Kings and Queens

[milly143]

Why do some spouses being kings or queens and some don't. We have heard that if William ever becomes king, Kate will be Queen Katherine and Camilla may become Queen. But why isn't Prince Philip King Philip? How does it work?

[Barmaid]

I could be talking out of my nether regions here, but I think it is something to do with the fact that a wife takes her husband's title, but a husband does not take his wife's title.

[boxtops]

Not sure barmaid, in which case there would be no doubt about Camilla becoming Queen Camilla if/when Chas succeeds.

[jno]

Queen can mean two things: she's a queen in her own right, like QE2, or she's the wife of a king. But not all king's wives are called queen; when C&C married she wasn't popular and so it was announced that she would never be Queen Camilla, only Princess Consort.

Now they're hoping the public are more accepting of her and might like her as queen. Can't say I would myself; to me she's just another adulterer who broke up a marriage.

As for kings, king has only one meaning: king in his own right. If it's the queen who's inherited the job (QE2, QE1, Victoria etc) her husband can't be king, at least not of Britain. (The first Queen Mary's hsuband was king Philip - but of Spain.)

[Barmaid]

Constitutionally, I think she will be. I understand that the real effect of her being Charles' wife when he becomes King will be that she WILL be queen. As a bit of PR they have decided not to call her "Queen Camilla".

[milly143]

Thanks Jno and Barmaid, that makes sense. Interesting. So a man will never become king through marriage.

[jno]

nope, though again they could change the rules.But one of the best kings we ever had was just Prince Albert, Victoria's prince consort.

[DTCwordfan]

female spouses become Queen Consort - and this is not Queen officially.

male spouses become Prince Consort. The only exception of this was William III and Mary II and they acceded to co-reign coming off the shenanigans of James II wanting to assure Catholic succession and sumission of the UK to Rome. Parliament wanted to underpin the Protestant line and invited William to England - with troops. Both William and Mary were grandchildren of James I. Originally Parliament wanted Mary as Monarch in her own right but Mary saw subservience to her husband as important. William didnt want to be seen as a conqueror and sole ruler and so the co-monarchy, coming off the grandchildren logic was the compromise accepted by both. In practice Mary ruled here and William looked after his Orange holdings

[Invictas]

Wives of Kings of England(and Britain) have always been called "Queen Consort",they are not Queens in their own right but only by marriage to a King.They cannot rule after their husbands die,but continue as Dowager Queens,their son(or the next in line of sucession) comes to the throne as King.
The last (possible) male who had a claim by marrying a reigning Queen,Phillip of Spain with Mary Tudor,could (technically) have asserted a right to the throne of England after Mary died but did not (even though he sent the Armada against her sister),
William III & Mary were joint monarchs(and therefore equal) and they were cousins,
They were asked by parliament to suceed James II(Mary's Father).Mary died first,and William ruled on,but even if he had died first(in this case only) Mary would have still be(reigning) Queen.
After this joint couple,it looks like all male husbands of reigning monarchs were as follows:~
Queen Anne had a husband(Prince George of Denmark) who was known just as Prince George.
Queen Victoria's husband was Just Prince Albert,but was promoted to the title of Prince Consort.
QE2 husband is Prince Phillip,Duke of Edinburgh.
So to conclude when Charles becomes King Camilla will constitutionally become Queen,whatever he decides to call her.

[VHG]

>So to conclude when Charles becomes King Camilla

Charles is going to become King Camilla !!!!

Has anyone told him.

(Only jesting, I realise what you meant).

[DTCwordfan]

he did say once on an intercepted mobile conversation that he wanted to be her tampax, so King Camilla may be possible\????

[BertiWooster]

// Can't say I would myself; to me she's just another adulterer who broke up a marriage. //

So what is Charles then , jno ?

[mike11111]

3 points.

Although Prince Philip is the Queen's consort he does not have the official title of 'Prince Consort'. The only holder of that title was Prince Albert.

Philip of Spain was already King of Spain when he married Mary I. Parliament reluctantly granted him the title of King of England, but only during Mary's lifetime, so on her death he had to return to Spain.

On Charles's accession Camilla will legally become Queen and it would take an Act of Parliament to deny her that title, whether she uses it or not. At present she is legally the Princess of Wales. The title of Princess Consort is a novelty; she should be styled queen, whatever one might think of her personally.

[jno]

the same, Berti.

mike1111, this from Wikipedia

"However, Clarence House has announced that when the present Prince of Wales becomes the sovereign of the United Kingdom, his wife, as of 2010 Duchess of Cornwall, will have the title Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort rather than Her Majesty The Queen as used by previous wives of kings"

The title Princess Consort may be a novelty, but so was Prince Consort when Victoria come up with it, I suppose.