As I’ve said before, this part of the summer is traditionally the “silly season” of royal gossip. The Windsors decamp to Scotland and they’re barely seen for two months. Basically, there’s a whole lotta nothing happening for the new king and queen. Which explains the increasingly macabre headlines about King Charles and his consort. It’s very clear that replacing beloved QEII with two unpleasant septuagenarians has left many people feeling quite apathetic about the monarchy. Which is why there’s a steady stream of reporting about what happens when King Charles dies, what happens when Camilla dies, and what William will do “as king.” Back in June, there were reporters already talking about what Camilla’s title would be if she outlives Charles. Now People Mag is getting in on the same speculation with: “What Happens to Queen Camilla If King Charles Dies? All About the Royal Role She Would Step Into.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s teams likely prepared for every situation — including what would happen if the monarch dies first. Though the King has longevity in his genes — his father Prince Philip died at age 99 in 2021, just two months before his 100th birthday, and his mother Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 last September — the entire line of succession will shift when he dies someday. Prince William would immediately accede as monarch, and Kate Middleton is expected to be known as Queen or Queen Consort.
The ripple would continue to Queen Camilla, whose technical title would be the Queen Dowager, the Daily Mirror reported.
According to the outlet, the royal title was first used by Queen Adelaide, who survived her husband, King William IV. King William died in 1837, and his wife lived for another 12 years. All the couple’s children died in infancy, and the crown passed to William’s niece Queen Victoria.
If she were to become a widow, Queen Camilla would likely be free to take on the next chapter however she felt was best. She might privately retire to Ray Mill House, her home in the countryside, or continue her charity work with key causes like health, literacy, the arts and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault.
First of all, I still say that Charles will survive Camilla, but it’s absolutely clear from this incessant death-talk that the palace is failing to disclose some health issues for one or both of them. I suspect it’s Camilla – her people are making it clear that she doesn’t want to travel anymore, plus she’s been disappearing for weeks at a time, only to reappear and stagger around like she’s either drunk or heavily medicated. Now, if Camilla does survive her husband? Well, the Dowager Queen isn’t doing jacksh-t. She’s going to Ray Mill and she won’t hang around, trying to be some beloved elder stateswoman. Please. Besides, Camilla will be lucky if King William doesn’t demand that she be thrown into a funeral pyre too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Westminster, London, UK. 13th March 2023. His Majesty King Charles III and a windswept Camilla, Queen Consort attend a service for Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey.,Image: 762524484, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Supplied by AVALON – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photo by Amanda Rose / Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla sits on a bench in London Square Community Garden at Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 22, 2023,Image: 778307422, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla visits Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 22, 2023,Image: 778307505, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: TOBY MELVILLE / Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for their visit at Poundbury on June 27, 2023 in Dorchester, Dorset. The King and Queen are visiting the The Duchy of Cornwall’s Poundbury development to view a new bronze relief and to open The Duke of Edinburgh Garden. NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS,Image: 785622450, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla reacts as she looks at a cake depicting Britain’s King Charles III during a visit of the Sandringham Flower Show, in Sandrigham, north west England, on July 26, 2023.,Image: 792073974, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
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- King Charles III and Camilla Queen Consort attend a reception to thank the community of Aberdeenshire for their organisation and support following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Station Square, the Victoria & Albert Halls, Ballater. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 11 Oct 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Royals Attend Christmas Day Service At St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Norfolk, England, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Members of the British Royal family attend the Easter Mattins Service at Windsor Castlle Featuring: Camilla, Queen Consort Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 09 Apr 2023 Credit: Cover Images
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- Queen Camilla meets former racing horse Percy Toplis during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk, to mark their 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades it has trained thousands of people and equipped them with the skills to excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing. Featuring: Queen Camilla Where: Newmarket, United Kingdom When: 01 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Queen Camilla meets Khadijah Mellah winner of the 2019 Magnolia Cup during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk, to mark their 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades it has trained thousands of people and equipped them with the skills to excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing. Featuring: Queen Camilla Where: Newmarket, United Kingdom When: 01 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Queen Camilla views a horse called ‘You’re Hired’ in the Best Turned Out section in the main yard during a visit to The British Racing School in Newmarket, Suffolk, to mark their 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades it has trained thousands of people and equipped them with the skills to excel in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport, horse racing. Featuring: Queen Camilla Where: Newmarket, United Kingdom When: 01 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Reception with authors, actors and lovers of literature attending the inaugural Queen’s Reading Room Literary Festival at Hampton Court Palace. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, United Kingdom When: 11 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Why statistically would a lifelong heavy smoker and drinker survive their healthier spouse? Why does this feel like Chuck moaning “if I died what would you do??” like a toddler?
