Should Queen Consort Camilla be given the title of Queen?
New reports have emerged suggesting that despite Camilla's official title being Queen Consort, after the coronation on 6 May, Buckingham Palace may refer to her simply as Queen Camilla instead.
Unverified sources speaking to the Daily Mail said this was because "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 unofficial source also noted that Prince Philip, despite being Prince Consort, was never referred to as such.
Social media users were in arms about the possible change with the hashtag #NotMyQueen being used over 5,000 times. One twitter user wrote: "I'm not religious, I'm agnostic. But I think it's a complete mockery to have two adulterers crowned in an abbey with one supposedly head of the church of England."
Others were more sympathetic to Camilla however, with one user writing: "If it was Diana you would be falling all over yourselves calling her Queen. But in actuality she would have been Queen Consort!"
The topic was also discussed on TalkTV with presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer and royal biographer Angela Levin giving their verdicts.
"The woman who is married to the King is the Queen – I've never understood why people found this complicated," declared Hartley-Brewer, presenter of TalkTV's breakfast show.
Should Queen Consort Camilla be given the title of Queen?
Julia Hartley-Brewer and royal biographer Angela Levin give their verdicts 👇@JuliaHB1 | @angelalevin1— TalkTV (@TalkTV) February 27, 2023
In light of the furore, Yahoo UK explores Camilla's emotive history with royal titles, and how she forged her path from the 'other woman' to becoming Queen.
How did Camilla end up as Queen?
For a long time, it didn't seem certain — or even likely — that Camilla would ever be called Queen and Prince Harry has made new claims about how she forged her path to the throne in his memoir, Spare.
He has claimed in interviews promoting the book, that she "sacrificed [him] on her personal PR altar" and leaked stories about him to "rehabilitate" her own image.
Harry further alleged that she was "dangerous" because of the "relationships she forged with" members of the UK press, which in his view was part of a "long game" to being accepted as Queen Consort.
Since King Charles acceded to the throne, Camilla has been given the official title of Queen Consort, which is the usual title assigned to the female spouse of the monarch.
However, The Times newspaper decided to stop referring to her as Camilla, Queen Consort, and instead call her Queen Camilla, or simply 'the Queen' in October 2022, so perhaps eventually others will follow suit.
Jack Blackburn, the publication's history correspondent and deputy diary editor, wrote on Twitter at the time that writers at the publication "have been instructed to drop the term Queen Consort" because historically "no Queen has ever had that in their style".
Blackburn embellished on the decision, writing in a second tweet that the palace uses Queen Consort when referring to Camilla and that The Times and the palace "are simply having a disagreement over style".
Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, were the last three Queen Consorts before Camilla.
Though their titles were Queen Consort, they were simply referred to as Queen or Queen Empress while their husbands reigned.
However, Camilla's history with royal titles is far more controversial and complex than her predecessors.
Duchess of Cornwall
After marrying Charles in 2005, Camilla – née Parker Bowles – took the title of Duchess of Cornwall. The Duke of Cornwall was another title that belonged to Charles while he was Prince of Wales.
Now this title has passed to his son, William, and along with it the Duchy of Cornwall which is worth £1bn and contains more than 128,000 acres of land.
Camilla opted to be known as the Duchess of Cornwall after her marriage – rather than the Princess of Wales title she was also entitled to – out of respect to Diana, the last person to hold that title.
Some 25 years after her death, Diana is still beloved by much of the public and it may have been perceived as insensitive if Camilla had chosen to use Diana's title.
At the time of Diana's death, Camilla was deeply unpopular with many members of the public: it had been hard for her to shake the reputation of being the 'other woman'.
Princess Consort
Initially, it was suggested by Clarence House that Camilla would, when the time came, use the title of Princess Consort.
This was an unprecedented move, that showed the royal households knew that they had to be very careful not to push the public to accept Camilla. However, the concept of a prince consort was a very familiar one, with the Duke of Edinburgh serving in that position for 69 years.
The matter was further complicated by the fact that as King, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, and Christian orthodoxy does not accept divorce.
Queen Consort
Last year, the late Queen Elizabeth herself made her feelings on the matter of Camilla's title clear.
In a statement marking the Platinum Jubilee, the late Queen said: "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."
This seemed to show how doggedly Camilla had worked to be accepted and fulfil her duties as Duchess of Cornwall and that her commitment had been noted and been taken seriously by the Queen.
While the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II is officially over, she may remain for most of the public the only Queen in their mind for quite some time.
Strategically, remaining Queen Consort might be the sensible thing to do, given the long-term controversies that have surrounded Camilla's titles. According to the latest YouGov polls from 2022, she still only enjoys a 39% approval rating.
Watch: Charles and Camilla's