'queen' camilla heartbreak: duchess still 'divides public opinion'
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At the time of their wedding in 2005 Clarence House announced Camilla would be known as "Princess Consort" on Charles's ascension to the throne. The decision was made to
appease the British public's sympathies towards Charles's first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. However, the title Camilla ultimately takes will be up to Prince Charles to decide as
sovereign. In answer to the question 'Will Camilla become Queen Camilla?', the UCL constitution unit website states: "Under common law the spouse of a King automatically
becomes Queen. "But there are two possible reasons why Camilla might not assume the title. "The first is the argument that Camilla cannot become Queen because her 2005 civil
marriage to Prince Charles was not valid. "The argument runs as follows: because the Marriage Acts from 1753 have explicitly excepted royal marriages from their provisions, the only
valid marriage which a member of the royal family could contract in England was a religious marriage in the Church of England. "The Lord Chancellor in 2005 defended the validity of the
Prince's civil marriage, as did the Registrar General.