Spouse of a reigning British monarch
A
royal consort
is the spouse of a reigning monarch. Consorts of
British monarchs
have no constitutional status or power but many have had significant influence, and support the sovereign in his or her duties.
[1]
There have been 11 royal consorts since Britain's union of the crowns in 1707, eight women and three men.
Prince Philip
, the husband of
Queen Elizabeth II
, is the longest-serving and oldest-ever consort, and served for nearly 70 years until
his death
in 2021. Since the accession of
Charles III
on 8 September 2022, his wife
Camilla
has held the position of queen consort.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Since the
union of England and Scotland in 1707
, there have been eleven consorts of the British monarch.
[3]
Queens between 1727 and 1814 were also Electress of
Hanover
, as their husbands all held the title of
Elector of Hanover
.
[4]
Between 1814 and 1837, queens held the title as Queen of Hanover, as their husbands were
kings of Hanover
.
[5]
The
personal union
with the United Kingdom ended in 1837 on the accession of
Queen Victoria
because the succession laws (
Salic Law
) in Hanover prevented a female inheriting the title if there was any surviving male heir (in the United Kingdom, a male took precedence over only his own sisters, until the
Succession to the Crown Act 2013
which removed
male primogeniture
).
[6]
In the
Austro-Prussian War
of 1866, Hanover was annexed by
Prussia
and became the
Province of Hanover
.
[7]
Not all wives of monarchs have become consorts, as they may have died, been divorced before their husbands' acceding to the throne, or married after abdication. Such cases include
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle
, wife of
George, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Luneburg
(later King George I);
Wallis Warfield
, wife of
Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor
(the former King Edward VIII); and
Lady Diana Spencer
, wife of
Charles, Prince of Wales
(later King Charles III).
Only George I and Edward VIII were unmarried throughout their reigns.
[8]
Since 1937, the sovereign's consort and the first four individuals in the
line of succession
who are over 21 may be appointed
counsellors of state
. Counsellors of state perform some of the sovereign's duties in the United Kingdom while the sovereign is out of the country or temporarily incapacitated.
[9]
Style
[
edit
]
Female consorts
[
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]
The wife of the reigning king as his consort is styled as "Her Majesty The Queen" during her husband's reign and "Her Majesty Queen [first name]" upon her husband's death. The Queen is referred to as "Her Majesty" and addressed as "Your Majesty". Since
her coronation
in 2023, the current royal consort, Queen Camilla, has also been styled as "Her Majesty The Queen" per tradition. Camilla was styled as "Her Majesty The Queen Consort" preceding the coronation to distinguish her from her then recently deceased mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, who as a
queen regnant
was also styled as "Her Majesty The Queen".
[10]
[11]
Male consorts
[
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]
The husband of a reigning queen does not share the regal title and style of his wife, and the three men who served as consort held various titles. The title of “Prince Consort” has only been held by
Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert
- Prince George of Denmark
, husband of
Queen Anne
, never received an official style as the consort, his princely title being Danish, but was raised to the
peerage of England
as the
Duke of Cumberland
in 1689, several years before his wife's accession in 1702.
- Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, husband of
Queen Victoria
, did not take a British peerage title but was granted the title of
Prince Consort
as a distinct title in 1857, the only male consort of the United Kingdom or its predecessor realms to have held the title. Victoria wished to style him as
King Consort
, but the government would not allow it.
- Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark
, husband of
Queen Elizabeth II
, was raised to the
peerage
as
Duke of Edinburgh
in 1947, five years before his wife's accession, and was made a
prince of the United Kingdom
in 1957.
Coronation
[
edit
]
Queens consort participate in the coronation ceremony, undertaking many of the same ceremonies as the monarch. Queens traditionally wear elaborate robes and walk in the procession under a canopy. They have also been anointed with holy oil and been crowned. Traditionally, male consorts are not crowned or anointed during the coronation ceremony.
[12]
An unusual case was
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
, who had separated from her husband,
George IV
, before his accession, became queen consort by law but had no position at court and was forcibly barred from attending
his coronation
and being crowned.
[13]
Regalia
[
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]
The earliest surviving consort's crown is
that created in 1685
for
Mary of Modena
. In the early-20th century, new crowns were created for each queen consort in turn. However,
Queen Camilla
did not have a new crown created for
her coronation
in 2023 and she was crowned using the 1911
Crown of Queen Mary
.
[14]
The
Queen Consort's Ring
was first created for the coronation of
Queen Adelaide
in 1831, and has been used by queens consort ever since.
