What happens when

[wildwood]

Wills and Kate are married and William should, heaven forbid, die. Would Kate stay queen with all the rights that the present queen has?

[sammmo]

no there eldest son would become king, or if they have no children. harry or the next in line would become king..

[mike11111]

If William were Prince of Wales at the time, she would become the Dowager Princess. If he were King she would become Dowager Queen, or Queen Mother if there were any children. Were this to happen while the Queen is still alive, she would become a Dowager Duchess, assuming William is granted a dukedom on his wedding, as seems likely.

[woofgang]

Queen Mother was a special title created for the Queen's own mother. Its not clear whether any future widowed female consorts would have that title.

[mike11111]

Not true. The widowed mother of the Sovereign is always the Queen Mother, though most have chosen not to use the title, like Queen Alexandra, and Queen Mary, preferring to be known by their own names only. The last queen mother was so styled to distinguish her from the Queen as they shared the same name. During her lifetime the Queen Mother was referred to within the royal family as Queen Elizabeth, whilst the Queen was simply 'The Queen'. Interestingly, the last Queen Mother before Queen Alexandra in 1910 was Queen Henrietta Marie, way back in 1660.

[woofgang]

I stand corrected Mike

[wildwood]

OK. Thanks for that. A sort of honorary queen then.

So how come Philip didn't become a King when he married Elizabeth? Is this a sexual discrimination thing?

[rowanwitch]

like playing cards kings are higher than queens

[jno]

queen means two things: queen in your own right (like ER2) or married to or widow of a king (like the queen mum in her day). King can only be king in your own right; other than that you're a mere consort.

[mike11111]

A king is a male sovereign. A queen is either a female sovereign or the consort of a king. The present queen is a queen regnant, whilst her mother, whilst Queen, was a queen consort. You can't have a king consort.

[mike11111]

Similarly, a woman who marries a prince becomes a princess but takes her husband's name (like Princess Michael) unless she is a princess in her own right (like the late Princess Marina). If Prince Edward did not have another title, his wife would be known as Princess Edward.

[mike11111]

For completion, a man who marries a princess does not become a prince unless he is one already.

[wildwood]

Thank you all. It is all clear now. Not something I thought about before.