Queen Elizabeth says she wants Prince Charles’s wife to be Queen Camilla

In a message to mark her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth on Saturday—the eve of her accession—said it was her “sincere wish that, when that time comes" her eldest son’s wife take the title “Queen Consort." Queen Consort refers to the spouse of a ruling king. As a result, the Duchess of Cornwall would be referred to as “Queen Camilla" if her husband comes to the throne.

The statement clears up a potentially awkward issue that has been hanging over her heir and his second wife for years.

Prince Charles and Camilla were both divorcées when they married in a civil ceremony in 2005. At the time, the royal family issued a statement saying that Camilla would be known as “Princess Consort" if her husband became king.

This was believed to be partly out of respect for Prince Charles’s late first wife, Princess Diana, and reflected lukewarm public opinion of the Duchess of Cornwall at the time. Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 and is the mother of Prince Charles’s two sons.

However, the Duchess of Cornwall has since proved a valuable member of the royal family undertaking hundreds of appearances and supporting her husband in his role as Prince of Wales. Polling shows her popularity has steadily climbed.

The queen on Saturday praised her daughter-in-law’s “loyal service" and recently appointed Camilla as a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry, for her “service to the sovereign."

In a letter to the nation, the queen talked about the importance to a monarch of a supportive spouse. The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99 last year.

“I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father’s reign," she wrote.

The 95-year-old monarch has gradually set the stage for Prince Charles. In one of her few overtly political declarations in 2018, the queen said it was “her sincere wish" that, upon her death, her son take over the leadership of the Commonwealth, a club of nations that were mostly part of the former British Empire. The leaders of the Commonwealth agreed.

In recent months, the queen’s speeches have become more wistful, often referring back to events or projects championed by her late husband. In a speech to the Church of England’s national assembly she warned that “none of us can slow the passage of time, and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged."

“None of us will live forever," she told leaders assembled at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, last year as she urged them to take action on global warming.

“I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me," Queen Elizabeth said in her message Saturday.

Last year, the queen had to cancel several engagements due to ill health. However she used her platinum jubilee message to put to rest speculation that she intends to retire from the role.

“As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service ...I look forward to continuing to serve you with all my heart," she wrote. On Saturday she was filmed laughing and on her feet cutting a large cake to mark her accession to the throne.

On Sunday, it is seven decades since the death of her father King George VI. The date is treated by the queen as a day of remembrance and reflection rather than celebration. Large scale celebrations—including a concert and street parties—for the monarch’s jubilee are scheduled for June, when the queen officially celebrates her birthday and the British weather is warmer.