If she chooses to adopt it, that title will be Queen Consort. Queen Elizabeth II expressed a “sincere wish” on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee in February that Camilla would take the title when it came time for Charles to assume his role as King of England. “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support you have given me,” said a statement issued by the late monarch on February 5. “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.” The statement came as the Queen marked 70 years on the throne and was widely interpreted as an attempt by the monarch to ensure a smooth transition for her successor and his wife and to cement Camilla’s standing with the British people. When Camilla married Charles in 2005, a statement from Clarence House suggested she intended to be known as the Princess Consort. At the time, the Prince of Wales had been struggling for years to redeem his public image following his infidelity during his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, and the couple’s subsequent divorce. In the years since their 2005 wedding, however, the public seems to have softened to Charles and Camilla. And royal commentator Afua Hagan says Camilla’s endorsement from the Queen sealed her place on the throne alongside Charles. “This is the rubber-stamp of approval that resolves the sensitive issue of the Queen’s endorsement of Charles and Camilla,” Hagan wrote in a column published on August 30. “If Queen Elizabeth II said Camilla should be Queen Consort, then we can expect most of the British public to accept her that way. To them, supporting the Queen means everything.” According to the royal family’s website, a queen consort is crowned with the king in “a similar, but simpler” ceremony, unless “it is decided otherwise”. A queen or queen, such as Queen Elizabeth II, is the sovereign monarch who reigns over her kingdom with military and political powers equivalent to that of a king. A queen is the wife of a king. He shares his rank and title, but not his sovereignty or his political or military powers. – With files from The Associated Press and Afua Hagan