A royal consort is the spouse of a reigning king or queen. Consorts of monarchs of the United Kingdom and its predecessors have no constitutional status or power but many have had significant influence.[2] There have been 11 royal consorts since Britain's union of the crowns in 1707, eight women, and three men.
Prince Philip, the longest-served and oldest-ever consort, died aged 99 after having served for nearly 70 years. His mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who died aged 101, lived longer than any other royal consort, but at the time of her death she did not hold the position of consort, as her husband King George VI had died 50 years before her.[3]
After the death of Prince Philip, the position of royal consort was vacant until the death of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022. Camilla became the queen consort upon the accession of Elizabeth II's eldest son, Charles III, as King.[4]
Since the union of England and Scotland in 1707, there have been eleven consorts of the British monarch.[5] Queens between 1727 and 1814 were also Electress of Hanover, as their husbands all held the title of Elector of Hanover.[6] Between 1814 and 1837, queens held the title as Queen of Hanover, as their husbands were Kings of Hanover.[7] 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).[8] In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia and became the Province of Hanover.[9]
The wife of the reigning King has typically been styled as "Her Majesty The Queen" and is addressed as "Her Majesty" or "Your Majesty" (When addressing directly). While upon Charles III's accession to the throne Camilla's legal title became "Her Majesty The Queen";[10], she has been styled "Her Majesty The Queen Consort".[11] Buckingham Palace has stated that whether Camilla will eventually be known as "Her Majesty The Queen", as queen consorts traditionally are, is "a question for the future".[12]
The husband of a reigning Queen is addressed according to the style he has either been given upon marriage, or prior to marriage - he does not automatically share the same titles, style and honour of his wife.
Not all wives of monarchs have become consorts, as they may have died, been divorced prior to their husbands' ascending the throne, or married after abdication. Such cases include:
1. Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle, wife of George, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the future King George I), married 22 November 1682, divorced 28 December 1694, died 13 November 1726.
2. Lady Diana Spencer, wife of Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles III), married 29 July 1981, divorced 28 August 1996, died 31 August 1997.
Wallis Warfield, wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII), married 3 June 1937, widowed 28 May 1972, died 24 April 1986.
An unusual case was Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who had separated from her husband George IV prior to his accession, became queen consort by law but had no position at court and was forcibly barred from attending George IV's coronation and being crowned.[13]
Only George I and Edward VIII were unmarried throughout their reigns.[14]
While all British female consorts were automatically styled as queen, the titles of the three male consorts were inconsistent.
Charles III ascended the throne following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. His heir apparent is William, Prince of Wales, whose wife Catherine, Princess of Wales is presumed to become the next queen consort.
| Picture | Name | Arms | Birth | Marriage | Became consort | Coronation | Ceased to be consort | Death | Resting place | Tenure | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George of Denmark and Norway | 2 April 1653 Son of Frederick III of Denmark and Norway and Duchess Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
28 July 1683 | 1 May 1707 Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain; previously English royal consort since spouse's accession 8 March 1702 |
Not crowned | 28 October 1708 55 years, 209 days |
Westminster Abbey | 1 year, 180 days | Anne | |||
| Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach | 1 March 1683 Daughter of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach |
22 August 1705 | 11 June 1727 Spouse's accession |
11 October 1727 | 20 November 1737 54 years, 172 days |
Westminster Abbey | 10 years, 162 days | George II | |||
| Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 19 May 1744 Daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg, Prince of Mirow and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
8 September 1761 | 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 | |||
| Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | 17 May 1768 Daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess 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 | |||
| Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen | 13 August 1792 Daughter of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Princess 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 | ||
| Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 26 August 1819 Son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
10 February 1840 | 10 February 1840 Marriage to the monarch |
Not crowned | 14 December 1861 42 years, 110 days |
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle then Frogmore Mausoleum | 21 years, 307 days | Victoria | |||
| Princess Alexandra of Denmark | 1 December 1844 Daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and Princess 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 | ||
| Princess Mary of Teck | 26 May 1867 Daughter of Prince 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 | |||
| Lady Elizabeth 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 | |||
| Prince 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 Hon. Rosalind Cubitt |
9 April 2005 | 8 September 2022 Spouse's accession |
6 May 2023 | Incumbent Age: 75 years, 165 days |
Living | 113 days | Charles III | |||
![Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving royal consort in world history[1]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Postage_Stamp_Depicting_Queen_Elizabeth_II_and_Prince_Philip_1953_%2811457019104%29.jpg/400px-Postage_Stamp_Depicting_Queen_Elizabeth_II_and_Prince_Philip_1953_%2811457019104%29.jpg)
