After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon, her eldest son, Prince Charles, has now taken on the title of King Charles III.
The Queen made a statement on the eve of her Jubilee in February that it was her “sincere wish” that his wife Camilla would inherit the title of Queen Consort when he is King.
King Charles
King Charles III is now the head of state following his mother’s death.
It was confirmed on Thursday by Clarence House that Charles had decided to keep his birth name for his regnal title.
Charles could have picked any of his four names Charles, Philip, Arthur or George.
It is understood that King Charles will not have his Coronation until next year and will be crowned King at Westminister Abbey alongside Camilla, who will be crowned Queen Consort.
The British public’s opinion of Charles was rocked when the news of his affair with Camilla was made public in the 1990s.
This may possibly still have an impact on how some of the British public perceive their new King.
Camilla Queen Consort
Camilla will be the first consort to be crowned since 1937 when the Queen’s mother was crowned consort.
After Princess Diana‘s death in 1997, both Charles and Camilla were greatly disliked by the British public, mainly due to the outpouring of love for Diana.
Camilla had previously been referred to as a “Rottweiler” by Princess Diana.
Diana had also complained in the now-shamed interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 that “there were three of us in this marriage”, hinting at the widespread whispers that Charles had cheated on Diana with Camilla.
Camilla opted to be known as HRH The Princess Consort and The Duchess of Cornwall instead of “Princess of Wales” as she felt it would be disrespectful to the late Princess Diana, whose title it was originally.
Public opinion on Charles and Camilla
Has the British public’s opinion about Charles and Camilla changed over the years?
A poll of 1,054 UK adults in February for the Daily Mail suggested that 55% of those asked would want Camilla to be known as Queen Consort, and only 28% of those asked did not want her to be.
However, a poll in 2021 by YouGov showed a slightly different picture.
It indicated that 42% of those polled wanted Camilla to stay as Princess consort.
Yet only 14% wanted her to take the title of Queen Consort.
Penny Junor, a royal author, articulated back then: “The problem with Camilla was that she was involved with the Prince of Wales and was what Diana famously called the third person in the marriage.”
“When she then married him, she was out and about, and people met her. They realised that actually, she wasn’t this ghastly woman, a Rottweiler, she was actually very nice.
“She’s funny, she’s warm, she’s friendly, she’s self-deprecating, she’s interested in other people,” she continued.
Charles, on the other hand, has been a strong force in environmental activism over the years.
Which may just have turned public opinion in his favour.
Online reaction
People have taken to Twitter to express their mixed opinions on the new King and Queen Consort.
One person said: “Elizabeth is dead. Charles now sits on the throne. It’s not right that Camilla gets to be the queen consort. That title will always belong to the beautiful queen of our hearts, Princess Diana!”
“Seeing Camilla as queen consort is like watching the evil stepmother in Cinderella flourish for the first 30 minutes of the movie,” wrote another.
“Good heavens…..Queen Consort Camilla, I really don’t think the world is ready for this!”, said a third critic.
Read more: When will King Charles make a speech to the nation? What is he expected to say in the address?
However, one Twitter user said: “Say what you like about the Royal Family.
“But having to put on a public face and do your duties when you are raw from your mum dying must be the hardest thing imaginable.
“I feel for King Charles.”
Someone else posted: “King Charles III is going to take a bit of getting used to. Heard it so many times already, and it keeps stopping me in my tracks.”
“King Charles will be magnificent. He will do us proud.” declared another.
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