Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years of reign and wants Camilla to become “queen consort”

Published on : 02/06/2022 – 07:58

A birthday and an announcement. Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrates her 70th anniversary on Sunday, February 6, expressed the wish that Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, become queen consort when the latter becomes king, ending a long debate on this subject.

In a message written on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee, a milestone that no British monarch had ever reached before her, the 95-year-old Queen expressed her “sincere wish” that Camilla “be known as Queen consort when Prince Charles, 73, takes the throne.

Until now, she had never spoken on the subject, the subject of endless controversy for years.

Charles and Camilla said they were, according to a spokesperson, “touched and honored by the words” of the Queen, who also underlined the “loyal work” of the Duchess of Cornwall.

Camilla, 74, with the simplicity appreciated by the British, has become an essential cog in the monarchy, with many commitments.

The term “consort” applies to the husband or wife of a reigning monarch. Theoretically, therefore, Camilla was to become queen, but her title was the subject of endless controversy after her 2005 marriage to Prince Charles, with some arguing that she should rather be known as a “princess” consort, due to the sensitivity of the subject after the death of Princess Diana.

Camilla, divorced, has long been seen as the one who broke the fairy tale marriage of Prince Charles, of which she was the mistress, with Diana. Even last year, less than half of Britons wanted her to be crowned queen.

The Queen closed the debate on Saturday. Elizabeth II has largely withdrawn from public life since suffering health problems in October. Two appearances before her Platinum Jubilee on Sunday showed her frail and walking slowly.

bittersweet day

Traditionally, February 6 is for her a bittersweet day of private contemplation at the royal estate of Sandringham. Because it is both the date of her accession to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, but also that of the death of her father King George VI, to whom she was very attached, from lung cancer at 56 years old.

This year is also her first anniversary of reign without her dear husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at the age of 99, while the monarchy is going through a tormented period between the accusations of sexual assault against her son Andrew and the installation in the United States of his grandson Harry with his wife Meghan.

Before joining Sandringham, the Queen had examined, at Windsor Castle, objects and messages sent to her for her previous jubilees. A video showed her smiling, looking in particular at a card made with bottle caps and the “recipe for a perfect queen” imagined by a little girl, with “500 ml of royal blood”, “a little jewels” and “a trait of loyalty”.

A double brooch of diamonds and aquamarines given to her by her father pinned to her blue dress, she also admired a fan that belonged to Queen Victoria and got a glimpse of the first desserts created as part of a competition launched on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee.

Several days of festivities in June

On Saturday, she received at a reception in Sandringham members of the local community and associations, as well as a woman who helped create the British classic “coronation chicken” for the coronation banquet in 1953.

In Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week thanked the “tireless” dedication of Elizabeth II, who remains hugely popular.

For the Jubilee, commemorative coins were minted and eight stamps issued, depicting her at different times during her reign. His portrait will be shown briefly on giant screens in several cities across the country on Sunday, including Piccadilly, London.

On Monday, a 42-gun salute will be fired in the center of the capital.

Four days of festivities, happily awaited by the British, are planned for the beginning of June. They will begin with “Trooping the Colour”, the parade which officially celebrates its anniversary each year.

A big concert is also planned as well as a historical reconstruction of the 70 years of reign of a queen who crossed, imperturbable, times and crises, and thousands of popular lunches.

With AFP