Watch CBS News

King Charles III's coronation invitation shows new title for "Queen Camilla"

Coronation introduces "Queen Camilla"
King Charles III's coronation introduces "Queen Camilla" 00:20

London — An image of the invitation for King Charles III's upcoming coronation ceremony has been released, and it confirms that the monarch's wife will soon be known as queen, rather than the current "queen consort."

The invitation, designed by manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, will be printed on recycled paper. It features a "Green Man" figure from folklore which generally symbolizes spring and rebirth.

strictly-embargoed-until-2200hrs-tuesday-4th-april-2023-the-coronation-invitation-credit-buckingham-palace.jpg
An image of the invitation to the coronation of King Charles III and his wife "Queen Camilla" was released by Buckingham Palace on April 4th, 2023. Buckingham Palace

The invitations have not yet been sent out, but the image released by Buckingham Palace immediately drew attention for referring to Charles' wife as "Queen Camilla," dropping the "consort." The title change will take effect after the May 6 coronation ceremony, where both king and queen will be formally crowned in London.

A royal source told CBS News partner network BBC News that while it made sense during the early part of King Charles' reign to refer Camilla as queen consort, to distinguish her from the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles' mother, the coronation would mark an "appropriate time" to formally refer to her simply as "queen."

Invitations will be sent to more than 2,000 guests.

At the coronation ceremony in London's ancient Westminster Abbey, King Charles will have four "pages of honor," one of whom will be his grandson, Prince George, the first child of the Prince of Wales, Prince William, the palace confirmed this week.

Camilla will also have four pages, including her grandsons.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan told the BBC this week that there was no update on whether they would be attending the event.

The White House said in a statement on Tuesday that President Joe Biden "congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States."

Mr. Biden will be in Northern Ireland about a month before the coronation ceremony, and he has "conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date," the White House said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.