British writer Peter Hitchens says he will not call Camilla Parker Bowles Queen, citing his faith in the Church of England and what he described as provocation from major outlets that refer to her by the title. Speaking on the Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast, he said he has no personal animosity toward Camilla but that his church affiliation prevents him from using the title.
On the podcast, Hitchens argued that King Charles has framed himself as a strong traditionalist in the church, making the insistence on calling Camilla Queen appear contradictory. He said the palace push to use the title stems from media pressure and royal protocol rather than a neutral public expectation.
Context surrounding the dispute includes the Church of England’s evolving stance on remarriage after divorce. The church changed its position in 2002 to allow remarriage in certain circumstances, a shift that traditionalists within the church argue Camilla should have avoided by remaining Queen Consort.
Charles and Camilla were married in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005, at Windsor Guildhall, followed by a religious blessing at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, Camilla was initially named Queen Consort, but the Palace later changed invitations to Charles’s coronation to refer to her as Queen. Since then, official communications from the Palace have styled Camilla as Her Majesty The Queen. Hitchens, however, says this shift conflicts with what he describes as old and ancient law that underpins Charles’s own legitimacy as monarch. He emphasizes that his stance is not born of personal animosity but from a strict adherence to traditional royal protocol.
Columnist Sarah Vine, who co-hosts the program with Hitchens, disagreed with him, saying she understands not referring to Camilla as Queen but believes the couple should have been allowed to marry. She argued for personal happiness in presumably public life, while Hitchens countered that the matter is rooted in historic precedent. He invoked the Edward VIII precedent—where a monarch gave up the throne for personal happiness—as a point of contrast, arguing that Charles is pursuing both tradition and the throne. The debate is available on the Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast for listeners seeking the full discussion.