Camilla Could Be Empress, Prince Charles Thanks Queen Elizabeth II

JAKARTA - Prince Charles on Sunday thanked his mother Queen Elizabeth II for publicly declaring his wish for his wife Camilla to become Queen consort when Charles becomes king, recognizing the honor on the 70th anniversary of her accession to the British throne.

The request, a blessing that is likely to eliminate the need for any discussion of future titles, follows an earlier era when Camilla was vilified by the tabloid press for Charles' failed marriage to his first wife, the late Princess Diana.

The 95-year-old queen said it was her "sincere hope" that when that day came, Camilla would be known as Queen Consort.

Charles made his response Sunday as he presided over an offering from the world and religious leaders to the king as he crossed a milestone no predecessor had achieved in nearly 1,000 years from a line that traces its origins back to the Norman King William I and the 1066 conquest of England.

"We are acutely aware of the honor that my mother's wishes represent," Prince Charles said in a statement.

"As we have worked together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our community, my beloved wife has been my steadfast support throughout," he continued.

The longtime couple married in 2005, allowing Camilla to gradually take on more prominent roles. With her current title of Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla is now a popular member of the royal family and regularly appears on official duties alongside the Queen, Charles and her sons, William and wife Kate.

For information, Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Harry, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

The statement about the future of the monarchy comes as the country celebrates the Queen's role over the past 70 years. The UK will hold a four-day national event in June to mark its platinum celebration.

Prince Charles joined Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the White House, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other politicians in praising the Queen for her dedication to public service.

"Over the past 70 years, she has strengthened the bonds of friendship, shared ideals, and belief in democracy that forever unite our nation," said United States President Joe Biden.

During her seven decades on the throne, the Queen has been a symbol of the country's stability during major social, economic, and political changes, including the end of the British Empire.

But her warning comes after a particularly difficult time for the monarchy, following allegations of sexual abuse facing her son Prince Andrew in the United States, which she denies. As well as allegations of racism in the royal household from the grandson of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.

Elizabeth became Queen of England and more than a dozen other kingdoms including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, while she was in Kenya on an international tour at the age of 25.

The news was brought to her by her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99 after more than 70 years by her side.

When she took the throne, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong and Harry Truman ran the Soviet Union, China, and the United States respectively, while Winston Churchill was the prime minister of Britain.

The Queen continued to carry out official duties well into her 90s, but has been rarely seen lately after spending the night in the hospital last October due to an unspecified illness and was then instructed by doctors to rest.

On Sunday, the palace released a new video of the Queen, smiling broadly near a red shipping box containing official government documents and discussing messages from President Biden. On Saturday, she was filmed meeting with local community groups and joking with officials.

"I thought I might just put a knife in it. Someone else could do the rest," Queen Elizabeth II said.