I was thinking the opposite. Camilla put this out to get people to care about her. Camilla is a jerk so I take the “no travel” statement as ” you can invite chuck without her”.
This almost reads as a declaration. I WILL BE THE QUEEN DOWAGER. I assume Ms middleton wants that role.
She’d better pray she goes first because willy will not be kind to her when he takes what’s left of that salty little throne. BTW, I’ll say again, thank the universe, Meg and Harry are free, woooohooo.
Ha! Willy Boy will change the locks on everything! Buh-bye Camz!
That was my first reaction just to the headline. They may have found a common enemy in H&M but there is no love lost and once Charles goes he’ll be coming for her. Which should be entertaining as Cams is as cunning as they come and William couldn’t plan his way out of a paper bag. He’ll have the ‘power’ but will be utterly useless at wielding it.
We’ll see how much cam takes with her. Now I don’t think it’ll happen BUT Charles can leave her a lot.
This includes the jewelry that was the Queen’s personally including the George VI necklace and Nizam of Hyderabad necklace since they don’t fall under the state property rule. Balmoral and Sandringham and the attached estates are also his personal property as are smaller ones like Birkhall. And his personal fortune.
Do I see this occurring? No. For a variety of reasons. (Though pre death bequests and trusts? Absolutely.) But William better not count his chickens until the will is read.
I can totally see Charles giving her lifetime rights in a lot of things, AKA William doesn’t get his hands on some things and places he was expecting until after Camilla is gone.
Bahahahaha that photo of Camilla with the horse’s ears above!
The monarchy’s future looks very bleak anyway. This stops with Charles I think. No matter the number of puff pieces out there, I agree that people have now become apathetic.
I had a completely different take. I thought this was Ma Middleton and Kate’s “gentle reminder “ of who gets to call the shots once Charles dies, so Camilla better be careful of how she briefs against them now.
Oh but Camilla will still have all her carefully cultivated friends in the media dropping “truth bombs” about WanK when and if that happens.
Not so sure, I couldn’t help but notice they said Kate would be titled Queen or Queen Consort. If Katie Keen or her mom were calling the shots, there would be zero suggestion that KK would be titled QC.
All I get from this is gross. She is gross and an assault on the senses in the morning without some coffee in you first.
I’m pretty coffeed up, and my senses still feel assaulted by the unpleasant, over-entitled Cam and Chuck 😂🤢
I’m sure charles has Camilla set up very nicely in the event he predeceases her.
And I think she’ll just go into the country – Ray Mill or wherever – I mean hell, Charles could leave her Sandringham along with enough money to support it – and just live the rest of her life in relative privacy and quiet.
She’ll be bounced like a rubber ball asap if Charles dies first….
I mean, she’ll be bounced out of public life but she will be fine. No way is Charles going to leave her with nothing. I mean hell he could leave her everything if he was feeling some kind of way about it. Nothing says he has to leave all his personal property to William besides inheritance taxes.
It’s a good bet she’s locked down her future fortune already. Always planning ahead, this one…
As a history buff it’s interesting to me that, after nearly 1000 years of royal history, that the first time Queen Dowager was used was in the 1830s. My brain can get stuck on this useless arcania that’s for sure.
Which is what our current period of news will be for people 200 years from now too. Ah well
I found that interesting too. i wonder if part of the reason for it was that William was followed by Victoria, a queen regnant.
did anyone ever call Queen Mary the dowager Queen?
She should have been Queen Mother but I don’t think I’ve ever heard he referred to that way, like Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was. I think she was just Queen Mary.
@lanne, I believe “Queen Mother” was created or put back into use for Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon to differentiate her from her daughter QEII.
Who cares what Horsilla will do if Chuckles dies first. I’m sure she will continue to soak her liver in gin and stumble out and about when she wants. Wishing and hoping for a quick end to the monarchy but won’t hold my breath.
I think something may actually be up with Camilla. There have been a number of occasions where I have seen her on TV and she has been obviously suffering from quite significant tremors – head nodding and shaking involuntarily. I’m no doctor but that generally isn’t a good sign. Combined with the absences Kaiser notes above and some noticeable weight loss post QE II’s death – I’d say it’s perfectly possible that she could pre-decease Charles. He comes across as a lot more robust and active than her.
There have been several articles about it – like this one when she was spotted shaking through the funeral:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/concern-camilla-shes-spotted-slightly-28027375
Agreed @TheHench — I think Kaiser is onto something. The death talk plus the Mandy McManus rehire means something is brewing behind the scenes.
“… or continue her charity work with key causes like health, literacy, the arts and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault.”
LOL, okay, People ragazine, simmer down there. Camilla ain’t doing squat if Charles dies first. She’ll live out her days being completely and utterly useless…just because she can.
