Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker-Bowles will be accepted as the Queen by most of the UK public says Royal expert Phil Dampier.
Speaking to express.co.uk, Dampier claims that people “have warmed to Camilla and I think most people will accept her as Queen when the time comes and she’s now quite popular.”
Originally, it had been claimed by Clarence House that Camilla would take on the title of Princess consort when Prince Charles assumes the throne. However, many people are now claiming that she will more likely end up being the Queen consort.
The title of Queen consort is commonly given to the wife of a reigning king, whereas the title of Queen regnant is given to a woman who reigns in her own right.
Camilla assumed her current title after marrying Prince Charles in 2005.
Her relationship with Charles has been seen as quite controversial due to the impact it had on the breakdown of marriage between the Prince and his first wife, Princess Diana.
These claims are supported by Diana herself who once said in a BBC Panorama interview that “there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded.”
Despite the controversy, Dampier argues that Charles’ popularity has continued to rise significantly in recent years but that a small number of the public will always dislike him due to the collapse of his relationship with Diana.
“There’s a hard-core of people who don’t like Prince Charles and I don’t think anything’s going to change their mind,” said Dampier.
“I do think most people respect him and like him and do appreciate he’s been handed an extremely difficult task because he’s been waiting all his life for this job,” he continued.
Although Camilla was entitled to the tile Princess of Wales following her marriage to Charles, she has never used the title publicly due to its association in the mind of the public to Diana.
It was also announced at the time of the wedding that upon Charles assuming the throne, Camilla would be Princess consort rather than Queen consort. However, it remains unclear whether the breach in protocol would prove practical.
