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Camilla stuns Prince Charles with knife threat
Last updated at 17:52pm on 17.07.07When a knife-wielding Camilla says she doesn't want to be Queen, Prince Charles better listen - or else.
Onlookers were stunned today when the Duchess menacingly waved a blade under Prince Charles's nose as she was cutting the cake to celebrate her 60th birthday.
Prince Charles stepped back in shock and snatched back his hand, looking perplexed at Camilla's sudden turn.
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Don't mess with CamillaL She DOESN'T want to be Queen
She had earlier made it clear that she did not want to be called 'Queen' if and when Charles takes the throne. Instead she wants to be known as the princess consort.
She has let it be known she is "happy" if she never becomes queen and wants only a "supporting role" in Charles's life.
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Camilla smiles as she visits the village of Bromham in Wiltshire as part of her 60th birthday celebrations today
One senior royal figure said: "There has been a lot of talk about 'Queen Camilla' but it is not something that exercises the minds of either of their Royal Highnesses.
"The Duchess is technically the Princess of Wales but chose to use another of her rightful titles, the Duchess of Cornwall.
"With this in mind, no matter what the precedent is, the Duchess fully intends to be known as the princess consort when the time comes. She is fully supported by the Prince in this.
"There is no secret plan to install her as queen, far from it. She simply wants to support her husband both publicly and privately."
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A hat-shaped cake for the Duchess, who is 60 today
But Camilla's decision to take the title princess consort throws up a constitutional problem which may only be resolved by legislation.
Under current law, wives must take the rank of their husbands. There is no precedent for having a king married to a wife who is not queen.
The Department of Constitutional Affairs has always insisted she will become queen unless Parliament legislates to strip her of the right to the title. Any change to her status may also have to be approved by the 17 parliaments in Commonwealth countries where the new king will be head of state.
The title princess consort is not previously known in British constitutional history and is designed to reflect the fact that a large section of the public is unwilling at present to accept Camilla as queen.
As news of Camilla's comments broke today, she performed a marathon meet-and-greet session as part of her birthday celebrations. Camilla and Charles were undeterred by continual, monsoon-style downpours during their two-and-a-half-hour visit to Bromham in Wiltshire.
They then visited the village's Methodist chapel, the local shop, post office, butcher and pub. At the post office, Camilla remarked: "I could draw my pension from here now."
The couple visited Bromham to celebrate its new status as the West of England's Calor Village of the Year 2006/7.
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Supporting role: Charles with Camilla who turns 60 today
A poll published today reveals that while 28 per cent of those questioned were in favour of her becoming queen, 61 per cent want her to become consort. An opinion poll in 2005, when she married Charles, showed only seven per cent wanted her to become queen. Another senior source told the Standard: "She [Camilla] has no side; she is a self-contained woman who came to the job of being a member of the royal family late, at 58.
Duchess is instinctive in the way she wants to handle situations. She really doesn't want to, or need to be, spun by the PR men."
To celebrate her birthday, Charles is throwing a party at Highgrove on Saturday night attended by 200 friends and family.
Prince William will attend but Prince Harry is on military duties. Camilla's children Tom and Laura and their spouses are expected while friends include Joanna Lumley.
The Queen and other senior members of the royal family will stay away, although officials are at pains to point out this should not be seen as a snub "in any way".
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Camilla shields herself from the rain during the visit
The event is intended as an intimate and informal gathering, planned by Charles's former valet Michael Fawcett.
Instead, the Queen and Prince Philip are understood to have sent Camilla their best wishes this morning. Camilla is performing official engagements with Prince Charles in Wiltshire today followed by a birthday lunch with family.
Ten years ago - when Princess Diana was still alive - public feeling towards the two divorcées was distinctly chilly, even hostile. In a television poll of 100,000 viewers in July 1997, two thirds thought that if Charles married Camilla it should disqualify him from becoming king.
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A youthful well-wisher presents the Duchess with a bouquet
Today's revelat ion that Camilla wishes only to be known as princess consort flies in the face of increased speculationof a secret royal plan to install her as queen when the moment arises.
