been known as queen. She became queen consort when Charles ascended to the throne. She was first styled as Her Majesty The Queen Consort to distinguish her from Queen Elizabeth II. However, since her coronation in 2023, she has been styled as Her Majesty The Queen.
Read more: Queen Camilla ‘welled up with tears’ over ‘harrowing’ moment during women’s refuge visit
When she married Charles, it was announced that she’d be known as princess consort rather than queen. However, plans changed as she became more popular with the public. And, in her Accession Day message in early 2022, Queen Elizabeth II said it was her “sincere” wish for Camilla to be known as queen consort when the time came.
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