The wife of King Charles III has been officially identified as Queen Camilla for the first time, and Buckingham Palace used the title in invitations to the monarch’s coronation on May 6.
Camilla, who has so far been described as a queen consort, gets just as much attention in the ornate, medieval-style invitations that will be sent out to more than 2,000 guests and were unveiled on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden told the king in a phone call Tuesday that first lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation in May, the White House said in a statement.
Biden also congratulated the king on his upcoming coronation and said he would like to meet him in the UK at a future date, he said. Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the event, although US presidents have traditionally not attended the coronation of the British monarch.
The new title is another step in the remarkable transformation of a woman who was once derided as a homewrecker for her role in the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana.
Carlos and Camila met long before the future king married Diana in 1981 and their relationship continued throughout the tumultuous marriage. That made Camilla the object of scorn among Diana’s many admirers, who stood by the princess when her marriage collapsed.
But Camilla has won over much of the British public with her warmth and down-to-earth humor since she married Charles in a civil ceremony in 2005. The late Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement early last year saying she hoped Camilla would be known as “queen consort” when Charles became king.
Camilla will be crowned with her husband on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.
The palace released some more details about the coronation on Tuesday, announcing that 9-year-old Prince George, the king’s eldest grandson who is second in line to the throne, would be one of four honorary pages to attend. the monarch during the ceremony. service. Camilla will also have four pages.
The eight young pages are family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla and will wear the robes of prominent figures during the day.
The coronation invitations feature the vintage Green Man motif in a nod to the monarch’s history of supporting conservation and environmental protection.
The Green Man is “an ancient figure from British folklore, a symbol of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign,” the palace said.
“The shape of the Green Man, crowned with natural foliage, is made up of oak leaves, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.”
The design, created by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, will be printed on recycled card with gold foil details.
