Queen Elizabeth II, 95, said on Saturday that she wants Prince Charles’ wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be crowned Queen Consort when he becomes king.
“It is my sincere wish that when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort,” she wrote in a letter marking the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, published by Buckingham Palace. In 2005, when Charles and Camilla were married, a statement from the royal family stated that the prince’s intention was for her to retain the title of princess consort.
At the time, the announcement was seen as an acknowledgment of the sensitivity of the subject, as the title of queen was destined for Diana, Charles’ first wife, from whom she divorced in 1996, an episode shrouded in rumors of mutual betrayal. Charles, for example, gained notoriety for his “friendship” with Camilla.
Diana’s death the following year shocked the UK, and the image of Camilla as something of a pariah in the public’s eyes lingered for a long time. A BBC interview with Diana, in which she said that her wedding, “with three people”, was “a little crowded”, reinforced this perception.
Now, with Elizabeth’s appointment to make Camilla officially Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall appears to be no longer seen as a royal mistress, but a central figure in the family.
On the eve of Sunday’s Silver Jubilee celebration, Elizabeth held a reception at her Sandringham home, a rare appearance since her brief hospitalization in October.
“The Queen hosted a reception for local community members and volunteer groups at Sandringham on the eve of the day of her accession to the throne,” Buckingham Palace announced in a statement. “On February 6, the Queen will be the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.”
In the photos, smiling, dressed in blue clothes and a pearl necklace, the queen cut a cake prepared for the occasion by a local resident, who carried the Platinum Jubilee emblem.
Among the guests was former cook Angela Wood, who contributed to the creation of “Coronation chicken” or “Queen Elizabeth Chicken”, now a classic of British cuisine: cold chicken wrapped in a creamy curry sauce, which was served at the banquet. of the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
Source: Folha
