A royal consort is a person of either sex who has an official status through an intimate relationship, often through marriage or concubinage, with a monarch.[1] The term, consort, was thereafter extended to encompass similar relationships with other significant figures, such as a head of state. The term as pertains to royalty "has its roots in seventeenth-century vocabulary in both New England and England", where it was initially used to mean a spouse.[2] However, the word itself originates from the Latin term "consors", meaning "partner", and can be used in everyday English as a synonym for "partner", or as a verb meaning "to associate".[3]
In more recent usage it has been noted that the term, "though literally denoting a partner or spouse, is a heavily loaded term, for a consort is usually implied to be a mere appendage, far inferior in power and status to his or her spouse".[4] In invitations for the 2023 coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, the British royal family notably styled to Camilla as "The Queen" instead of "The Queen Consort", signifying a reluctance to keep using the position as part of the style.[5][6]
Variations of the term in royalty include:
Queen consort, wife of a reigning king[7]
Prince consort, husband of a reigning queen[8]
King consort, rarely used alternative title for husband of a reigning queen[9]
Princess consort, rarely used alternative title for wife of a reigning king[10]
The spouses of Governor Generals of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, additionally have the title of viceregal consort, despite not being married to royalty.[11][12][13] In certain polytheistic religions such as Hinduism, female analogues to the main deities have often been described as consorts.[14]
^Clarissa Campbell Orr, Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort (2004).
^Association for Gravestone Studies, Markers: The Annual Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies (2007), Vol. 24, p. 5.
^"Definition of CONSORT". Merriam-Webster. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts (1982), p. 78.
^"The royals dropped 'consort' from Queen Camilla's title. What's the big deal?". NPR. April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^"The Difference Between Queen and Queen Consort". Cosmopolitan. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^"What is Queen Consort? What will be the role of Camilla?". The Economic Times. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
^Gonzales, Erica (6 May 2023). "Why Prince Philip's Title Wasn't King". Bazaar. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^Savin, Jennifer (27 April 2023). "What's the difference between a Queen and a Queen Consort?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^Engber, Daniel (11 February 2005). "What Is a Princess Consort?". Slate. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^"Being Whit Fraser: From Reporter to Viceregal Consort". Policy Magazine. September 7, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^Tugwell, James (February 24, 2023). "Youth residential rehabilitation centre opens on the south coast". Bay Post-Moruya Examiner. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^"Battle of Britain commemorated – The Valley Profile". The Valley Profile – 100% local community news for the Hauraki Plains, Paeroa and Thames. September 13, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^Lynn Foulston, Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs & Practices (2019), p. 54.
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