Queen Camilla was presented with the Canadian Forces’ Decoration by Brigadier-General Dwayne Parsons during a reception at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. She was awarded the medal during a reception of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in recognition of her 12 years of service as colonel-in-chief – but eagle-eyed fans have noticed an error in the engraving.
The gold decoration, which is usually bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed 12 years of military service, has been engraved with “the Duchess of Cornwall” – the Queen Consort’s old title.
The inscription can be seen on the bottom edge of the medal, in capital letters.
Camilla no longer holds this title and it now belongs to her daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales. This change happened after King Charles acceded the throne last September.
The error suggests that the medal was made before 8 September 2022 – the date the Queen died and Charles became King.
From that moment, Charles automatically became King and as his wife, Camilla became Her Royal Highness, the Queen Consort – a title the Queen insisted she take upon her death only months earlier.
Camilla had held the Duchess of Cornwall title for almost two decades, having been awarded it after her marriage to Charles in April 2005.
She was given this title as it is the feminine version of one of Charles’s titles when they married.
The title of Duke of Cornwall is traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch.
Camilla did not become the Princess of Wales because the title was strongly associated with Charles’s first wife, Princess Diana.
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Camilla welcomed a number of guests at Buckingham Palace for the reception of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.
This included guests from the Canadian Military, Canadian High Commission and spouses of the QORC individuals.
The QORC is a Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based in Toronto.
