There’s a life-changing privilege that Queen Camilla will get in a matter of months that Prince Philip was denied during the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
- Queen Camilla will get to experience a special moment at King Charles’ coronation that her father-in-law Prince Philip didn’t at Queen Elizabeth’s.
- Unlike Queen Consorts, the husbands of Queen Regnants don’t get crowned or anointed.
- This royal news comes as we revealed the special coronation honor Prince George, Charlotte and Louis could be given by King Charles.
Last year Queen Camilla revealed her intention to follow the Duke of Edinburgh’s “philosophy” ahead of becoming Queen Consort as she praised his focus on getting “on with the job” and always “do[ing] more”. With King Charles’ coronation drawing nearer, Queen Camilla has been undertaking a packed schedule of engagements in recent months, emulating the late Prince Philip’s example.
However, despite the similarities between the two there’s a life-changing privilege that Queen Camilla will get at King Charles’ coronation that Prince Philip didn't receive at Queen Elizabeth’s.
As per the Royal Family website (opens in new tab), the husband of a reigning Queen isn’t crowned or anointed during the coronation of his wife as Sovereign. The opposite is true of a Queen Consort and we already know that May 6th’s ceremony will see not only King Charles crowned, but Queen Camilla officially crowned as Queen Consort too.
The Duke of Edinburgh didn’t get this life-changing privilege that Queen Camilla will get and instead he was the first peer to “do homage” to Queen Elizabeth after the Archbishops and Bishops. Pictures from the day show the Duke of Edinburgh respectfully kissing the Queen on the cheek as he paid his respects to his royal wife.
For those wondering why Prince Philip wasn’t King Consort to Queen Elizabeth, the answer lies in him being male. As the husband of a reigning Queen he didn’t automatically gain the male equivalent of her titles when they married.
Although born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, he renounced his titles to marry the Queen and became a British citizen. He only became Duke of Edinburgh thanks to Her Majesty, who bestowed this British title upon her husband-to-be in 1947. He later became a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957 - four years after her coronation - when the Queen issued new letters patent.
He was never King Consort and traditionally the husband of a Queen Regnant has been known as a Prince Consort - as with Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert. So at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation Prince Philip wore his Duke’s robes and coronet and didn’t get the ceremonial moments that Queen Camilla will. Queen Camilla’s coronation crown has already been confirmed and she is set to be crowned in a simpler ceremony on the same day as His Majesty.
Prior to 2022 it was thought that she would be known as Princess Consort when King Charles became monarch. However, the Queen shared in her Accession Day message last year that it was her “sincere wish” that her daughter-in-law would be Queen Consort when the time came.
She went on to reference Prince Philip, who might not have been crowned, but was Britain’s longest-serving consort and was her beloved “strength and stay” throughout 73 years of marriage.
“I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it,” the Queen declared.
