After Elizabeth Gave Her Blessings To Camilla As ‘Queen Consort,’ King Charles Honored His 'Darling Wife'

Oct 11, 2022 by apost team

2022 was a big year for the royal family. Feb. 6, 2022, marked 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth realms, which was not only a milestone for her but for the entire world, as she was the first British ruling monarch to reach the seven-decade mark.

In fact, in the following months, she made history again and became the second-longest-serving monarch ever. She was only bested by one other ruler, Louis XIV of France after she overtook two rulers — Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Johann II of Liechtenstein — in 2022.

In the summer, Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations — a first for the British monarchy, as no other monarch had ever reached that point — were in full swing. A schedule of events took place during the first weekend of June, while other moments honored her reign over the course of the year, including special commemorative stamps and a 50-pence coin. 

Sadly, by September, Elizabeth's health began to decline and on Sept. 8, 2022, the monarch passed away. It was a devastating day for the royal family as many members gathered to be by her side in her final moments. 

Elizabeth's eldest son King Charles III ascended the throne following her death and a new era in the British monarchy began.

Before she passed, Elizabeth released a message to mark Accession Day on Feb. 5, 2022. Addressing her milestone 70-year reign, the late monarch also made sure to speak about what would happen when she passed. She confirmed that when Charles would become King, Camilla's title should be changed to Queen Consort instead of the lesser Princess Consort.

Charles welcomed the message with open arms and posted his own message the following day to honor the two important women in his life: his wife and his mother. 

While Feb. 6, 1952, marked the day that Queen Elizabeth II, then 26, became the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, it also has a sad meaning — it's the day that her father, King George VI died. Anyone who's watched Netflix's royal drama series "The Crown" will be aware that Elizabeth was being primed for her future role as queen even while her father was still alive and he was king. 

In fact, even in 1951, the year before her reign officially started and two years before her coronation in 1953, she already stood in for her father on some occasions when he was ill. Furthermore, her private secretary drafted an accession declaration when she was on tour in Canada in 1951 on the chance that the king would die while she was abroad.

George didn't pass away on that trip but Elizabeth did happen to be overseas on a different tour alongside her husband, the late Prince Philip when she heard of her father's death and officially ascended the throne. The couple had just returned to Sagana Lodge in Kenya when the news arrived; Philip was the one to break it to Elizabeth, the new queen. She was officially proclaimed queen and she and Philip quickly made their way home to the UK. While monarchs often choose a regnal name, the late queen chose to stay with her own birth name, Elizabeth, "of course."

Royal tradition dictates that a suitable amount of time should pass after a monarch has died before the succeeding monarch is given a coronation. In Elizabeth's case, her coronation fell in June 1953, just shy of 16 months after her father's death in February 1952. What's more, her coronation was the first one to ever be broadcasted.

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Elizabeth's reign began and over the next few decades, she led as Britain saw its greatest time of change, including the continued transition of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations, and the accelerating decolonization of Africa and the Caribbean. 

By 1977, Elizabeth had the first of her four major jubilees — her Silver Jubilee, which marked 25 years on the throne. She celebrated with her family in February of that year and held events for the public in the summer. As she wanted to meet as many people as possible, she went on a large-scale tour that lasted three months. 

Elizabeth's 50-year anniversary in 2002 was marked with the Golden Jubilee. This important milestone had only been achieved by a handful of monarchs in British history. However, the occasion was shrouded in sadness, as both her sister and mother passed away that year in February and March respectively. This led the press to speculate whether it would be a success, but as with her Silver Jubilee, the queen undertook an extensive tour that included other Commonwealth countries.

In 2012, after 60 years as the reigning monarch, Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee with a weekend of events as well as a regional tour. The queen and Prince Philip traveled as much as they could around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while King Charles III (then a prince) and Prince William and Kate Middleton visited other countries in the Commonwealth. The historical event was a great time to celebrate and remember the past 60 years. 

