When the diamond-encrusted crown last worn at the inauguration of a monarch by Queen Mary, George V’s wife, at his coronation in 1911, is placed on ’s white-blonde locks alongside her husband at the Coronation in May, the moment will mark the final transition of the Elizabethan age to the reign of . It also sidesteps the need to use the crown containing the Koh-i-Noor jewel, whose ownership is disputed, thereby fending off a row with India and others. The new Queen will have underlined her regal status — sealing a new chapter amid the transitions of the House of Windsor. The woman once kept on the sidelines as Charles’s mistress is now firmly inked into the ultimate female role of prominence in the royal pecking order: Queen Camilla. Currently mourning the sad death of her brother-in-law Simon Elliot, Camilla will in the coming weeks be established in her new position. How she got there is a mix of charm, pragmatism and what one courtier — who was involved in how to handle the “evolution” of her regal title — described as “a will of iron, and tenacity to go with it; Camilla never gives up. ” That ability to bend unfavourable situations to her advantage and a reputation for earthy humour has put her in good stead for gaining public acceptance and a team of followers inside the royal household, who view her as key to Charles’s happiness. One head of a diplomatic service who who sat next to her at a long banquet recalls her “rolling her eyes jokily as the speeches got underway and quipping, ‘Sorry if it goes on a bit. ’” Interviewed last summer for Vogue, she sympathised with the photographer for having to shoot “an old bat”, and said she did not want to wear the usual “menopause mauve” of well-born older ladies, adding, “Who wants to be 75, really?” Camilla is viewed as key to King Charles’ happiness That mix of playfulness and dutiful tolerance has been key to the remaking of Brand Camilla from domestic disruptor of the unhappy Waleses to spouse, royal consort and now Queen. When Charles and Camilla undertake a royal tour to France and Germany later this month the pomp of dinner in Versailles and a rather less glamorous outing to Hamburg to see German and British troops training will underline that Camilla is as important to Charles’s era as Prince Philip was to his mother. None of this has happened by accident. I remember wondering out loud to a then very senior royal adviser in the early 2000s why the precise title mattered so much to a woman who had always prized her independence, so much so that she kept (and still does) her own country residence? The official version I got was that she would feel better able to take on the role and support her husband with a formal title of a consort. The unofficial version, borne out in Harry’s heated memoir, is that she was ruthless in that pursuit from the start. It was also one of the reasons that Harry (and William in this account) “begged” his conflicted father not to marry Camilla. “I had complex feelings about gaining a step parent who, I believed, had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar,” said Harry and, for all his self-pity, he has a point. Whether deliberately or not, the rehabilitation of Camilla as “good sport” did often come with side servings of less flattering yarns about William and Kate, who objected to the then Prince of Wales about this pattern, as did, later, Harry and Meghan. Camilla has an extended West Country network in Dorset and Wiltshire. Her “gang” are old friends who meet there for family gatherings on her side, and are multi-generational — including the food writer Tom Parker Bowles and his sister Laura Lopes, the children of her long marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. Charles is godfather, as well as stepfather, to Tom, who is slated to have a prominent role at the Coronation — alongside Camilla’s grandchildren, who are rumoured to be replacing the traditional role of duchesses in holding a canopy over the crowned king and queen. Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, Eliza Lopes, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Lady Louise Windsor greet crowd of admirers from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011 The melding of Camilla’s family with the will be apparent and outlying members of the royal family or estranged ones like the Sussexes will be in the congregation, but devoid of roles in the service. However trivial the arrangements sound, they are ways in which ties and pecking orders are expressed. Camilla’s eldest grandchild, Eliza, was bridesmaid to William and Kate. If it does indeed unfold this way, some more conservative critics think it verges on turning the coronation — at heart a religious commitment — into “another royal wedding”. There never was any guarantee that Camilla would be Queen and the last approved plan by Queen Elizabeth was shown in a statement on the 70th anniversary of her accession which showed her preference was a more nuanced title: “It is my sincere wish that. . . Camilla will be known as as she continues her own loyal service. ” That marked the acceptance of Charles’s second marriage and its constitutional consequences, overturning previous guidance issued by the Palace that Camilla would only ever be known as “Princess Consort”. It stopped short of anointing Queen Camilla — that