Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles III’s coronation invitation on Tuesday with a title change given to his wife, Camilla.
For the very first time, instead of the “Queen Consort” title Camilla was given after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, she is Queen Camilla.
Camilla will be crowned alongside King Charles during the ceremony, reports the BBC.
“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,” a royal source told CNN.
“‘Queen Camilla’ is the appropriate title to set against ‘King Charles’ on the invitation. The coronation is an appropriate time to start using ‘Queen Camilla’ in an official capacity,” the source added, per CNN. “All former Queen Consorts have been known as ‘Queen’ plus their first name.”
The intricate floral invitation included “their Majesties’ arms, the emblematic flowers of the U.K., and a British wildflower meadow and wildlife,” according to an Instagram post from the royal family. Invitations for the May 6 coronation event were sent to 2,000 potential guests.
Harry revealed in ‘Spare’ he did not want his father to marry Camilla
Before Charles married Camilla, Prince Harry expressed concerns about their relationship. According to his memoir, “Spare,” Harry and his brother, Prince William, urged their father not to marry Camilla over fears she would become a “wicked stepmother.”
Harry claims that he and William told Charles they would warmly welcome Camilla into the family as long as he did not marry her. Harry says that although he and William approved of Camilla, they did not want Charles to marry her after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, per the Deseret News.
“There were three of us in this marriage,” Diana said in clear reference to Camilla during a 1995 BBC interview with Martin Bashir, per The Washington Post. Diana divorced Charles a year later. Two years later, Diana was killed in a car accident.
Charles and Camilla married in 2005. Due to sensitivities surrounding their relationship, a royal agreement stipulated that Camilla would be given the title “princess consort” rather than “queen consort” when Charles took the throne, reports The Washington Post.
After decades of being vilified as the “other woman,” Camilla is at last earning a majority approval from Britons. A YouGov poll from last year showed that 53% of Britons approved of Camilla and believed she would do well as queen consort.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘will be sidelined’ during coronation
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have remained tight-lipped about whether they will attend the king’s coronation ceremony. The couple reportedly received an invite to the ceremony in March. But no matter what the pair decides, they are in a “lose-lose situation,” according to royal experts, per Fox News.
“It’s really lose-lose for the Sussexes unless the rest of the family suddenly decides to do an about-face and embrace them,” Christopher Andersen, author of “The King,” told Fox News. “I don’t see that happening. There is too much bitterness there. Too many bridges have been burned.”
“So, if Harry and Meghan attend the coronation, they will almost certainly be sidelined and visibly shunned,” Anderson continued. “If they don’t go, it will look as if Harry is turning his back on his birthright, the royal family, and the institution of the monarchy itself.”
“It’s really tragic that both sides have allowed things to go so far south,” Andersen added.
Before agreeing to attend the coronation, the couple asked to have a few “demands” met. They wanted their children to be involved in the ceremony and asked that their entire family would be included in the balcony appearance.
According to royal experts, it is unlikely that all of the couple’s demands will be met, per the Deseret News.
Prince George will play a significant role in the ceremony
Prince George — the eldest grandson of King Charles and second in line for the throne — with play a public role in the coronation ceremony, reports Newsweek.
Nine-year-old George will join eight “pages of honor” in the ceremony. Three of Camilla’s grandchildren will also take part.
“We’re all very excited about Prince George’s role in the Coronation,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “It will be an incredibly special moment.”