Whether King Charles dies or abdicates, Prince William will one day take the throne... and things are going to change for Camilla.
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00:00Whether King Charles dies or abdicates, Prince William will one day take the throne, and
00:04things are going to change for Camilla.
00:07When Queen Elizabeth died on September 8th, 2022, the Prince of Wales became King Charles
00:11III, and his wife, Camilla, became Queen Consort.
00:15While Camilla's royal title had been up in the air for years leading up to Charles' ascension,
00:19in February 2022, Elizabeth issued a public statement on the royal website, writing,
00:24"'It is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort
00:28as she continues her own loyal service.'"
00:30"'Until now, mindful of the sensitivities around Camilla's role in the breakdown of
00:35Charles' first marriage, it had been intended that she would become Princess Consort.'"
00:41When Charles became king, the consort portion of Camilla's title was dropped, but it's still
00:45implied because Camilla married into the royal family, rather than being born into it.
00:50And when William, Prince of Wales, succeeds his father as king, Camilla's title will change
00:55again, probably to Queen Dowager, to reflect her status as a widow.
00:59Not every royal widow is referred to this way.
01:01The last Queen Dowager was the widow of King William IV, Queen Adelaide, who held the title
01:06for 12 years until her death in 1849.
01:09In contrast, the most recent widow of a king was Queen Elizabeth's mom, known as the Queen
01:14Mother.
01:15She held the title for 50 years.
01:16She was also named Elizabeth, so the Queen Mother title was important to eliminate confusion.
01:21In Camilla's case, however, William is her stepson, so the Queen Mother title doesn't
01:25apply.
01:26In the event of his father's death, William, as king, would be the primary decision-maker
01:31for the firm, including decisions about Camilla's future.
01:34In an interview with USA Today, Jo Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, explained,
01:38"...every aspect of her public and private life would be reviewed."
01:42But there's another possibility.
01:44Charles' 2024 cancer diagnosis set the rumor mill ablaze with the possibility of abdication.
01:49Speaking to Woman's Day, an anonymous source speculated,
01:52"...cancer has changed him.
01:54There's no one he'd rather spend his time with than Camilla.
01:56Stepping aside could be what gives him more time with her."
01:59However, some royal authorities consider this unlikely.
02:02In an interview with The Royal Observer, royal expert Charles Wray insisted,
02:06"...that's just not in his psyche.
02:08He's not going to give it all up and sit in some retirement home somewhere."
02:11Regardless of when or how William becomes king, Camilla will likely have plenty of advanced
02:16knowledge about the plans for succession.
02:18Ensuring a smooth transition between monarchs is important, and Charles was working out
02:22the details for what lies ahead long before his cancer diagnosis.
02:27Camilla and William have a complicated relationship.
02:30According to author Christopher Anderson, he tolerates her.
02:33Camilla has always been a little afraid of William.
02:35"...she's definitely one of those people who has stirred up the pot, but done it so expertly
02:40and so quietly and behind the scenes."
02:43Authorities believe William and Camilla's connection has strengthened over the years
02:46as the family has worked through difficulties together, like Prince Harry's departure from
02:50his role as a working royal.
02:52In addition, both Camilla and William have had to care for partners in cancer treatment.
02:56In March 2024, William and Camilla attended several royal events together, and their body
03:01language seemed to reflect a more comfortable connection than in the past.
03:05Regardless of personal opinions, given that there are fewer senior working royals these
03:09days, Camilla may be needed at various official events.
03:12In an interview with Us Weekly, royal historian Gareth Russell hypothesized,
03:16"...potentially you would just have King William and Queen Catherine dealing with it, doing
03:20all of it until their children come of age."
03:22If Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are still in school when William
03:26takes the throne, Camilla's experience and assistance could be invaluable.
03:31Camilla began her royal charitable work in 2005, long before she became queen, and in
03:36the event of William becoming king, University of Toronto historian Carolyn Harris surmised,
03:41"...Camilla would likely keep up her charitable roles related to literacy and domestic violence."
03:46The queen's mission to promote reading goes back to 2010, when she began working with
03:50the National Literacy Trust.
03:51In 2021, she created her own organization, The Queen's Reading Room.
03:56Their website features book recommendations, including those curated by Camilla, as well
04:00as authors reading excerpts from their work and, in 2023, the organization launched an
04:05annual literary festival.
04:07And since 2009, Camilla has worked to support survivors of rape and domestic violence.
04:12Seven years later, she expanded her efforts and became involved with Safe Lives, where
04:16she has interacted with survivors and families.
04:18In 2024, Camilla participated in a documentary to raise awareness of the topic.
04:23"...We have made a huge amount of progress, and I shall keep on trying until I'm able
04:30to no more."
04:32Before becoming queen, Camilla expressed her commitment to her advocacy work, explaining
04:36to British Vogue,
04:37"...you can't desert things that you're in the middle of."
04:40Charles has an impressive array of U.K. homes.
04:43He and Camilla have lived at Clarence House since before their marriage and may move to
04:46Buckingham Palace after construction wraps in 2027.
04:49Once William becomes king, however, Camilla could find herself packing and moving again,
04:54possibly to a royal property of William's choosing.
04:56As historian Carolyn Harris explained to USA Today,
04:59"...it's at his discretion, definitely, but I'm sure King Charles III would have his own
05:03wishes made clear about that."
05:05Some have speculated that Charles might want Camilla to live at Royal Lodge, the current
05:09home of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duke and Duchess of York.
05:12"...He wants to have a space for her in a private area, in an area that's close enough to the
05:18family."
05:19Royal residences aside, Camilla is fortunate to have another option.
05:23Since the mid-'90s, she's owned Ray Mill House, an opulent estate with spacious grounds.
05:28A source told The Telegraph,
05:29"...Ray Mill is the only place where she can literally and metaphorically kick off her
05:33shoes and spend time with family and friends in a really informal setting.
05:37It's an escape from royal life."
05:39The opportunity for privacy and relaxation might perfectly suit Camilla's needs if her
05:43royal role changes sometime in the future.