A recent Channel 4 documentary "Queen Camilla" - that included testimony from close friends of the Duchess - claimed there was a secret plan for Camilla to be awarded the title queen.
Reader views (14)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I'm glad Camilla and I share the same star sign even tho' I'm 2 years older.
Happy Birthday, Camilla, and know I am one of your best 'fans'
- Ann Ezelius, Ludvika, Sweden
I think Elizabeth in Kent has confused the Church of England's stance on divorce and the Act of Settlement. The Act of Settlement bars Catholics and those heirs married to Catholics to ascend the throne. Although today this seems unfair and iniquitous, it was brought in after a century of pig-headed Stuart kings persisting in their fixation with having Catholic wives at a time when Catholic monarchs in France and the Hapsburgs (in Spain and the Holy Roman Empire) were using marriage to members of their families in connivance with the Pope as a tool to try and reimpose Catholicism in England (the marriage treaty arranging the match between Charles I and Henrietta Maria, for example, stipulated that the children of their union would be raised Catholic). This came to a head when James II (a catholic convert married to an Italian Catholic) began immediately trying to undermine the protestant established church when he became king in order to re-establish Catholicism. But the Act of Settlement says nothing about divorcees. However, the Church of England refuses to marry those who are divorced (rather ironic when you consider the events that helped to bring it into being) and since England's monarch is also head of the country's established Church, previous members of the royal family have been deterred from marrying divorcees. But Charles's claim to the throne has in no way been impaired by his marriage to a divorcee.
- Pelly, London
Phil, in this country the husband of a Queen is not a King, but the wife of a King is always a Queen, Don't ask me why, that's just the way it is. There was no special arrangement for Prince Philip or Prince Albert not to have the title of King.
- Sarah, Rugby
Trevor - what a terrible idea. I'm not particularly a royalist, but let's be pragmatic about this. What do you think every American tourist standing outside Buckingham Palace (or any other Royal attraction in the country for that matter) has come to see? If we ditch the royals to save money we will end up losing tens of millions in overseas revenue. Definitely a case of penny-wise, pound foolish. She should become queen if she's the king's partner, she's pretty much part of the establishment now anyway and all the tourists will keep coming.
- Sean, Central London
The Act of Succession prevents Charles from becoming king if he is married to divorcee Camilla, so how can they just skirt around this?
- Elizabeth Kent, London UK
It's not her choice. The wife of the King is the Queen.
- Peter Haldane, London
Thank god for that!
- Kim, London
I am not the least bit bothered whether she is Queen or 'Princess Consort'. The main thing is for them to be happy in the autumn of their lives. The discussion, along with rubbish about Princess Di's fatal accident, should now be closed so they and the Princes can get on with their lives.
- Michael, London
It makes no difference to the lives of citizens in the UK if Mrs Windsor calls herself, Queen, Consort or uses any other antiquated title.
- Warren Alexander, London, UK
Long live ER II ... and hopefully the monarchy can jump straight to William.
- Marianne, SW France
Camilla has every right to be called 'Queen' when Charles becomes King. The wife of a King is always called Queen. We don't have the option of picking and choosing who to accept as King or Queen, it's not open to a ballot, or to request that it skips a generation. If we must have a monarchy then Charles is as good as anyone and certainly seems more 'human' than the automaton that is his mother. Camilla will be happy to support her husband and in that role is far more suited to him than his previous wife. By all means let's abolish the monarchy but if we must have them then when Charles becomes King Camilla will be his Queen. Simple as that!
- Paul Wilson, London, UK
I can just about live with the idea of a princess consort but not with Queen Camilla.
- Ray Tebble, Ealing England
Just as well as she's very unlikely to be, how about we just ditch the monarchy and save ourselves hundreds of millions a year instead?
- Trevor Roll, London
Good for Camilla. The title "Queen" will always be reserved in people's minds for Queen Elizabeth II. My own preference would be for all spouses of Kings or Queens to not be, respectively, Queens or Kings, but rather to have separate titles. Princes Albert and Philip stand out in that regard.
- Phil Jones, London UK
