Buckingham Palace released King Charles’ coronation invitation on Tuesday, in which his wife was titled Queen Camilla for the first time.
The intricate invitation, which is printed on recycled card and includes an illustrated border of wild flowers and the Green Man from British folklore, was headed with the text: “The coronation of their majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.”
Camilla took on the title of Queen Consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband’s accession to the throne.
“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. “All former Queen Consorts have been known as ‘Queen’ plus their first name.”
The invitation will be sent to “2,000 guests who will form the congregation in Westminster Abbey” for the service on May 6, according to a press release from the palace.
Prince George, Charles’ grandson and heir to the throne, will be one of eight boys chosen to “attend Their Majesties during the Coronation Service,” the release wrote. The group includes three of Camilla’s grandchildren, according to the release.
A new portrait of the couple was also released by the palace on Tuesday, taken last month in Buckingham Palace by British photographer Hugo Burnand, who took their wedding photos in 2005.
Changing attitudes
Camilla’s title change on the invitation marks her long journey through the court of public opinion.
Since she and Charles married, Camilla has worked hard as a senior royal, standing by Charles’ side and championing charities helping women and children. But many people find it hard to forget, or forgive, their long-running affair and the pain it caused Charles’ first wife, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Speculation has mounted over the years what title she would take when Charles took the throne. In 2005, Clarence House issued a statement saying that she would be known as “Princess Consort” when Charles took the throne. Some in the palace at the time felt the public wasn’t ready for Camilla to take the title of queen that had been destined for Diana.
But attitudes towards Camilla have softened over the years. In 2015, a CNN poll found that one in four Britons had grown to like her more and fewer people opposed her becoming known as queen.
Then, in February 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth used the landmark milestone of her Platinum Jubilee to give her blessing, saying that when Charles acceded the throne, the Duchess of Cornwall will be known “as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
The coronation will see three days of celebrations across the country in which the public will be invited to participate.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will be skipping the coronation. According to a White House readout of a call between Biden and King Charles, the President said First Lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation on behalf of the US and congratulated Charles on the upcoming event.
Biden also “conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date,” according to the readout.
US officials have noted that Biden is following precedent as no previous US president has attended a British monarch’s coronation.
Phil Mattingly and Jesse Gretener contributed to this report.