This brings us to the queen's Platinum Jubilee, which took place in 2022 and marked Elizabeth's 70 year-reign, making her the first British monarch to reach the milestone. According to the BBC, a study revealed that Elizabeth was the only monarch that 85% of the British population had ever known, prior to her death in Sept. 2022.

Elizabeth's history-making Platinum Jubilee featured events and celebrations that took place throughout much of 2022. While it wasn't made public how the queen celebrated the exact anniversary of her accession, she was believed to do so in private at Sandringham Estate. Sadly, it was the first anniversary of her accession that the Duke of Edinburgh was not with her.

Celebrations began in the United Kingdom as early as January. Jan. 10, 2022, marked the official start of the Platinum Pudding Competition, although the winner was unveiled during the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend in June. 

Furthermore, a set of commemorative stamps by Guernsey Post were unveiled and pre-order sales began on Jan. 21, 2022. Available in both color and black-and-white designs, the six stamps all featured Elizabeth wearing Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee necklace.

Additionally, a new 50 pence coin that commemorated Her Majesty's 70-year reign was also revealed and was made available at post offices around the UK. About 1.3 million coins entered circulation, so residents of the UK could get the chance to come across one in their daily lives.

The next major moment took place in May when the Platinum Jubilee Celebration performance at Windsor Castle documented history from the time of Elizabeth I to the present day. Following that, the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend during the first week of June took place, wherein the people of Britain enjoyed a four-day public holiday over the course of the weekend. 

Events included Trooping the Colour, Platinum Jubilee Beacons, Platinum Party at the Palace, the Big Jubilee Lunch, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and various exhibitions at royal locations that charted Elizabeth's accession, coronation and previous jubilees. Furthermore, the winner of the Platinum Pudding competition was announced, while The Queen's Green Canopy initiative saw trees planted across the United Kingdom in her honor. 

In Queen Elizabeth's Accession Day message published to the royal website on Feb. 5, 2022, she addressed the milestone she'd reached, as well as the future of the monarchy. She began the message by explaining how it was a bittersweet day for her to celebrate, as the queen reached a milestone but simultaneously was reminded that the beginning of her reign was her father's death. Queen Elizabeth wrote:

"... Feb. 6, marks the 70th anniversary of my Accession in 1952. It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign."

The queen then went on to talk about the future of the monarchy when she would eventually pass away and confirmed rumors that Camilla should be referred to as "Queen Consort" when Charles became king. She wrote:

"And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."

News outlets and royal fans alike had long speculated what Camilla's title would be when Charles became king, but Elizabeth confirmed it a mere six months before she passed. After addressing the future in her speech, the queen ended her message on a positive note, and came back to the present:

"... I hope this Jubilee will bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities – after some difficult times for so many of us – in order to enjoy the celebrations and to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign." 

The late queen's speech on her accession day was received positively, but there were mixed responses at the time to news that Camilla would take on the title of Queen Consort. While some people were happy to see that Camilla was finally getting the recognition she deserved for her service in the royal family, others believed that the title should have only been reserved for Princess Diana. 

However, on the same day, Charles showed support for his wife in a statement he released in which he also honored his mother for reaching her incredible milestone. He wrote:

"The Queen’s devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year." He added, "We are deeply conscious of the honor represented by my mother’s wish." 

Charles also made sure to honor his wife in his statement:

"As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout."

He ended the message with, "The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of The Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come." 

Although it seemed that Elizabeth would never step down as queen, by Sept. 2022, she sadly passed away, making Charles king. As if to help the transition, the queen's message back in February made it clear that she believed the nation would be in good hands when Charles and Camilla did take the throne. Since Charles' accession, the public has welcomed him and Camilla as the new King and Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth with open arms. 

Did you celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in 2022? What are your thoughts on Camilla getting the title of Queen Consort when Charles ascended the throne? Let us know, then pass this on so others can learn about it too!