London: Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday in a message to the nation said she wanted Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.
The 95-year-old monarch said it was her "sincere wish" that when Charles becomes king, "Camilla will be known as Queen Consort," in a major statement on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. It had been expected that Camilla would be known as Princess Consort.
Her Saturday statement clears up a question that had lingered since Charles, heir to the throne, married Camilla in 2005. Before the monarch's intervention, it was possible that Camilla could have been the first British queen not to be called queen.
Elizabeth 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 times comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."
Charles and Camilla were "touched and honored by Her Majesty's words," a spokesman from the couple's office at Clarence House said.
Until now, the official position of Clarence House had been that Camilla would be called "princess consort" when Charles became monarch.
