King Charles Change to Queen Elizabeth Rule Was Total Surprise

The controversial decision was one of many that the new king has made with his coronation.

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King Charles is officially the top dog in the United Kingdom, an official term that follows all Royal protocol. Charles' short time on the throne has been eventful and one of his earliest moves altered one of Queen Elizabeth's final decrees as a monarch. The decision comes as a shock to onlookers and seems to cement a betrayal of sorts to supporters Princess Diana that still hold a candle for the late royal. According to The Daily Mail, Queen Consort Camilla is now just Queen Camilla, sitting on the throne alongside Charles at the coronation.

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As the outlet notes, the change was made official during King Charles' coronation in May, with sources noting that Buckingham Palace would officially describe Charles' wife as "queen." An early indication that this change will be happening is the launch of the Queen's Reading Room, dropping the Consort addition from the title.

The Daily Mail noted that the Court Circular would reflect the change soon after. As for the reason behind the decision, palace sources alleged that the motivation was a simple one. "There's a view in the Palace that Queen Consort is cumbersome and it might be simpler for Camilla to be known just as the Queen when the time is right," The Daily Mail writes. "Prince Philip was Prince Consort officially, but he wasn't known as Prince Consort. The Queen would of course still be Queen Consort so the Palace of course wouldn't stop anyone calling Her Majesty that if they so chose."

Queen Elizabeth's decision to announce Camilla Parker Bowles would be known as HRH The Princess Consort when Charles moves to the throne, was later bolstered right before her death to call Camilla the Queen Consort.

"It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," a palace statement said on Queen Elizabeth's 70th anniversary of taking the throne. This overturned the prior decree and opened the door for Charles to shorten the title and simply call his wife, "the queen."

Camilla will be by Charles' side in May at the coronation, gaining her crown at Westminster Abbey, twenty years after her marriage to Charles and over 30 since the reveal of her role at the end of his marriage to Princess Diana. The official coronation for King Charles and Queen Camilla will take place on May 6, 2023.

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The book recounts the events since he married Meghan Markle in 2018, while touching on his life since the passing of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. He tells what it's like to be the "spare," a reference to a comment he alleges Charles made at his birth about how Diana had given him "an heir and a spare."

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