LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II remembered the past and sought to cement the future of the monarchy Sunday as the United Kingdom marked the 70th anniversary of her rule.
In remarks delivered in time for Sunday morning’s front pages, the monarch expressed a “sincere wish’’ that Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, should be known as “Queen Consort” when her son succeeds her as expected. With those words, Elizabeth sought to answer once and for all questions about the status of Camilla, who was initially shunned by fans of the late Princess Diana, Charles’ first wife.
“The queen is such a realist and, you know, she’s got a business to run,’’ historian Robert Lacey said. “Well, they call it ‘The Firm,’ don’t they? And this really brings Camilla into the firm properly now and for the future.”
Britain’s longest-serving monarch, the only sovereign most Britons have ever known, Queen Elizabeth II has been a constant presence as Britain navigated the end of empire, the swinging ’60s, the labor strife of the 1980s, international terrorism, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.