Prince Charles has indicated for the first time that his wife, Camilla, could be queen if he is crowned. The official position since the couple married in 2005 is that the Duchess of Cornwall would have the title Princess Consort and not Queen.
But during an interview with the American network NBC, due to be aired tomorrow, Charles did not correct the presenter of NBC's Dateline programme, Brian Williams, when he asked: "Does the Duchess of Cornwall become Queen of England, if and when you become the monarch?" The prince hesitated, then replied: "That's well … we'll see won't we? That could be."
Kings' wives have historically been crowned Queen Consort, with the exception of Queen Mary II who, with her husband, King William III, reigned as joint-sovereign from 1689 to 1694. In 2005, it was reported the prince's wife did not want to be styled Queen. But the government said unless there was a change in the law she would automatically become queen if Charles became king.
The prince's legal advisers contended that convention, not legislation, governed whether the wife of the king was known as queen.
The interview with NBC was held in August, mostly in the grounds of the Castle of Mey in Scotland and the prince also touched on the lives of his sons, Princes William and Harry.
Charles, 62, said he sympathised because William, 26, a former army officer now working as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot, was not allowed to be deployed to Afghanistan, although Harry served there in 2007-2008.
The interview marked the screening on NBC of a documentary that explores the themes of Charles' new book Harmony which examines ways of living sustainably.