She already is. She always has been. Never worked a day in her life yet still looks worse than the Cryptkeeper. Ugly as sin, inside and out.
Maybe she’ll declare herself empress or something just to have a good laugh.
Wasn’t there an article about her being ‘mother of the nation’ earlier this year?
I mean if Charles do dies before her maybe he’ll just do it just to spite Willy.
Isn’t Cams basically retired to Ray Mill now anyway even though Chuck’s still here? She doesn’t even stay in the big house with him at Balmoral. Anyway, Cams is for sure writing a juicy tell-all as soon as Chuck kicks it with Dame Judi Dench narrating the audio book.
I hope not. She would just be slamming Diana and harry and Meghan. I think she would have to sign an agreement not to write a tell all. However senior totals can select.someone to wrote a posthumous authorized biography.
Senior royal family members
She’s old, in poor health, never had a job or every charitable interests until she had to as his wife and is loathed by William. She of course will retire to her country house with every need met and will never be seen in a ceremonial capacity again.
Yes, it’s a stupid question. In the best of cases, once Charles dies and William becomes King, Camilla becomes irrelevant. If she was beloved in the family, then William would let her keep hanging around, but as you say, he loathes her, so she’ll just fade away.
“Besides, Camilla will be lucky if King William doesn’t demand that she be thrown into a funeral pyre too.” Coffee spit out moment of the morning!
One way ticket back to Ray-Mill, that’s what.
It was more sticky when there were two widowed dowager Queens when QE2 ascended the throne back in the 1950s. Cam will retire and call her favourite media puppets for a gin-soaked gossip. She will be just fine. 🙂
I know it’s morbid to even think about it, but if Camilla dies first, Charles will die quickly after. He’s too entrenched, too obsessed to survive without her. If it’s the opposite, she’ll be fine.
This is the right answer. He can’t survive without her, she doesn’t give a toss about him except as a sugar daddy. Her entire family, including ex hubby and extendeds has come up socially, financially and otherwise on Charles’ back.
To die of a broken heart, wouldn’t Charles need to have one first?
Charles could remarry someone younger. He has had many women friends throughout his life. He does get flirty with women sometimes.
Unlikely, it’s got nothing to do with attraction, it’s familiarity, secrets, knowing how far to trust someone. Charles isn’t going to want to go through all that again.
Philip of course had his companion. Charles could make a similar arrangement
I have zero doubt that Charles has made more than adequate provision for Camilla ito of finances. She is set for life. Because, if nothing else, Charles has made it abundantly clear that the only 2 people he gives AF about are himself and herself
I think William will do everything and I do mean everything to ensure that she is denied any kind of honourific, incl the antiquated Queen Dowager title and that she is pretty much confined to Raymill and not allowed access to any crown properties. She’ll be lucky to get the AK47 treatment. William will do his best to completely erase her
Here to say the choice of picture is EPIC!!
The jokes write themselves with these jackasses.
Quite simple if Charlie pops his clogs first, before the days long funeral takes place camzilla will grab everything that’s not nailed down and ship it back to Ray Mill. Once it’s all there she and Andrew (her not really ex husband) will sit drinking gin, counting their spoils and deciding which of their kids will get what. I wonder when the press are going to wake up and take a proper look at their arrangement. Camzilla went to a spa (cough) before the clowning, and Mr ex camzilla was Mia at the same time. In fact, every time camzilla disappears back to raymill, Andrew is not seen in public! In fact one of the last times both camzilla and Andrew appeared in public, they were both with Charlie at the races, yuk, yuk, yuk, mingers et trios
C’mon….I just ate breakfast! That whole situation is NOT good for a settled stomach.
My read on this ghoulish article is that BP is just revealing the succession plans to the public, so that they are already familiar by the time it happens. And I think its also to make people care about her… as evidence is probably pointing to the contrary — thus the intended title.
This sort of thing happened with the quid pro quo of Charles not standing in the way of QEII paying hush money for Paedo Andy in return for Queen Consort language (because, after they were married, we were told she would only be Princess Consort).
My take is she most likely will. E sent packing and all charles provisions for her will be revoked unless it’s out of his personal monies
What will happen? I will probably toast the occasion with Jameson’s.
I will do this when either of them shuffles off their mortal coil (there, Charles, I quoted Shakespeare just for you).
This is a bit mean. She could be ill. It could be Parkinsons,.
She has never shown a whit of compassion for anyone else. And she basically tortured Diana.
Should we care?
Louise – more likely the DTs.
Ugh, ugh. The picture of Camilla trying to pet the horse with the ears pinned and the handler has such a tight grip, ugh! Even beginner children know better