Queen Camilla. At the beginning of the year, it was still a prospective title; we didn’t even know if it would ever be used. The official line in January was still that Camilla would someday be referred to as Princess Consort, but in February, that all changed with one magnanimous gesture from Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Let’s look at Queen Camilla’s year from January to August, her final months as a duchess and heir’s consort, and trace the moments leading up to when she became Queen Camilla on 8 September.
In January, Camilla—the Duchess of Cornwall—was shoring up her 75th birthday celebrations. It was announced that she would guest edit July’s Country Life magazine to celebrate. Later in the month, she would urge people to “tackle hatred” at the Anne Frank Trust’s luncheon and called for the end of domestic violence. A mini tour of Oxford strengthened her commitment to literacy and literature, and at the end of the month, then-Prince Charles and Camilla celebrated the Lunar New Year.
In Kent, Charles and Camilla carried out several engagements, while later in London, the soon-to-be king and queen were joined by Catherine for an art engagement on behalf of The Prince’s Trust.
After Queen Elizabeth II made it known that she would like Camilla to be known as ‘queen consort’ in the future, we made the case here at Royal Central for why she should start using the title Princess of Wales. We also covered her first engagements post-announcement and shared that Charles was honoured about the news for his “darling wife.” And Camilla would later comment that the title would help her leaps and bounds with her charity work.
Her work with domestic violence and sexual abuse survivors continued to be a pillar of her work in February, as did her support for British athletes, but unfortunately, Camilla tested positive for COVID-19 mid-month. She made a full recovery.
In March, as Russia invaded Ukraine, Charles and Camilla were at the forefront of British support to the country. Later in the month, as Queen Elizabeth II proved too ill to attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, the couple led the royal delegation at one of their most cherished events.
Camilla would come face-to-face with Emerald Fennell, the actress who played her on The Crown at an International Women’s Day reception (don’t worry, she had a joke prepared for the moment!). She would also visit the Royal Dance Academy in support of ballet, and by mid-month became the new royal patron of the National Theatre (taking over from the Duchess of Sussex). We covered her first visit to the National Theatre here.
As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, it was announced that Charles and Camilla would visit Ireland. We covered their past visits here and covered their visit to Northern Ireland here. Their visit included a historic first, an engagement with a horse, tracing the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and a meeting with the family of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.
We also covered how royals around the world support literary causes, with Camilla’s tireless efforts spotlighted accordingly. In April, Camilla would visit Jane Austen’s House Museum.
Prince Charles and Camilla announced a visit to Canada in April as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations (a poll would indicate trouble in the future for Canada’s monarchy). Details were unveiled here.
Easter came and went without the three major royals in attendance at a Windsor church service and celebrated community on a visit to the BBC World Services studios.
In May, it was announced that Camilla would be a British Vogue cover star for her 75th birthday in July (she would later be bumped but featured inside). She attended a pre-Jubilee Big Lunch in Manchester and helped write the foreword to a Platinum Jubilee cookbook.
Continuing with her literacy work, Camilla took over one of Prince Philip’s patronages, Book Aid International. One of her favourite illustrators would also design a Platinum Jubilee t-shirt. We also covered why Camilla’s support of domestic violence survivors is so vital.
She and Charles hosted the first Buckingham Palace Garden Party since 2019 in May, and though it was a rainy day, spirits were bright. At the end of the month, Camilla lent her support to an Elephant Family installation to honour the Platinum Jubilee.
During their visit to Canada, Charles and Camilla opened the Jubilee walkway and carried out engagements in three provinces and territories. We covered further stories of their Canadian visit here.
In June, the UK and the Commonwealth celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, with Charles and Camilla at the forefront of many celebrations due to The Queen’s ongoing health issues. Camilla herself would take centre stage at the Big Jubilee Lunch.
In the days after the Platinum Jubilee, Charles and Camilla would host a reception for the Commonwealth diaspora, and news broke that perhaps an episode of Strictly Come Dancing, one of Camilla’s favourite television programmes, would film at Buckingham Palace in the fall. Alas, this was not to be. Literacy continued to be an essential focus for Camilla in June. She helped launch a Commonwealth poetry podcast.
Perhaps the most significant milestone for Camilla in June was her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter—one of the biggest awards the monarch can give to a person.
As July came, so did the last ‘Wales Week’ that Charles and Camilla would mark. This is usually a week in the principality highlighting the Welsh people and business. Now it will fall to William and Catherine.
At an ‘Oldie Lunch’, Camilla praised her late father-in-law’s habit of “say less, do more” as she geared up for her 75th birthday.
To mark her birthday, we covered her royal life and how she carved a role for herself within the institution, as well as her patronages and the controversial love story that led to an enduring romance. A new portrait was released on her birthday, and later, the royal couple attended the Sandringham Flower Show.
We covered Camilla’s Wimbledon fashions throughout the years as the tournament returned in July. And for a quiet August, which saw Camilla out of the public eye for most of the month, we simply covered her school days as part of a larger ‘back to school’ feature.
In September, Camilla was likely gearing up for another normal month of public engagements. Indeed, we covered her return to duties on 6 September as she paid a visit to a filming of Antiques Roadshow in Cornwall.
Two days later, she would be Queen Camilla.
