Her Majesty! Queen Camilla was blessed and anointed alongside her husband, King Charles III, during his coronation ceremony.
The Archbishop of Canterbury anointed Camilla, 75, with holy oil during their historical royal event on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey after Charles, 74, took his royal oath as the new king.
“May thy servant Camilla, who wears this crown, be filled by thine abundant grace and with all princely virtues; reign in her heart,” the Archbishop recited, presenting the queen with her crown. “O King of love, that, being certain of thy protection, she may be crowned with thy gracious favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Shortly after the headpiece was placed atop Camilla’s head, she quickly straightened its positioning as the ceremony continued. Camilla then flashed a sweet smile at her husband.
The official oil used in the ceremony was crafted with olives harvested from local groves at the Monastery of the Ascension and the Monastery of Mary Magdalene, where Charles’ grandmother — and Prince Philip‘s mother — Princess Alice is buried. The oil itself was inspired by the one used to anoint Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during her official coronation in 1953.
When the ceremony kicked off early on Saturday, Camilla was accompanied by three of her grandchildren. Gus Lopes, Louis Lopes and Freddy Parker Bowles — the respective kids of her two children, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles — who served as her Pages of Honor. The 13-year-olds all held onto their grandmother’s stately robe during the Westminster Abbey procession.
While Saturday’s coronation is the official ceremony for Charles’ reign, he assumed his role as sovereign and Camilla became the queen consort immediately after Elizabeth’s passing at age 96 in September 2022. Before her death, the late monarch previously declared her hope that Camilla would inherit the title of queen consort once Charles took the throne.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” the longest reigning queen wrote in a February 2022 statement during her Platinum Jubilee celebration. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
Following her passing, Camilla spoke fondly of her mother-in-law while attending a royal reception for those who entered the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.
“I cannot begin without paying tribute to my dear mother-in-law, Her late Majesty, who is much in our thoughts today and who is so greatly missed by us all,” she told attendees in November 2021. “Throughout her remarkable reign, its vision to improve the lives and prospects of all Commonwealth citizens remained, as you know, very close to her heart.”
The royal continued: “Over the past few months, my husband and I have drawn immense comfort from the messages of condolence that we have received, and continue to receive, from the four corners of the world. They have reminded us that the written word has a unique ability to connect, to heal, to reassure and to offer hope, even in the midst of grief.”
Charles and Camilla tied the knot in 2005, nearly 10 years after his divorce from the late Princess Diana was finalized in 1996. (Charles welcomed sons Prince William and Prince Harry with the late royal in 1982 and 1984, respectively.) Camilla, for her part, was previously married to British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles with whom she shares her two children.
