Charles 'wants Camilla to be crowned queen'
Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, Sunday Telegraph
20/05/2007
Amid the joy of Charles and Camilla's wedding announcement, a carefully sounded note of caution suggested that the Duchess of Cornwall would never be queen.
In 2005, only 7pc of the public wanted Camilla to become queen. Though rules state that when a man becomes king his wife automatically becomes queen
Clarence House went some way to appeasing critics of the couple's previous adulterous relationship by suggesting that the duchess will become princess consort when Charles becomes king.
Now a television documentary is to claim that the Prince of Wales is, in fact, determined to make his wife queen when he accedes to the throne. It is understood that he is intent on gaining public support so that by the time of his coronation, both will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
The programme's claims will infuriate critics of the couple who still feel that because of the once-adulterous nature of the relationship, the duchess should never become queen.
Under present legislation, she will automatically become queen when Prince Charles, as her husband, becomes king. It would almost certainly require an Act of Parliament for her not to be queen but the prince is said to hope that with the public support on his wife's side by the time of his coronation, this will not be necessary.
Channel 4, which will show the programme Queen Camilla on May 31, claims that it will reveal the "real" relationship between the prince and the duchess. They married in April 2005 after an on-off relationship lasting more than 30 years, enduring through Charles's marriage to Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla's to Andrew Parker Bowles.
Former royal staff disclose in the programme some of the ruses used by the prince and Mrs Parker Bowles to try to keep their relationship secret. It has been alleged in the past that she used to hide in the boot of a car to slip in and out of Highgrove, the prince's Gloucestershire home. The documentary contains interviews with friends of the couple, including Lords Carrington and Gowrie, both former senior politicians, and Angela Huth, the writer and broadcaster.
A Channel 4 source said: "The film exposes the campaign to resurrect Camilla's reputation and install her as queen beside Charles, and asks whether she offers hope for the future of the British monarchy."
When the marriage was announced in February 2005, Clarence House explained the title that the then Camilla Parker Bowles would use when her husband becomes king, saying: "It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title the princess consort."
Royal aides were being sensitive to widespread public criticism of Mrs Parker Bowles, in the light of the couple's relationship while both were married to other people. An opinion poll at the time indicated that 65 per cent of people believed the couple should marry, but only seven per cent wanted Camilla to be queen.
The original statement issued by Clarence House was carefully prepared by Sir Michael Peat, Prince Charles's principal private secretary, and Paddy Harverson, his communications secretary. It received the support of the Queen, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Senior courtiers have indicated to The Sunday Telegraph, however, that it was carefully worded so as not to commit Camilla to her future title. One senior royal official said that ultimately, what she is called is "a matter for the government and the prime minister of the day. We will have to consider what people feel at the time".
Words such as "intention" are used when the Royal family wants future flexibility. In 1995, after the Queen urged the Waleses to divorce, the prince's private office said he had no "intention" of remarrying. Yet he hoped to be in a position one day to do so.
This newspaper has learned that Clarence House turned down an approach from the programme-maker, Blakeway Productions, to co-operate with the documentary by authorising "access" to the couple's friends and royal officials.
Royal aides remain angry that Channel 4 broadcast a Dispatches programme, Charles: The Meddling Prince, this year which questioned his fitness to be king and accused him of improperly interfering in affairs of state. Clarence House issued detailed responses in an attempt to refute the allegations.
In November 1998, another Dispatches programme, to mark the prince's 50th birthday, portrayed him as a lazy, greedy man whose concern for the environment was little more than skin-deep.
The latest documentary is not entirely critical of the duchess. It claims that she calms the prince's rages, makes him laugh, advises him and helps him sustain his commitment to duty.
telegraph.co.uk
Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, Sunday Telegraph
20/05/2007
Amid the joy of Charles and Camilla's wedding announcement, a carefully sounded note of caution suggested that the Duchess of Cornwall would never be queen.
In 2005, only 7pc of the public wanted Camilla to become queen. Though rules state that when a man becomes king his wife automatically becomes queen
Clarence House went some way to appeasing critics of the couple's previous adulterous relationship by suggesting that the duchess will become princess consort when Charles becomes king.
Now a television documentary is to claim that the Prince of Wales is, in fact, determined to make his wife queen when he accedes to the throne. It is understood that he is intent on gaining public support so that by the time of his coronation, both will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
The programme's claims will infuriate critics of the couple who still feel that because of the once-adulterous nature of the relationship, the duchess should never become queen.
Under present legislation, she will automatically become queen when Prince Charles, as her husband, becomes king. It would almost certainly require an Act of Parliament for her not to be queen but the prince is said to hope that with the public support on his wife's side by the time of his coronation, this will not be necessary.
Channel 4, which will show the programme Queen Camilla on May 31, claims that it will reveal the "real" relationship between the prince and the duchess. They married in April 2005 after an on-off relationship lasting more than 30 years, enduring through Charles's marriage to Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla's to Andrew Parker Bowles.
Former royal staff disclose in the programme some of the ruses used by the prince and Mrs Parker Bowles to try to keep their relationship secret. It has been alleged in the past that she used to hide in the boot of a car to slip in and out of Highgrove, the prince's Gloucestershire home. The documentary contains interviews with friends of the couple, including Lords Carrington and Gowrie, both former senior politicians, and Angela Huth, the writer and broadcaster.
A Channel 4 source said: "The film exposes the campaign to resurrect Camilla's reputation and install her as queen beside Charles, and asks whether she offers hope for the future of the British monarchy."
When the marriage was announced in February 2005, Clarence House explained the title that the then Camilla Parker Bowles would use when her husband becomes king, saying: "It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title the princess consort."
Royal aides were being sensitive to widespread public criticism of Mrs Parker Bowles, in the light of the couple's relationship while both were married to other people. An opinion poll at the time indicated that 65 per cent of people believed the couple should marry, but only seven per cent wanted Camilla to be queen.
The original statement issued by Clarence House was carefully prepared by Sir Michael Peat, Prince Charles's principal private secretary, and Paddy Harverson, his communications secretary. It received the support of the Queen, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Senior courtiers have indicated to The Sunday Telegraph, however, that it was carefully worded so as not to commit Camilla to her future title. One senior royal official said that ultimately, what she is called is "a matter for the government and the prime minister of the day. We will have to consider what people feel at the time".
Words such as "intention" are used when the Royal family wants future flexibility. In 1995, after the Queen urged the Waleses to divorce, the prince's private office said he had no "intention" of remarrying. Yet he hoped to be in a position one day to do so.
This newspaper has learned that Clarence House turned down an approach from the programme-maker, Blakeway Productions, to co-operate with the documentary by authorising "access" to the couple's friends and royal officials.
Royal aides remain angry that Channel 4 broadcast a Dispatches programme, Charles: The Meddling Prince, this year which questioned his fitness to be king and accused him of improperly interfering in affairs of state. Clarence House issued detailed responses in an attempt to refute the allegations.
In November 1998, another Dispatches programme, to mark the prince's 50th birthday, portrayed him as a lazy, greedy man whose concern for the environment was little more than skin-deep.
The latest documentary is not entirely critical of the duchess. It claims that she calms the prince's rages, makes him laugh, advises him and helps him sustain his commitment to duty.
telegraph.co.uk
