While Prince William and Prince Harry are reportedly at odds with one another as they prepare for the unveiling of a statue of their mother on July 1, their father might be up to a few curious activities as well.
In his latest column in the Daily Mail, royal author Robert Lacey let it slip that Prince Charles has reportedly been lobbying his sons with a request: He'd like for his wife, Camilla, to be titled the queen consort when he ascends the throne. To an outsider, this might make sense — after all, he will be king — but to anyone who watches the royals, it's a pretty startling request to make.
In the piece, Lacey drops that a friend has said, "The main thing Charles wants is for the pair of them to smile on Camilla becoming his full Queen Consort [instead of Princess Consort, as officially pre-ordained at present]."
But his sons are said to be against the idea entirely:
"He’s fixated about it — something he never stops trying to negotiate with both of them. But they will never say ‘Yes’ to Camilla taking the place that should have been filled by their mother."
Curiously, Camilla could have had the title if she wanted it at the time of her marriage to Prince Charles. But the two reportedly decided against it at the time out of respect for Princess Diana. Now it seems that Charles is changing his mind.
Clarence House even doubled down on this in 2020, when they released a statement addressing the title itself: "The intention is for the Duchess to be known as Princess Consort when the Prince accedes to the throne. This was announced at the time of the marriage and there has been absolutely no change at all."
In his article, Lacey also claims that Harry and William were fighting within minutes following Prince Philip's funeral. A friend of the family reportedly told Lacey, "There they were, at each other's throats as fiercely as ever. The rage and anger between those two has grown so incredibly deep. Too many harsh and wounding things have been said."
