Wondering if Camilla Will Still Be Queen if King Charles Passes Away? (2024)

Almost as soon as King Charles and Queen Camilla were officially crowned in May 2023 during their respective coronations, people immediately began to wonder what would happen to Camilla’s title if Charles were to pass away before her. (The fact that a 75-year-old King Charles was diagnosed with cancer after a medical visit earlier this year also ushered in a wave of questions about the protocol re: Camilla's title should the devastating loss occur.)

TL;DR: It’s complicated. Meaning she’ll retain her title but it’ll be slightly different.

As a reminder, despite the fact that she’s been going by “Queen Camilla” for the past several months, Camilla is actually/technically Queen Consort Camilla. This, after all, is the ~official~ term for the wife of a reigning king (aka King Charles) and makes it clear that she does *not* share her husband’s sovereignty nor his political and military powers.

So, what would happen to Camilla’s title if King Charles were to pass away? Basically, she’d retain the Queen title but go from Queen Consort to Queen Dowager—aka the official term for the widow of a king. This essentially means Camilla would still enjoy the fancy vibes and importance of her former title without actually being Queen Consort anymore due to another monarch and their spouse—in this case, Prince William and Kate Middleton—occupying the throne.

The more you know!!!! And for all the deets on how Wills will rise to power (psssst: the deets have legit already been laid out), head right on over this way: