Camilla — is she the next queen of England?

Recent reports from the UK indicate that Prince Charles is planning to make his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles the queen of England when he becomes king — despite concerns amidst the royal family that the reputation of the British monarch could be at stake.

According to British newspaper reports, the Prince of Wales has met with a number of senior aides to discuss the Duchess of Cornwall’s status once he ascends the throne, and believes firmly that his wife should be elevated to a higher standing than “princess consort”, the title which Clarence House has previously indicated Camilla would take.

The subject has reportedly been a point of contention within the walls of Buckingham Palace for some time, with the Queen fearful of the damage Camilla’s elevation would cause to the royal family’s reputation. However, opinion polls in the UK have shown the British public to be warming to Camilla, and indeed the idea of her becoming queen seems far more accepted now than at the time of their wedding announcement in 2005.

In the early stages of the couple’s reunion (Camilla and the Prince of Wales dated first back in 1970), Camilla endured years of hatred by much of the British public who were protective of their beloved Diana.

Charles’ affair with Camilla, which he confirmed in a televised interview, shocked the nation back in 1994 and it has taken more than a decade for people to accept that the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are very much in love and desirous to stand side by side in life when the Queen abdicates.