Queen of England marks 70th anniversary of her rule

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II remembered the past and sought to cement the future of the monarchy Sunday as the United Kingdom marked the 70th anniversary of her rule.

In remarks delivered in time for Sunday morning’s front pages, the monarch expressed a “sincere wish” that Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, should be known as “Queen Consort” when her son succeeds her as expected.

With those words, Elizabeth sought to answer once and for all questions about the status of Camilla, who was initially shunned by fans of the late Princess Diana, Charles’ first wife.

“The queen is such a realist and, you know, she’s got a business to run,” historian Robert Lacey said.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch, the only sovereign most Britons have ever known, Queen Elizabeth II has been a constant presence as Britain navigated the end of empire, the swinging ’60s, the labor strife of the 1980s, international terrorism, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her statement Sunday, the monarch remembered the death of her father, King George VI, which elevated her to the throne, and recalled the seven decades of “extraordinary progress” that her reign has spanned.

The queen, now 95, also renewed the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to devote her entire life to the service of the U.K. and the Commonwealth.

But it was her comments about Camilla that made news.

It took years for many in Britain to forgive Charles, whose admitted infidelity and long-time links to Camilla torpedoed his marriage to Diana, known as “the People’s Princess.”