Queen and 'Queen Consort'?

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King Charles III now presides over the British monarchy. And by his side:Queen Camilla.

Queen Elizabeth settled Camila's title  rather firmly when she issued a message on her jubilee, saying that it is her "sincere wish" that Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, should be called"Queen Consort."

So what is a 'queen consort'?

It's the fancy name for the wife of a reigning king, which the United Kingdom has not had since 1952 when King George VI died and his widow, Queen Elizabeth, became the Queen Mother. 

As with the first lady of the United States, there's no job description, no official duties and no salary. But there's high visibility, high pressure and high expectations from the public whose taxes pay for the monarchy.

In general, a queen consort's job is to support the king in any way she can. Job No. 1 is to birth heirs, but this isn't an issue for Charles, 73, and Camilla, 75, who each have children from theirprevious marriages.

As the wife of the Prince of Wales, Camilla has already been doing what a queen consort would do: She is a royal patron to scores of charities and good causes, accompanies her husband on royal tours, and meets thousands ofpeople every year.

As queen consort, she will never get involved in politics, or sneak a peek into one of the red government despatch boxes full of official eyes-only documents that follow the sovereign around wherever he or she goes.