Royal consort
A royal consort is a person granted official status through an intimate relationship, often through marriage or concubinage, with a monarch.[1] The term originates from the Latin consors, meaning "partner", and can be used in everyday English as a synonym for that word, and as a verb meaning "to associate".[2] As it pertains to royalty, the term "has its roots in seventeenth-century vocabulary in both New England and England", where it was initially used to mean simply a spouse.[3] It has since been extended to encompass similar relationships with other significant figures, such as a head of state.
It has been recently noted that consort, "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, for example, the British royal family notably styled Camilla as "The Queen" instead of "Queen Consort".[5][6]
Uses of the term in royal contexts 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 governors-general of some Commonwealth countries, such as Canada, are sometimes referred to as "viceregal consort".[11][12][13]
In certain polytheistic religions such as Hinduism, female analogues to the main deities have been described as consorts.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Clarissa Campbell Orr, Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort (2004).
- ^ "Definition of CONSORT". Merriam-Webster. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Association for Gravestone Studies, Markers: The Annual Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies (2007), Vol. 24, p. 5.
- ^ 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.