Tag Archives: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

Happy Tenth Wedding Anniversary to the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall: Time to Heal

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in In the News today...

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It has been 10 years since the Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker-Bowles at Windsor Guildhall.  After 10 years the marriage seems as strong as ever and I personally think that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is an excellent companion and spouse for her husband. This marriage was not without controversy and many were not only against this marriage they are against the Duchess of Cornwall becoming queen upon the succession to the throne by the Prince of Wales.

Although the Duchess of Cornwall is legally the Princess of Wales it is a title she doesn’t use out of deference to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Clarence House announced at the time of the marriage that when the Prince of Wales becomes king the Duchess of Cornwall will be called HRH The Princess Consort instead of Queen. Now the truth is the Duchess will legally be Queen and that it will take an Act of Parliament to remove the title Queen from the Duchess. Despite a growing attitude that more people want the Duchess to be queen it still seems like a controversial topic.

http://royalcentral.co.uk/charlesandcamilla/half-of-brits-want-camilla-to-be-queen-new-poll-shows-47011

I am an American and most of my observation on this topic comes from social media. I belong to several groups and pages dedicated to royalty (I even run one myself) and this is still a hot topic for both sides. There seems to be an equal mix of those that support the Duchess and those that…well, there is no other way to put it….they hate her! The hatred comes from what I call overzealous Diana supporters. The sad thing to me about all of this is the fact that it has been eighteen years since Diana, Princess of Wales died and there are some who have not, or will not, let go of their hatred. I just don’t think holding onto that much anger or resentment is healthy. My thought is, if Diana had lived she would have forgiven the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and moved on with her life, possibly even remarried. So I wonder why those that still love and support her do not let go of their anger like she would have?

Her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Henry of Wales, have accepted the Duchess of Cornwall as have Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and the rest of the royal family. They all know her more intimately than any of us, so I trust their judgment. From all accounts that I have read the Duchess of Cornwall is a kind and caring woman. She is much better suited for the Prince of Wales than Diana was. That is a sad truth and that takes nothing away from the good heart and loving caring ways in which Diana, Princess of Wales lived her life. I also loved and admired Diana, Princess of Wales and that leads me to my closing point.

There is enough love to go around for both of them. In my life one of the things that gives me meaning is seeking healing. I long for people to heal on the inside and I long to help heal the discord between people. A lot of time has passed and it is time to heal the rift between those that support the Duchess of Cornwall and those that still remember fondly Diana, Princess of Wales. For me the bigger picture is the future of the monarchy. And as I said at the conclusion of my series, Survival of Monarchies, the monarch rules by the will of the people and if the divide continues and is very vocal it could have a negative affect on the monarchy.

The Duchess of Cornwall is a great support for the Prince of Wales and I think she has shown herself to be an important member of the royal family. It is time to heal and let us all show support for the entire royal family and be grateful they are still around providing welcome service to their country. Here is wishing the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall a happy tenth wedding anniversary and praying for more happy years to come!

Titles, Titles, Titles

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Kingdom of Europe

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As I have stated in this blog in the past many people mistakenly call Queen Elizabeth II the “Queen of England.” It is a pet peeve of mine. Her actual title is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, I do miss the old titles of King/Queen of England and King/Queen of Scots. Changes are happening within the UK that will affect the titles of the monarch. With the change in succession laws there will need to be changes in the title of the heir to the throne. Also with states within the UK seeking greater autonomy could we possibly see a return to the old titles of of King/Queen of England and King/Queen of Scots?

Issue #1. When Britain changes to cognatic primogeniture where the eldest child will inherit the throne regardless of gender what will happen to these titles of Prince/Princess of Wales and Princess Royal. Right now the title of Princes of Wales has gone to the senior male heir to the throne and the title Princess of Wales has never been given in its own right and has traditionally gone to the wife of the Prince of Wales. For example, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, wife of the current Prince of Wales, is technically and legally HRH The Princess of Wales. She just doesn’t use the title out of respect fro Diana. 

The title of Princess Royal is relatively new. It was first given to Princess Mary of England and Scotland (1630-1661) of the Royal House of Stuart. Mary’s mother, Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), daughter of Henri IV, King of France, and wife of King Charles I of England and Scotland (1600-1649), wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled “Madame Royale”. The style is granted by Royal Warrant.

Will an eldest daughter be given the title Princess of Wales in her own right? Will there be a Princess Royal only when there is a male heir?

Personally I think the current holder of the title Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will be the last. If the eldest daughter can be eligible for the throne ahead of her brother then this title becomes pointless. One solution, which is what I think will happen, is that the title of Princess of Wales will be given in its own right. I am not sure what the husband of a Princess of Wales will be called. It may not seem fair that the husband should not share his wife’s titles…but having a husband of the Princess of Wales being called Prince of Wales when he is not the heir goes against the tradition. I know, I know there is a double standard.

The other option, which I actually like better, is to return the title of Prince/Princess of Wales to the Crown (see issue #2) and have the heir to the throne titled Duke/Duchess of Cornwall while in England and Duke/Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland. This has some precidence since the current Prince of Wales is known as the Duke of Rothesay whenever he is in Scotland.

Issue #2. In 2014 there will be a referendum on Scottish independence. I am not sure how it will go. What I think this issue does raise is the need for greater political autonomy within the UK. I don’t necessarily want to see the UK dismantled, but I would like to see each state have more autonomy. If that were to happen then I would like to see the title of the monarch reflect that position. I think the precedence for the titles can be found in Spain.

Although it was correct to call the monarch the King/Queen of Spain in the past, their official title never was simply the King/Queen of Spain. Instead, prior to 1931 the title of the Spanish monarch was officially His Catholic Majesty, the King of Spain [the Spains], King of Castile, of León, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, etc. Therefore if England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were to have greater autonomy I would like to see, in the next reign more likely, Charles III be called King of the United Kingdom, King of England, King of Scots, King of Ireland and Prince of Wales. If Wales has equal autonomy within the UK then the title “Prince of Wales” should represent the Head of State of that nation instead of being reserved for the heir to the Head of State.

I do not know if any of this will come to pass but I do think some changes will occur in the future with these royal titles. It is fun to speculate about them and it will be fun to watch what happens.