push has come from Charles since his mother’s death. One version of the segue is that the “consort” tag was deemed “clunky”. A more forthright one is that Charles did not wish to pick a fight on the matter and so accepted “Queen Consort” as a bridging solution. But while Queen Camilla will be in common usage, technically she was always be Queen Consort, just as the Queen Mother was. Her advocacy, from vocally supporting domestic violence victims to an Instagram “reading room” book club highlights her work for women. As one friend put it, “She is as much a feminist as Meghan, but less preachy about it. ” King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort Another aspect of Camilla’s character is her tendency to make and keep close relationships. One example is aide Amanda MacManus, who retired in 2021 after two decades at her side. She was initially hired after Diana’s death in 1997, when public feeling about her was at a low ebb. When MacManus resigned the following year, after letting slip that William and Camilla had met for the first time since then, Camilla calmly accepted it but made clear that her friend would be invited back after a period of penitence outside the fold. They would often finish the day with a gin and tonic together, which Camilla would joke was her “last bad habit” when she gave up smoking — partly because Charles disliked it but also mindful that it was a strong risk factor in osteoporosis, the bone disease which afflicted her mother and grandmother. Nerves about her role no longer seem to flummox her. Those jitters by Camilla feel very distant indeed from the centrality and poise she exhibits today. She has chosen Bruce Oldfield to make a Coronation gown, a trusted veteran couturier who has fitted dress for royals from Diana to Queen Noor of Jordan. A romantic might say this is an example of love conquering all. A watchful observer of Palace power games, however, might note that Camilla tends to win most fights she goes into. Prince Charles and Camilla drink whisky from a Quaich given to them a s a wedding gift at the 2005 Mey Games Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla during a visit to Kemble Airfield in Gloucestershire, near Cirencester, England AFP via Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla laugh after a bubble bee took a liking to Prince Charles during their visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla during the tug of war at the 2005 Mey Games at Queens Park in Mey Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla watch a performance of Henry Dagg's 'Cat Organ' during a visit to 'The Garden Party to Make a Difference' at Clarence House Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla react as a large bumblebee briefly flies inside the prince's jacket as he handles a tuatara during a visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin AFP via Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla watch traditional Croation Dancers in the town square on March 15, 2016 in Osijek, Croatia Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla listen to traditional throat singers as they attend an official welcome ceremony at Nunavut Legislative Assembley during a three day official visit to Canada on June 29, 2017 in Iqaluit, Canada Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla watch a band at the Jamaican Defence Force Infantry Officer's Mess on March 10, 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla attend Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill during a 3 day official visit to Canada on July 1, 2017 in Ottawan, Canada Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla attend the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla after pulling a pint of draught beer as Camilla during a visit to The Bell pub in Purleigh AFP via Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla dance to an Elvis impersonator during a 2017 visit to Scotland. PA Prince Charles and Camilla laugh at a birthday carrot cake the Duchess was presented with during a visit to the Organic Allotment in St James's Park Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla laugh after playing darts during a visit to the Community-run Raven Inn Pub Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla visiting a Youth Business International Event at the Prime Minister's House on day two of a week long tour of Pakistan Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla with Meghan Markle during The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration held at Buckingham Palace Getty Images 'Behave yourself': Charles and Camilla in southern Australia AFP/Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla tour a Souk as part of their visit to the Middle East Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla presented with a giant cabbage during a visit to the Organic Allotment in St James's Park Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village, where visitors are encouraged to learn through engaging with culture Getty Images Prince Charles and Camilla participate in commemorations and celebrations that honour Canada's persons, places and events. This is the Prince of Wales's 15th visit to Canada Getty Images When the Coronation bells ring out, she will be Charles’s Queen. And that is just the way they both want it to be. .