Queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of similar yet distinct monarchical concepts in non-European cultures around the world. " Queen Mother" usually, in English, refers to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (queen consort, 1936–1952; queen mother, 1952–2002), who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and one of the few people to use the term as an official style . However, it is also used as an official title in Thailand where, Sirikit, the mother of the present king, is officially styled “The Queen Mother”. Status. A queen mother is often a queen dowager, a widow of a king, who is simultaneously a former queen consort and the mother of the current monarch. As there is only one monarch, there can only be one queen mother. It is unclear if a queen consort whose husband abdicates the throne, or a queen regnant who abdicates, and is the mother of the current monarch would be the queen mother. In many countries , such as the United Kingdom, a monarch loses the title of king or queen after abdication. For example, Juliana of the Netherlands, who abdicated and was succeeded by her daughter Beatrix, was sometimes colloquially referred to as the queen mother despite declining the title and having reverted back to being a princess. Queen Paola of Belgium, whose husband Albert II abdicated but retained the title of king, has generally been referred to as the queen mother of Philippe despite not being a queen dowager. Britain. The title "queen mother" evolved to distinguish a queen dowager from all other queens when  she is also the mother of the reigning sovereign. Thus, upon the death of her husband, King George V, Queen Mary became queen mother, retaining the status throughout the reigns of her sons, Edward VIII and George VI. The title also distinguishes former queens consort from those who are simply the mother of the current monarch. For example, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was "the queen's mother" when her daughter Victoria became queen regnant, but she was "not" "queen mother" as her husband was never a king. The title in British usage is purely a courtesy title. While  the wife of a king is called "queen", there is no constitutional or statutory recognition of "queen mother" as a title. There is no male equivalent to a queen mother (i.e. "king father"). This would occur only if the husband of a queen regnant outlived the queen and was thereafter father to the new king or queen. Such a situation has never occurred. Since the title "queen mother" derives from the woman's previous title of "queen", it would also be incongruous to call such a father of a monarch the "king father", as the husbands of queens regnant are  not given the title "king", but rather titled as a prince. The exact title such a person would assume has not been clarified by royal lineage experts. "Prince father" is a possibility. Ottoman Empire. In the Ottoman Empire, "valide sultan" () or sultana mother was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan. The title was first used in the 16th century for Hafsa Sultan, consort of Selim I and mother of Suleiman the Magnificent, superseding the previous title of "mehd-i ülya" ("cradle of the great"). The Turkish pronunciation of the word "Valide" is . The position was perhaps  the most important position in the Ottoman Empire after the sultan himself. As the mother to the sultan, by Islamic tradition ("A mother's right is God's right"), the valide sultan would have a significant influence on the affairs of the empire. She had great power in the court and her own rooms (always adjacent to her son's) and state staff. In particular during the 17th century, in a period known as the "Sultanate of Women", a series of incompetent or child sultans raised the role of the valide sultan to new heights. Ancient Israel. The Israelites had  in the Kingdom of Judah a title called "Gebirah" which can be translated to Queen Mother. The mother of the Jewish Monarch was given high rank and status among the Israelites. India. In India, a queen (usually styled rani, or in the Muslim tradition, begum) who becomes queen-mother is known in Sanskrit and Hindi as a rajamata - literally, mother of the king/monarch. Africa. In Eswatini, the queen mother, or Ndlovukati, reigns alongside her son. She serves as a ceremonial figurehead, while her son serves as the administrative head of state. He has absolute power. She is important at  festivals such as the annual reed dance ceremony. In many matrilineal societies of West Africa, such as the Ashanti, the queen mother is the one through whom royal descent is reckoned and thus wields considerable power. One of the greatest leaders of Ashanti was Nana Yaa Asantewaa (1840–1921), who led her subjects against the British Empire during the War of the Golden Stool in 1900. In more symbolically driven societies such as the kingdoms of the Yoruba peoples, the "queen mother" may not even be a blood relative of the reigning monarch. She could be a female individual of any  age who is vested with the ritual essence of the departed queens in a ceremonial sense, and who is practically regarded as the monarch's mother as a result. A good example of this is Oloye Erelu Kuti I of Lagos, who has been seen as the "iya oba" or queen mother of every succeeding king of that realm, due to the activities of the three successors to her noble title that have reigned since her demise. Notable examples. These mothers of monarchs, and others, albeit not always officially so titled have also been considered equal to queen mothers: King  father. If a king were to abdicate and pass the throne to his child, then in that case the king could have his son or daughter style him as a king father. King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia was styled as HM King Father Norodom Sihanouk when he abdicated in favor of his son. When King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in 2013 his style shortened to "His Majesty King Albert" (as did King Leopold III); "king father" is the name of his role rather than forming part of his style or title. Currently, Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the king  father of Bhutan. A similar title of Father Emir is now held by Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar. When Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III of Brunei abdicated, he became the Begawan Sultan or the Sultan Father. He was given the title of His Majesty the Sultan-Father or in Malay was "Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan" and this office became vacant when he died. Francis, Duke of Cádiz, king consort of Isabel II of Spain, was king father to Alfonso XII of Spain. Ferdinand II of Portugal, "jure uxoris" king to Maria II of Portugal , was king father to Pedro V of Portugal and Luís I of Portugal. Following his abdication, Ludwig I of Bavaria was king father to Maximilian II of Bavaria. In the former Chinese Empire, a living monarch who passed the throne to his son was called "Taishang Huang". This title was last bestowed upon Qianlong Emperor. Current comparisons. Hold a similar role as mothers or fathers of their country's reigning monarchs: