Queen Camilla's Title Will Be "Queen Dowager" If She Outlives King Charles

Now that King Charles's wife is known as Queen Camilla, what would her title become if she outlived him?

She would not become the Queen Mother, as Queen Elizabeth's mother became upon the death of her husband, as she is not Prince William's mom. Rather, Camilla would likely take the title of Queen Dowager, to signify the widow of a king, according to a new report in the Mirror. When Prince William becomes King, Kate Middleton will take on the title of Queen, and be known as "Queen Catherine."

Technically all Queens Consort who outlive their husbands become Queen Dowager, however, as many are also mothers to the new monarch, they can take on the title of Queen Mother instead.

The last time the Queen Dowager title was used was nearly two centuries ago, when Queen Adelaide outlived her husband, King William IV. William died in 1837, and as Adelaide and William had no children, he was succeeded by his niece, Queen Victoria. (This succession drama was hinted at in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, when Queen Charlotte admonishes her children for not having any heirs to the throne.) Adelaide died 12 years later, in 1849, during Victoria's reign.

Throughout British history, there have been numerous queens dowager who were not queen mothers, including Joan of Navarre, the second wife of King Henry IV and stepmother to King Henry V, and Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII and stepmother to King Edward VI. (In fact, a new film about Parr, Firebrand, just premiered at Cannes starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law.)

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