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Here's why Camilla is not being called Queen Consort anymore after the coronation

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: <<enter caption here>> during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Charles and Camilla appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their coronation service and procession was complete. (Getty Images)

Buckingham Palace has altered Camilla's profile on the Royal Family's official website to refer to her simply as Queen rather than Queen Consort, which is what they previously called her.

Now the coronation has passed and she has been officially crowned, the Palace will call her Queen Camilla, which is in line with tradition.

Though her full official title will still be Queen Consort — because she is married to the monarch, not the monarch herself — previous Queen Consorts have just been called Queen and their first name.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth, Camilla has been referred to publicly as the Queen Consort.

The Daily Mail previously reported that an aide confirmed to them this was because they were trying to differentiate from the late Queen Elizabeth.

An image of the official invite to King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation. (Buckingham Palace)
On the official invites to Charles and Camilla's coronation, she was also simply referred to as Queen, rather than Queen Consort. (Buckingham Palace)

"It made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the Queen Consort in the early months of His Majesty’s reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," the Daily Mail quoted a royal aide as saying.

"The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using 'Queen Camilla' in an official capacity. All former Queen Consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name."

Prince Philip's full title was Prince Consort — but he wasn't referred to as such. He also wasn't crowned alongside Elizabeth in 1953, because men marrying into the House of Windsor don't automatically get the same title as their wives.

However, women who marry in, like Camilla or Kate, do automatically receive the same title as their husbands.

In light of the news, Yahoo UK explores Camilla's emotive history with royal titles, and how she forged her path from the 'other woman' to becoming Queen.

How did Camilla end up as Queen?

For a long time, it didn't seem certain — or even likely — that Camilla would ever be called Queen and Prince Harry has made new claims about how she forged her path to the throne in his memoir, Spare.

He has claimed in interviews promoting the book, that she "sacrificed [him] on her personal PR altar" and leaked stories about him to "rehabilitate" her own image.

Harry further alleged that she was "dangerous" because of the "relationships she forged with" members of the UK press, which in his view was part of a "long game" to being accepted as Queen.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Queen Camilla is crowned with Queen Mary's Crown during her coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Camilla was crowned with Queen Mary's Crown on 6 May. (Getty Images)

Since King Charles acceded to the throne, Camilla has been given the official title of Queen Consort, which is the usual title assigned to the female spouse of the monarch.

However, The Times newspaper decided to stop referring to her as Camilla, Queen Consort, and instead call her Queen Camilla, or simply 'the Queen' back in October 2022.

Jack Blackburn, the publication's history correspondent and deputy diary editor, wrote on Twitter at the time that writers at the publication "have been instructed to drop the term Queen Consort" because historically "no Queen has ever had that in their style".

Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, were the last three queen consorts before Camilla.

Though their titles were Queen Consort, they were simply referred to as Queen or Queen Empress while their husbands reigned.

However, Camilla's history with royal titles is far more controversial and complex than her predecessors.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: King Charles III and Queen Camilla travelling in the Gold State Coach, built in 1760 and used at every Coronation since that of William IV in 1831, setting off from Westminster Abbey on route to Buckingham Palace during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.   (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Camilla and Charles rode in the Gold State Coach in the Coronation Procession after the service was complete. (Getty Images)

Duchess of Cornwall

After marrying Charles in 2005, Camilla – née Parker Bowles – took the title of Duchess of Cornwall. The Duke of Cornwall was another title that belonged to Charles while he was Prince of Wales.

Now this title has passed to his son, William, and along with it the Duchy of Cornwall which is worth £1bn and contains more than 128,000 acres of land.

Camilla opted to be known as the Duchess of Cornwall after her marriage – rather than the Princess of Wales title she was also entitled to – out of respect to Diana, the last person to hold that title.

Some 25 years after her death, Diana is still beloved by much of the public and it may have been perceived as insensitive if Camilla had chosen to use Diana's title.

At the time of Diana's death, Camilla was deeply unpopular with many members of the public: it had been hard for her to shake the reputation of being the 'other woman'.

Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla Parker-Bowles at Ludlow Races where Prince Charles is competing, 1980. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Archive Photos)
Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla Parker-Bowles at Ludlow Races where Prince Charles is competing in 1980. (Express Newspapers/Archive Photos)

Princess Consort

Initially, it was suggested by Clarence House that Camilla would, when the time came, use the title of Princess Consort.

This was an unprecedented move, that showed the royal households knew that they had to be very careful not to push the public to accept Camilla. However, the concept of a prince consort was a very familiar one, with the Duke of Edinburgh serving in that position for 69 years.

The matter was further complicated by the fact that as King, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, and Christian orthodoxy does not accept divorce.

WINDSOR, ENGLAND - APRIL 9: HRH the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and The Duchess Of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles in silk dress by Robinson Valentine and head-dress by Philip Treacy, leave the Service of Prayer and Dedication blessing their marriage at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005 in Berkshire, England. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005. (Getty Images)

Queen Consort

Last year, the late Queen Elizabeth herself made her feelings on the matter of Camilla's title clear.

In a statement marking the Platinum Jubilee, the late Queen said: "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."

This seemed to show how doggedly Camilla had worked to be accepted and fulfil her duties as Duchess of Cornwall and that her commitment had been noted and been taken seriously by the Queen.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29:  (L-R)  C Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall exit the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.  The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state.  Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.  (Photo by Ian Gavan/GP/Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth and Camilla at William and Kate's wedding in April, 2011 at Westminster Abbey (Getty Images)

While the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II is long since over, given the longevity of her reign, she may remain for most of the public the only Queen in their mind for quite some time..

Watch: Charles and Camilla's biggest scandals