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.
