As queen consort, Camilla takes on the role of matriarch of the royal family

The wreath, laid at the Cenotaph War Memorial in London, featured Camilla’s racing colors and her new cipher, which is her monogram under a crown symbol.

Camilla’s monogram is now CR, which incorporates her initial, “C” and “R” for Regina, which is Queen in Latin.

With the death of the Queen, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Camilla and Kate are now the two tallest and most prominent women in the royal family.

Camilla’s stature today within the royal family and in public opinion is a far cry from her low popularity more than 20 years ago, when she and Charles began dating publicly.

When Charles and Camilla finally married in 2005, there was debate over what title Camilla would take when Charles became king, including concern that the public might resent Camilla for being known as Queen Camilla. .

At the time of their marriage, a spokesperson for the couple suggested that she would take the title of princess consort.

It wasn’t until Elizabeth gave her blessing earlier this year that it was confirmed that Camilla would be known as Queen Consort, the title given to the wife of a king. Under British law, anyone married to a king would immediately become queen consort and would be known as the queen.

Victoria Murphy, an ABC News royal contributor, said that although Camilla’s popularity is not as high as that of Kate and her husband Prince William, she is now “very publicly accepted” as a member. elder of the royal family.

“When it came to changing her public image, an assistant once told me that she was of the opinion that she just wanted to go out and meet people and let them decide for themselves about her,” said said Murphy. “There was a concerted PR effort to get the public to warm up after years of seeing her as Diana’s enemy, but I don’t think it would have worked if she hadn’t changed perceptions as well. by herself through the way she behaved.”

Murphy said of his own observations of Camilla: “She is also very friendly and polite to reporters, often stopping to chat with people covering her engagements, despite being intensely scrutinized and criticized in the media.”

Although she received advice from the late Queen, it was on Charles that Camilla relied the most to learn the ins and outs of royal life, according to Murphy.

“She grew up in a well-to-do family and was therefore familiar with the royal family’s activities and social circles, but royal work was still new to her when she got married,” Murphy said. “She hadn’t had a career and, like many women of her generation, had grown up hoping to focus on her family.”

Murphy said Camilla initially did what was expected of her in the royal role to support her husband, but has since charted her own path, saying: “She has become more and more personally invested in its own causes and the impact it can have.”

The causes Camilla has focused her work on include literacy, osteoporosis and domestic violence.

Murphy said she expects Camilla to continue to focus on these issues as queen consort, in addition to supporting Charles in his role as monarch.

“I expect the focus will be on key royal events alongside the King in relation to her diary, but she will continue many of her charity visits, both publicly and privately,” said said Murphy. “We’ve already seen things like her Reading Room initiative continue under a new name, and I think she’ll be keen to keep working to advance the causes she’s passionate about.”

Camilla should also retain some of her independence, as she did throughout her marriage to Charles, according to Murphy.

Camilla was in her 50s when she married Charles and was already the mother of two adult children. She is now a grandmother to five and step-grandmother to five, the children of William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

“She kept her own home in Wiltshire when she married Charles in 2005,” Murphy said. “It’s where she often spends weekends and sees her grandchildren and I expect that to continue as they are a couple who enjoy spending time apart as well as together.”

What role Camilla will play as the new matriarch on Charles’ side of the family remains less certain, according to Murphy, who said Camilla has grown closer to the late Queen over the years, but is less close to the three brothers and Charles’ sisters, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.

“I think Camilla gets along but isn’t particularly close to her husband’s siblings,” Murphy said. “Camilla has her own circle of friends and family, like her sister Annabel Elliot, who are her main confidants, and I think the most important thing for Camilla is her relationship with her husband.”

Murphy continued: “They’re quite different but they’ve always worked as a team and she’s always resolved first and foremost to support him. He can be quite serious and I think she brings a lightness and a sense of l fun, which is reflected in many of the images you see of them laughing together.”

“Before Kate married William, she took advice from Camilla and their relationship remained on good terms,” ​​she said. “Camilla recently invited Kate to photograph her for Country Life Magazine, which I think shows a lot of trust and affection for her.

Murphy added of Kate and Camilla’s shared goals, “At the end of the day, I think both women are first and foremost loyal to their husbands and work as a team with him.”

“I think it’s always difficult to understand exactly what things are like behind closed doors, but we’ve certainly heard William and Harry speak warmly of Camilla in the past and have often seen them greet her warmly in public,” a- she declared. “Obviously things have changed over the past few years in terms of Harry’s relationship with other members of the Royal Family, and I think it’s fair to say that his relationship with Camilla has followed that trend. .”

Murphy said she expects the family to follow tradition this Christmas, their first without the Queen, but new traditions could then take shape.

“I still think family reunions will be important during the reign of King Charles, but over time we may see a shift in focus in terms of people,” Murphy said. “Will William’s cousins ​​spend every Christmas with their uncle as they did with their grandmother, for example? It’s also possible that Camilla’s children and grandchildren will be part of Sandringham’s Royal Christmas if she and Charles arrange.”