As Platinum Jubilee begins, the British monarch Elizabeth II has announced that she wants Duchess Camilla to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates seven decades of reigning in the United Kingdom as she became the first monarch on the planet to reign so long time. During the ever-longest reign, Her Majesty has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval.
To mark her the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the Queen released a written statement, in which Her Majesty said when Charles becomes monarch she hoped the British people would give him and Camilla “the same support that you have given me”.
In her statement, the 95-year-old said she hoped the wife of her heir Prince Charles will be known as Queen Consort when the eldest son accedes to the throne. For Camilla, the queen’s words became a remarkable journey to public acceptance after being vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.
Over almost two decades, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall had a highly publicised relationship that ended their previous marriages and there had been doubts over whether the public would accept her. They married in 2005, in fact, their marriage is longer than the previous alliance of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch
In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, has appeared determined to continue her record-breaking reign.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed Sunday was “a moment of national celebration” while noting it was “a day of mixed emotions for Her Majesty”.
After husband Philip’s death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit. Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances.
But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare.
