Princess Diana's Fans Are Absolutely Infuriated With King Charles

Shortly after Queen Elizabeth II's tragic death, her successor, Charles, was proclaimed king. From here on, he will be recognized as King Charles III, and in his first speech as Britain's monarch, he vowed to "uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation" with "unswerving devotion" as his mother did, per The Guardian. He pledged to serve the United Kingdom and its territories "with loyalty, respect, and love, as I have throughout my life.

King Charles went on to name William the Prince of Wales, passing on to him the Scottish titles "which have meant so much to me." With Catherine becoming Princess of Wales, Charles expects them to "continue to inspire and lead our national conversations." He also made sure to "express my love" for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as the two "continue to build their lives overseas."

All these things are pretty standard, but there's a part of the king's speech that irked fans everywhere, and it involves Camilla Parker Bowles. Elsewhere in his address, Charles said he counts on the "loving help of my darling wife, Camilla" to continue his charity work, making sure to highlight that she is now "my Queen Consort." This struck a chord with fans who firmly believe that she's not worthy of such a title.

Fans did not mince their words when it came to sharing their feelings about Camilla Parker Bowles being hailed as queen consort. These fans made it clear that they still support Princess Diana, King Charles' former wife who tragically died 25 years ago. Diana never got the chance to be called queen, given her untimely death, and even then, she had already separated from Charles due to his not-so-secret affair with Camilla.

"Charles really cheated on Princess Diana for Rottweiler Camilla. Like it's not even making sense. The bar is so low. And no one's even gonna respect nor acknowledge her as queen consort but just a mistress. I mean can they just skip Charles?" one fan said. "I listened to King Charles III speech. I couldn't help but think it was exactly what was expected but somehow hollow. I'll never be ok w/Camilla as the Queen Consort. What Charles & Camilla did to Princess Diana was unforgivable & just bc time has passed doesn't mean we forget," voiced out another. "Elizabeth is dead. Charles now sits on the throne. It's not right that Camilla gets to be the queen consort. That title will always belong to the beautiful queen of our hearts, Princess Diana!" tweeted a staunch Diana supporter.

Even though Camilla's popularity has improved over the years, it's quite clear there are still people who found her affair with Charles unforgivable.

King Charles III and Princess Diana's previous marriage was anything but a fairytale. The couple famously married in July 1981, but their relationship was doomed from the start. Charles had already been in love with Camilla Parker Bowles, as the two had dated before he married Diana, but they didn't end up together because it was known that she already had "experiences" with other men, per Biography.

Camilla ended up marrying Andrew Parker Bowles, while Charles was betrothed to Diana. However, in the middle of their marriage, Charles struck up an extramarital affair with Camilla, and Diana was privy to it all. In 1995, Diana directly addressed the issue in an interview with BBC One's Panorama, saying, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Diana also reportedly confronted Camilla, per The Telegraph. "I know what's going on between you and Charles and I just want you to know that," Diana said in an audiotape she had made for her biographer. "I do know what's going on. Don't treat me like an idiot.'"

In 1993, the Mirror published a transcript of Charles and Camilla's phone call from 1989, where they spoke about the intimate nature of their relationship. It had been a huge scandal then, and Charles didn't address it until a year later when he admitted to the affair. "Yes, yes," he said in a documentary when asked if he had been loyal to Diana. "Until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried." Come 1996, he and Diana finalized their divorce.

It's worth noting that Camilla Parker Bowles' queen consort title has nothing to do with any official roles in the royal family. Per USA Today, the title is just a fancy term for the wife of a reigning king, and its function is akin to being the first lady of the United States. While there's high visibility and pressure, there is essentially no job description, and she's only expected to support the king to her fullest capacity.

It's hard to imagine she who was once the "most hated woman in Britain" (via the Independent) is now queen consort. She was also called all sorts of names in the media up until Queen Elizabeth II publicly acknowledged her in her Diamond Jubilee speech. "I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," she said at the time, per the Associated Press.

Over the years, the palace also made strides in turning Camilla's image around, which seems to have helped considerably. According to a YouGov poll, 39% of the public accepts her queen consort title, while 20% think she should be an actual queen. Then again, there's still the 23% who believe Camilla should not have any title at all, perhaps out of respect to the late Diana.