LONDON, Feb 10: Camilla Parker Bowles will be known as the Princess Consort, and not Queen Camilla, once Prince Charles becomes King Charles III, his official residence said on Thursday.

Clarence House added that once the couple marry on April 8, Parker Bowles will use the formal title Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall - an automatic choice, since her husband-to-be is already Duke of Cornwall.

Charles's former wife, Princess Diana, was formally known as Diana, Princess of Wales - a title she kept after her divorce from Charles, who is also Prince of Wales, in 1996, a year before she died in a Paris car crash.

While Parker Bowles' title will sound modest by comparison, she will nevertheless be the most senior female royal after Queen Elizabeth, who at 78 is in brisk health.

As Duchess of Cornwall, she will take precedence within the royal family as the wife of the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. But unlike her sister-in-law Princess Anne, known as the Princess Royal, her importance solely relies upon marriage.

She will have no constitutional role, but will be invited to state and national occasions at the queen's invitation.

The concept of Princess Consort recalls the era of Britain's 19th century Queen Victoria, whose beloved husband Prince Albert was honoured by the title Prince Consort.-AFP