According to Queen Elizabeth II, Duchess Camilla should one day bear the title of Queen alongside the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.

"It is my sincere wish that when the time comes, Camilla will be known as the 'Queen Consort,'" the monarch wrote in a statement released by the palace on Saturday, the eve of her 70th jubilee.

Prince Charles (73) and his wife Camilla (74) said they were "touched and honored" by the Queen's gesture.

That the wives of kings are crowned as "Queen Consort" ("king consort") is actually the rule.

This was also the case with the mother and grandmother of the current Queen.

However, in the case of Camilla, who was blamed for breaking up Prince Charles and Princess Diana decades ago, the issue has long been moot.

Around Charles' and Camilla's wedding in 2005, there was a heated public debate about whether Camilla should one day bear the title or not.

According to insiders, Camilla herself has long planned to call herself "Princess Consort" when her husband succeeds to the throne.

According to experts, Camilla - still known by her official title as the Duchess of Cornwall - would have become the legal queen anyway.

Unless a corresponding change in the law were introduced to prevent that.

Queen shows appreciation for Camilla

With her public statement, however, Elizabeth II has finally ended this debate and taken Camilla's acceptance in the British royal family to a new level.

In recent years, Camilla has become increasingly popular with the British people and has established herself as a prominent member of the royal family.

The 74-year-old is considered approachable in public appearances, down-to-earth and humorous.

No early abdication

The announcement makes it clear that the 95-year-old Queen is making arrangements for the future of the monarchy after her death.

At the same time, she reaffirmed her decades-old promise to serve her people until the end of her life.

"It gives me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947 that my life would always be dedicated to service," the statement said.

For decades, the statement made by the Queen in 1947, before the start of her reign, has been seen as a promise that she would not abdicate before the end of her life.

In an address at the time, she said, "I declare that my whole life, short or long, should be dedicated to service."

The 70th anniversary this Sunday is the first anniversary of her accession to the throne, which the Queen must celebrate without her husband Prince Philip, who died last year.

Elizabeth's father George VI

died February 6, 1952, making his eldest daughter Queen.

No monarch before her has held the throne of the United Kingdom longer than Elizabeth II.