# When Charles is crowned king of Great Britain... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904 "2014-03-30T16:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/1 "2014-03-30T16:07:35Z")
…will Camilla, his wife and Duchess of Cornwall, be entitled queen consort? Will she wear a crown at the ceremony? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/2 "2014-03-30T16:14:32Z")
> **[Coronation of the British monarch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_British_monarch)** > > The coronation of the monarch of the United Kingdom is an initiation ceremony in which they are formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in other European monarchies, which have all abandoned coronations in favour of inauguration or enthronement ceremonies. A coronation is a symbolic formality and does not signify the official beginning of the monarch's reign; de jure and de facto his or her reign commences from... > [@](#): > > If there is a queen consort, she is anointed and crowned in a simple ceremony immediately after homage is paid. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/3 "2014-03-30T17:58:10Z")
According to Wikipedia she is most likely going to be a “princess consort” similar to Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s husband). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,\_Duchess\_of\_Cornwall](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/4 "2014-03-30T18:07:23Z")
What, N Ireland will do a runner upon his accession? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/5 "2014-03-30T18:08:52Z")
Will QEII outlive him? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/6 "2014-03-30T18:14:57Z")
If Prince Philip outlives Elizabeth II, what will Philip be called after Charles is crowned? not “Prince Father,” surely? But since he was never king, can “King Father” be right? Will he just remain “Prince Philip”? “Prince Dowager”? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/7 "2014-03-30T19:03:07Z")
I suppose technically, he may just remain the Duke of Edinburgh and no longer be “Prince Philip”, but I have no doubt that in common usage, he’ll always be “Prince Philip”. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/8 "2014-03-30T19:16:29Z")
Perhaps not material but when Mary I died and her sister Elizabeth assumed the throne Mary’s husband, King Philip of Spain, was known as ‘Spanish prick’ , ‘Spanish bastard’ or ‘Spanish arsehole’ depending on the occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/9 "2014-03-30T19:17:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I suppose technically, he may just remain the Duke of Edinburgh and no longer be “Prince Philip”, but I have no doubt that in common usage, he’ll always be “Prince Philip”. I think he was already a Prince of Greece before his marriage, and he was made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, so he should stay a Prince whether or not his wife is alive. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/10 "2014-03-30T19:24:06Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I suppose technically, he may just remain the Duke of Edinburgh and no longer be “Prince Philip”, but I have no doubt that in common usage, he’ll always be “Prince Philip”. His title of Prince, as far as I know, was granted to him by the Queen and does not depend on him being Consort. So he’ll still be Prince Phillip if she predeceases him. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/11 "2014-03-30T20:52:14Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If Prince Philip outlives Elizabeth II, what will Philip be called after Charles is crowned? not “Prince Father,” surely? But since he was never king, can “King Father” be right? Will he just remain “Prince Philip”? “Prince Dowager”? [GOD](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip_Movement) I always thought it was funny that a non-European less technologically advanced tribe worships a guy who has said offensive things about non-European less technologically advanced tribes, among others. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/12 "2014-03-30T21:06:36Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I suppose technically, he may just remain the Duke of Edinburgh and no longer be “Prince Philip”, but I have no doubt that in common usage, he’ll always be “Prince Philip”. Where is he commonly known as “Prince Philip”? When I lived in London it seemed to me that he was much more commonly referred to as “the Duke of Edinburgh”. Sure, if you said “Prince Philip” people would know who you were talking about, but it didn’t seem to be the most commonly used style. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/13 "2014-03-30T21:46:11Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > According to Wikipedia she is most likely going to be a “princess consort” similar to Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s husband). > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,\_Duchess\_of\_Cornwall](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall) Will she be kept in a can, too? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/14 "2014-03-30T21:50:02Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Where is he commonly known as “Prince Philip”? The UK. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/15 "2014-03-30T22:33:43Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > What, N Ireland will do a runner upon his accession? Give the OP a break, at least they didn’t say “king of England”. It is a minefield for people not familiar with the complicated makeup of the UK, and even people in Britain use “Great Britain” and “UK” interchangeably, regardless of technical correctness. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/16 "2014-03-30T22:51:32Z")
One night, maybe a month or 2 ago, I got sidetracked into reading what I could find about the Royals in UK papers. Okay, gossip rags. There seems to be a lot of strong feelings that, in part due to Camilla, William will succeed Elizabeth, not Charles. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/17 "2014-03-30T23:07:04Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > I think he was already a Prince of Greece before his marriage, and he was made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, so he should stay a Prince whether or not his wife is alive. It has been common throughout European history for the royalty of various nations to intermarry. Why did Philip have to renounce his Greek and Danish titles when he married into the Windsor family? ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/18 "2014-03-30T23:54:14Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > One night, maybe a month or 2 ago, I got sidetracked into reading what I could find about the Royals in UK papers. Okay, gossip rags. There seems to be a lot of strong feelings that, in part due to Camilla, William will succeed Elizabeth, not Charles. This seems very unlikely. The only way to make that happen (other than Elizabeth outliving Charles) would require acts of Parliament in all 18 (is it still 18?) realms. They’re having enough trouble getting the laws passed to remove the preference for male heirs. As to the OP question, as I understand it the wife of the King is by law automatically the Queen Consort. Whether she will actually use that title is another matter. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/19 "2014-03-30T23:57:03Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > One night, maybe a month or 2 ago, I got sidetracked into reading what I could find about the Royals in UK papers. Okay, gossip rags. There seems to be a lot of strong feelings that, in part due to Camilla, William will succeed Elizabeth, not Charles. I think they can do this if they invoke the 1926 Act of Elizabeth Will Live for Fuckingever. > [@Senegoid](#): > > It has been common throughout European history for the royalty of various nations to intermarry. Why did Philip have to renounce his Greek and Danish titles when he married into the Windsor family? I don’t have a real answer beyond a WAG, but sometimes it’s not that he **had to** so much as it was prudent, like to show he was committed to Elizabeth and the Realm. He also converted to Anglicanism (from Greek Orthodoxy). So it might not have been forced, unless he was Catholic, which is still a no-no. He probably couldn’t be Duke, and it would exclude her from succession. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904/20 "2014-03-31T02:17:56Z")
Thanks for all the replies. I don’t imagine Charles will be king for all that long, as he’ll be the oldest person ever to be crowned. But still, he’s waited this long, he’s going to want it I’m sure. Many years ago I watched a miniseries about Edward VII, who also had to wait seemingly forever to be king. There was an amusing scene in which Edward shows himself privately, in his coronation regalia, to his family. He looks down at the children and says “Well, kids, aren’t I a funny old grandpa?” and they start dancing around him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-charles-is-crowned-king-of-great-britain/684904.md?page=2)