List of British royal consorts

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 their duties.; ; There have been 11 royal consorts since the Acts of Union in 1707, eight women and three men.
Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is the longest-serving consort, whilst his mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is the longest-lived consort. Since the accession of Charles III on 8 September 2022, his wife Camilla has held the position of queen consort.
==History==
Since the union of England and Scotland in 1707, there have been eleven consorts of the British monarch. Queens between 1727 and 1814 were also Electresses of Hanover, as their husbands all held the title of Elector of Hanover. Between 1814 and 1837, queens held the title as Queen of Hanover, as their husbands were kings of Hanover. 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). In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia and became the Province of Hanover.
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-Lüneburg (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.
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.
==Style==
===Female consorts===
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".
===Male consorts===
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==
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.
An unusual case was Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, 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.
===Regalia===
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.
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.
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.
==List of consorts==
Picture	Name 	Arms	Birth 	Marriage 	Became consort 	Title whilst consort (British titles only)	Style whilst consort (British styles only)	Coronation 	Ceased to be consort 	Death 	Grave site 	Tenure	Spouse
 	George of Denmark and Norway 	 	2 April 1653Son ofFrederick III of Denmark and Norway andSophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg 	28 July 1683 	1 May 1707Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain; became consort to the monarch of England and Scotland upon spouse's accession 8 March 1702	Duke of Cumberland 	His Royal Highness 	Not crowned 	28 October 1708 	28 October 1708 	Westminster Abbey 	 	Anne
 	Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach 	 	1 March 1683Daughter ofJohn Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-AnsbachandEleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach 	22 August 1705 	11 June 1727Spouse's accession 	Queen of Great Britain 	Her Majesty 	11 October 1727 	20 November 1737 	20 November 1737	Westminster Abbey 	 	George II
 	Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 	 	19 May 1744Daughter ofDuke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of MirowandElisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen	8 September 1761Marriage to the monarch	8 September 1761Marriage to the monarch 	Queen of Great Britain/United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	22 September 1761	17 November 1818 	17 November 1818	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	George III
 	Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 	 	17 May 1768Daughter ofCharles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelandAugusta of Great Britain 	8 April 1795 	29 January 1820Spouse's accession 	Queen of United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	Not crowned 	7 August 1821 	7 August 1821 	Brunswick Cathedral 	 	George IV
 	Maria Anne Fitzherbert 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline of Saxe-Meiningen 	 	13 August 1792Daughter ofGeorg I, Duke of Saxe-MeiningenandLouise Eleanore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 	13 July 1818 	26 June 1830Spouse's accession 	Queen of the United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	8 September 1831 	20 June 1837Spouse's death 	2 December 1849 	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	William IV
 	Francis Augustus Charles Albert Emmanuel of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	 	26 August 1819Son ofErnest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaandLouise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 	10 February 1840Marriage to the monarch	10 February 1840Marriage to the monarch 	None (until 1857) 
Prince Consort (from 1857)	His Royal Highness 	Not crowned 	14 December 1861 	14 December 1861	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, then Frogmore Royal Mausoleum	 	Victoria
 	Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia of Denmark 	 	1 December 1844Daughter ofChristian IX of DenmarkandLouise of Hesse-Kassel 	10 March 1863 	22 January 1901Spouse's accession 	Queen of the United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	9 August 1902 	6 May 1910Spouse's death 	20 November 1925	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	Edward VII
 	Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck 	 	26 May 1867Daughter ofFrancis, Duke of TeckandPrincess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge 	6 July 1893 	6 May 1910Spouse's accession 	Queen of the United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	22 June 1911 	20 January 1936Spouse's death	24 March 1953 	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	George V
 	Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon 	 	4 August 1900Daughter ofClaude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and KinghorneandCecilia Cavendish-Bentinck 	26 April 1923 	11 December 1936Spouse's accession 	Queen of the United Kingdom 	Her Majesty 	12 May 1937 	6 February 1952Spouse's death	30 March 2002 	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	George VI
 	Philip of Greece and Denmark 	 	10 June 1921Son ofPrince Andrew of Greece and DenmarkandPrincess Alice of Battenberg 	20 November 1947 	6 February 1952Spouse's accession 	Duke of Edinburgh
Prince of the United Kingdom (from 1957)	His Royal Highness 	Not crowned 	9 April 2021 	9 April 2021 	St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 	 	Elizabeth II
 	Camilla Rosemary Shand 	 	17 July 1947Daughter ofBruce ShandandThe Honourable Rosalind Cubitt 	9 April 2005 	8 September 2022Spouse's accession 	Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (until 2023)
Queen of the United Kingdom (from 2023)	Her Majesty 	6 May 2023 	Incumbent Age: 	Incumbent Age: 	Living 	 	Charles III
==Timeline==
==References==
==External links==
*www.royalty.nu
 
 
Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (United Kingdom)
Category:Lists of queens
Consorts
British
Consorts