Camilla gets tons of titles, but not queen

LONDON – She may not become queen, but Camilla Parker Bowles will be bona fide royalty because of three key letters: HRH.

That designation, which stands for Her Royal Highness, is highly prized because it means the bearer is officially a member of the inner sanctum of the royal family.

When she weds Prince Charles, Parker Bowles will acquire a slew of titles – the main one being HRH Duchess of Cornwall. In Scotland, she will be the Duchess of Rothesay.

However, she will not be known as the Princess of Wales, a title that conjures up memories of the prince’s popular first wife, the late Diana.

If Charles eventually becomes king, Parker Bowles will be known as HRH Princess Consort – but not Queen Camilla.

That decision was made by the couple, Charles’ Clarence House office said, and was not imposed on them because of Parker Bowles’ divorcee status.

Princess Diana lost her HRH status when she was divorced – a point that angered her and was criticized by the public and the media.

In 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson and they became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, he was said to have been deeply angry and hurt that the HRH was withheld from his wife.

As the royal family modernizes, there are likely to be fewer HRHs.

Charles’ younger brother, Prince Edward, announced in 2003 that his newborn daughter would not receive the HRH, nor would any more children he and his wife, Sophie, might have.

Every wife of a reigning British king has been known as Queen Consort except Queen Mary II, who was joint sovereign with King William III. She was queen in her own right and together they reigned from 1689 to 1694.