[14]
The
Queen Consort's Rod with Dove
represents 'equity and mercy' and the dove, with its folded wings, is symbolic of the Holy Ghost. The
Queen Consort's Sceptre with Cross
, originally made for the coronation of Mary of Modena in 1685, is inlaid with rock crystals.
[14]
List of consorts
[
edit
]
Picture
|
Name
|
Arms
|
Birth
|
Marriage
|
Became consort
|
Coronation
|
Ceased to be consort
|
Death
|
Grave site
|
Tenure
|
Spouse
|
|
George
of Denmark and Norway
|
|
2 April 1653
Son of
Frederick III of Denmark and Norway
and
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg
|
28 July 1683
|
1 May 1707
Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain; became consort to the monarch of
England
and
Scotland
upon spouse's accession 8 March 1702
|
Not crowned
|
28 October 1708
55 years, 209 days
|
Westminster Abbey
|
1 year, 180 days
|
Anne
|
|
Wilhelmina Charlotte
Caroline
of Brandenburg-Ansbach
|
|
1 March 1683
Daughter of
John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
and
Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach
|
22 August 1705
|
11 June 1727
Spouse's accession
|
11 October 1727
|
20 November 1737
54 years, 172 days
|
10 years, 162 days
|
George II
|
|
Sophia
Charlotte
of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
|
|
19 May 1744
Daughter of
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow
and
Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen
|
8 September 1761
Marriage to the monarch
|
22 September 1761
|
17 November 1818
74 years, 126 days
|
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
|
57 years, 70 days
|
George III
|
|
Caroline
Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
|
|
17 May 1768
Daughter of
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
and
Augusta of Great Britain
|
8 April 1795
|
29 January 1820
Spouse's accession
|
Not crowned
|
7 August 1821
53 years, 72 days
|
Brunswick Cathedral
|
1 year, 190 days
|
George IV
|
|
Adelaide
Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline of Saxe-Meiningen
|
|
13 August 1792
Daughter of
Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
and
Louise Eleanore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
|
13 July 1818
|
26 June 1830
Spouse's accession
|
8 September 1831
|
20 June 1837
Spouse's death
|
2 December 1849
56 years, 311 days
|
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
|
6 years, 359 days
|
William IV
|
|
Franz August Karl
Albert
Emanuel of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
|
|
26 August 1819
Son of
Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
and
Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
|
10 February 1840
Marriage to the monarch
|
Not crowned
|
14 December 1861
42 years, 110 days
|
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
, then
Frogmore Royal Mausoleum
|
21 years, 307 days
|
Victoria
|
|
Alexandra
Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia of Denmark
|
|
1 December 1844
Daughter of
Christian IX of Denmark
and
Louise of Hesse-Kassel
|
10 March 1863
|
22 January 1901
Spouse's accession
|
9 August 1902
|
6 May 1910
Spouse's death
|
20 November 1925
80 years, 354 days
|
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
|
9 years, 104 days
|
Edward VII
|
|
Victoria
Mary
Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck
|
|
26 May 1867
Daughter of
Francis, Duke of Teck
and
Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
|
6 July 1893
|
6 May 1910
Spouse's accession
|
22 June 1911
|
20 January 1936
Spouse's death
|
24 March 1953
85 years, 302 days
|
25 years, 259 days
|
George V
|
|
Elizabeth
Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon
|
|
4 August 1900
Daughter of
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
and
Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck
|
26 April 1923
|
11 December 1936
Spouse's accession
|
12 May 1937
|
6 February 1952
Spouse's death
|
30 March 2002
101 years, 238 days
|
15 years, 57 days
|
George VI
|
|
Philip
of Greece and Denmark
|
|
10 June 1921
Son of
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
and
Princess Alice of Battenberg
|
20 November 1947
|
6 February 1952
Spouse's accession
|
Not crowned
|
9 April 2021
99 years, 303 days
|
69 years, 62 days
|
Elizabeth II
|
|
Camilla
Rosemary Shand
|
|
17 July 1947
Daughter of
Bruce Shand
and
The Honourable
Rosalind Cubitt
|
9 April 2005
|
8 September 2022
Spouse's accession
|
6 May 2023
|
Incumbent
Age:
76 years, 343 days
|
Living
|
1 year, 291 days
|
Charles III
|
Timeline
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Royal consorts in England until 1603
| Royal consorts in Scotland until 1603
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Spouses of debatable or disputed rulers are in
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