TODAY is exactly three months since Prince Philip was laid to rest – and already the future monarchy under Charles as king is taking shape.
The Celeb Report can reveal the Prince is determined his wife Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort on the day he takes the throne.
Such a move would give her significantly higher status, similar to that held by the late Queen Mother.
And any plans he has to refuse to give the title of Duke of Edinburgh to his brother Edward are likely to be met with anger by wife Sophie, it is claimed by friends of the couple.
Former BBC royal correspondent Brian Hoey says Prince Charles has already let it be known he would like the number of royals attending his coronation to be “trimmed slightly” from the roll call when his mother was crowned.
Back in 1953, of the 8,000 in attendance, 39 were royals, including several of the Queen’s first cousins once removed.
Now the next coronation is looking very much like the blueprint for Charles’s hopes for an overall slimmed-down monarchy.
How this might pan out was thrust into the spotlight this week after it emerged that Philip’s wish for his title of Duke of Edinburgh to go to his youngest son, Edward, after the Queen’s death is unlikely to happen.
When Philip died in April, his titles — including the Duke of Edinburgh — automatically went to Charles. And he plans to keep it so.
A courtier revealed: “The Prince is the Duke of Edinburgh as it stands and it is up to him what happens to the title. It will not go to Edward.”
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This would come as a big blow to Edward and his wife, Sophie Wessex, who visited the Queen to comfort her shortly after Philip’s death.
A close friend of the couple told The Celeb Report: “Both Edward and Sophie would be genuinely perplexed, very hurt and disappointed at being treated this way.
“They have both done nothing to deserve this sort of treatment from Charles — quite the opposite when you look at their impeccable service to the crown.
“I do know that Charles has long held concerns over the closeness that is implied between the Queen and Sophie. Effectively, he knows how it looks — an outsider like Sophie, despite a rocky start, has actually become closer to his mother than he ever will be.”
Another friend added: “This may be giving Charles some angst in terms of the Wessex popularity.
“Charles is obstinate and he would defy his late father’s expressed wishes if he felt it necessary.
“But for goodness sake let’s hope he won’t do that.
“He’s got enough on his plate keeping the family together without risking another royal faction moving away from the core.”
‘Not personal, practical’
Edward was certainly expecting the nearly 300-year-old title — in line with both his parents’ wishes.
Royal expert Brian Hoey said: “Edward is the first royal prince since the Tudors to be made an earl and not a duke.
“The Queen had no intention of allowing her baby son to be humiliated by being of lower rank than his brothers.
“So, at the time of his marriage to Sophie in 1999, she immediately made it known that eventually Edward would be awarded the title Duke of Edinburgh.”
Charles has declined to comment, with his spokesman saying any such talk would be “disrespectful to the Queen”. But the likely snub would simply be part of Charles’s masterplan as the new monarch.
With titles come not just responsibilities, but also costs.
The Royal Family already Hoovers up nearly £90million a year from the British taxpayer. At present, Edward and Sophie do not take money from the public purse to fund their day-to-day lives. But were he to be upgraded to a duke, that could change.
Robert Jobson, author of Charles At Seventy, explained: “It’s not personal, it is practical. The Prince of Wales has made no secret of his desire for a slimmed-down Royal Family.
“He believes for the health of the monarchy, having a costly extended Royal Family is not sustainable in the 21st Century.
“He has nothing against Edward, although they are not as close as he is with his sister Anne.”
But the Edward issue is small beer in Charles’s grand plan. The issue of Camilla’s title is more controversial.
Clarence House’s official position is that she will be Princess Consort.
But its statement on the matter — given at the time of her marriage to Charles 16 years ago — left room for manoeuvre.
‘Ham-fisted attempt’
“It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to the throne,” a palace spokesman said.
But royal sources are convinced that Charles has other intentions and harbours a desire for Camilla — whose appeal to the public has grown significantly over the years — to become Queen Consort.
As Queen Consort, her role at the coronation would be significantly enhanced. Brian Hoey said: “Prince Charles wants his wife to be crowned alongside him, with the same formality that came with the crowning of his grandmother, the late Queen Mother.”
He added: “At the time of her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 2005, Camilla was the most vilified woman not only in Britain but arguably in the world.
“Many blamed her for the break-up of Charles’s marriage to Diana.
“It has taken 16 years for Camilla to be accepted and respected as the fully fledged senior member royal she now is, and her behaviour since joining The Firm has been impeccable.
“She has conducted herself with dignity and decorum in supporting her husband and the Queen.
“So, like her or loathe her, Camilla is going to be the next Queen in spite of any controversy it may cause.
“The decision may not be universally popular in Britain — there are still many people who remain firmly in the Diana camp. But it is going to happen.
“Prince Charles is determined on this and nobody — family or officials — will persuade him otherwise.
“The problem is that when Charles and Camilla married it was announced, in an ill-conceived and ham-fisted attempt to placate public opinion, that she would not assume the title of Princess of Wales.
“Instead, Camilla would take one of his subsidiary titles, the Duchess of Cornwall.
“It was also stated that when Prince Charles accedes to the throne, she would be known as Princess Consort — not Queen Consort. Again, a complete nonsense.
“We have never had a Princess Consort in this country and we are not going to have one this time.
“At the coronation in 1937, Charles’s grandmother sat on her throne in Westminster Abbey with her husband, George VI, and wore the Queen Consort crown.
“That platinum crown, with its 2,800 jewels, is still available and in immaculate condition.”
In fact, there have been three Queen Consort crowns — the two others were worn by Alexandra of Denmark, wife of Edward VII, and Mary of Teck, George V’s spouse.
Which raises the possibility that Camilla could have her own crown made — another sensitive item for Prince Charles as he plans for a cost-cutting future.
