List of British royal consorts facts for kids

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-serving royal consort.

A royal consort is the husband or wife of a reigning king or queen. These consorts in Britain do not have official government power. However, many have been very important and have helped the monarch with their duties. Since Britain joined together in 1707, there have been 11 royal consorts. Eight of them were women and three were men.

Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-serving consort. He was also the oldest ever. He served for almost 70 years until he passed away in 2021. When Charles III became king on September 8, 2022, his wife Camilla became the queen consort.

History of British Royal Consorts

Since England and Scotland joined together in 1707, there have been eleven consorts of the British monarch. Queens between 1727 and 1814 were also Electress of Hanover. This was because their husbands were Electors of Hanover. From 1814 to 1837, queens were also Queen of Hanover. Their husbands were kings of Hanover.

The connection with Hanover ended in 1837. This happened when Queen Victoria became queen. Hanover's laws meant a woman could not inherit the title if there was a male heir. In the United Kingdom, a male only took priority over his own sisters. This rule changed with the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. In 1866, Hanover became part of Prussia.

Not all wives of monarchs have become consorts. Some died before their husbands became king. Others divorced before their husbands took the throne. Some married after their husbands gave up the throne. Examples include Sophia Dorothea of Celle, who was the wife of the future King George I. Another was Wallis Warfield, wife of the former King Edward VIII. Also, Lady Diana Spencer, wife of the future King Charles III, was not a consort.

Only George I and Edward VIII were unmarried during their time as king.

Since 1937, the monarch's consort can become a counsellors of state. The first four people in the line to the throne who are over 21 can also be appointed. Counsellors of state help with some of the monarch's duties. They do this when the monarch is out of the country. They also help if the monarch cannot perform their duties for a short time.

Royal Consort Titles and Styles

The wife of a reigning king is called "Her Majesty The Queen." This is during her husband's reign. After her husband's death, she is called "Her Majesty Queen [first name]." People refer to her as "Her Majesty" and speak to her as "Your Majesty."

Since her coronation in 2023, Camilla, the current royal consort, is also called "Her Majesty The Queen." This follows tradition. At first, she was called "Her Majesty The Queen Consort." This was to show she was different from Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II had recently passed away. As a queen regnant (a queen who rules), she was also called "Her Majesty The Queen."

Male Consorts: Husbands of Queens

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria, is the only male consort to be awarded the title Prince Consort.

The husband of a reigning queen does not share her royal title. The three husbands who have been consorts have had different titles.

• Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne, did not get an official title as consort. His princely title was Danish. He was made the Duke of Cumberland in 1689. This was several years before his wife became queen in 1702.
• Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband of Queen Victoria, did not take a British noble title. He was given the title of Prince Consort in 1857. He is the only male consort in the UK to have held this title. Queen Victoria wanted to call him King Consort, but the government did not allow it.
• Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was made Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. This was five years before his wife became queen. He was made a prince of the United Kingdom in 1957.

Coronation Ceremony for Consorts

The Coronation of King George V: King George V and Queen Mary Enthroned by Laurits Tuxen, 1912

Queens consort take part in the coronation ceremony. They go through many of the same traditions as the monarch. Queens traditionally wear fancy robes. They walk in the procession under a special canopy. They are also anointed with holy oil and crowned. Traditionally, male consorts are not crowned or anointed during the ceremony.

There was an unusual case with Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She had separated from her husband, George IV, before he became king. She became queen consort by law. However, she had no place at court. She was not allowed to attend his coronation and was not crowned.

Royal Regalia: Crowns and Sceptres

The oldest surviving crown for a consort was made in 1685 for Mary of Modena. In the early 1900s, new crowns were made for each queen consort. However, Queen Camilla did not have a new crown made for her coronation in 2023. She was crowned using the 1911 Crown of Queen Mary.

The Queen Consort's Ring was first made for the coronation of Queen Adelaide in 1831. Queens consort have used it ever since.

The Queen Consort's Rod with Dove stands for 'fairness and kindness'. The dove, with its folded wings, is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. The Queen Consort's Sceptre with Cross was first made for Mary of Modena's coronation in 1685. It has clear rock crystals on it.

List of British Royal Consorts

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-Wolfenbüttel		17 May 1768 Daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 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: 77 years, 335 days		Living	2 years, 283 days	Charles III

Timeline of British Royal Consorts

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Consortes británicos para niños