Will Camilla be called Queen when Charles becomes King? New honour for Duchess of Cornwall sparks curiosity
CBC
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The new year brought a new honour for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The title is a long one — she's now a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. It's also full of significance, coming as it does directly from her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.
"The Garter is a special and well-considered gift from the Queen," said royal author and biographer Sally Bedell Smith.
The Queen is recognizing Camilla's service to the monarchy since she married Prince Charles in 2005, Bedell Smith said via email, noting her work expanding her patronages and charities.
"She has also been discreet and loyal, two traits prized by the Queen."
It is, in ways, the latest step in a careful evolution for Camilla.
Observers note how she has gradually gained more acceptance from a public that held little warmth for her before her marriage to Charles, remembering her ongoing involvement with him during his ultimately doomed marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Now, however, with the latest appointment, Camilla has become a member of the highest order within the United Kingdom's honour system.
"Unlike most other honours … which are awarded on the advice of the government and are selected by expert committees, this is in the direct gift of the Queen," said Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University in Wales. "This is entirely her decision."
Appointments to the order fall within three categories. The monarch and the heir are ex-officio members, Prescott said via email.
"The core of the order, however, are the 24 Knights and Ladies," he added, noting they tend to be senior figures from public life, including former prime ministers — Tony Blair was appointed this week, too — the former head of MI6 or former Supreme Court judges.
And then there are the Royal Knights and Ladies, the category Camilla has joined, and to which other members of the Royal Family are appointed.
"Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (wife of George VI) was appointed as Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, as was Queen Mary (wife of George V) when their husbands became King," said Prescott.
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Arab Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week.
The former secretary general of NATO says he doesn't think allies will be pulled further into the conflict in the Middle East, but he's concerned the ongoing war with Iran will benefit Russia's economy and take the world's attention away from the invasion of Ukraine.
As American and Israeli strikes pound Iran — while it attacks shipping and energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf — U.S. President Donald Trump made a new threat to Tehran's leaders.
The armed man who rammed his vehicle into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the U.S. Thursday has been identified as a 41-year-old naturalized citizen born in Lebanon, according to federal officials.
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The Canadian government said Tuesday it is alarmed by the escalation of violence and attacks in Lebanon, as the war in the Middle East expands.
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China’s latest blueprint for driving growth in its economy was largely written before the U.S. and Israel instigated the most far-reaching war in the Middle East in decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump's firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday overshadowed the announcement of his plans to nominate Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her successor.
The truck carrying Nepali prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah was swarmed by cheering supporters in the capital, Kathmandu, on Saturday, unable to inch forward as the former rapper, wearing sunglasses and a sleek black suit, danced on top of the roof.
Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an "open war" with Israel in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.