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Examples of queens and empresses consort
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Queen consort

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A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's
social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical
titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally
share the king's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting as
regent.[1][2]

In contrast, a queen regnant is a female monarch who rules suo jure and usually
becomes queen by inheriting the throne upon the death of the previous monarch.[3]

A queen dowager is a widowed queen consort, and a queen mother is a queen dowager
who is the mother of the current monarch.[3]

Titles
When a title other than king is held by the sovereign, his wife can be referred to
by the feminine equivalent, such as princess consort or empress consort.

In monarchies where polygamy has been practised in the past (such as Morocco and
Thailand), or is practised today (such as the Zulu nation and the various Yoruba
polities), the number of wives of the king varies. In Morocco, King Mohammed VI has
broken with tradition and given his wife, Lalla Salma, the title of princess. Prior
to the reign of King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan monarchy had no such title. In
Thailand, the king and queen must both be of royal descent. The king's other
consorts are accorded royal titles that confer status. Other cultures maintain
different traditions on queenly status. A Zulu chieftain designates one of his
wives as "Great Wife", which would be the equivalent to queen consort.

Conversely, in Yorubaland, all of a chief's consorts are essentially of equal rank.

Although one of their number, usually the one who has been married to the chief for
the longest time, may be given a chieftaincy of her own to highlight her relatively
higher status when compared to the other wives, she does not share her husband's
ritual power as a chieftain. When a woman is to be vested with an authority similar
to that of the chief, she is usually a lady courtier in his service who is not
married to him, but who is expected to lead his female subjects on his behalf.

In the Ottoman Empire, haseki sultan (Ottoman Turkish: ‫ ;حاصكي سلطان‬Ḫāṣekī Sulṭān;
Turkish pronunciation: [haseˈci suɫˈtaːn]) was the title held by the lawful wife
and imperial consort of the Sultan.[4] The title was first time used in the 16th
century by Hurrem Sultan, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, replacing the previous
title of "Baş Kadın ("Head Lady").[4] The bearer of the title occupiers the second
most important position in the Ottoman Empire for a female after valide sultan
(queen mother).

While the wife of a king is usually titled as the queen, there is much less
consistency for the husband of a reigning queen. The title of king consort is rare.
Examples are Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in Scotland and Francis, Duke of Cádiz, in
Spain. Antoine of Bourbon-Vendôme in Navarre and Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in
Portugal gained the title king consort. In Portugal, because of the practice of
Jure uxoris, King Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha, as his predecessor, King Pedro
of Portugal, was treated as a ruling king in protocol, symbolically co-rulers to
their wives, but in both situations, the King of Jure uxoris had the same power of
a consort and the Queen was the real ruler.
The title of prince consort for the husband of a reigning queen is more common. The
Crowns that adopted that protocol for a male royal consort based that on the title
of King being historically higher than the Queen, so if there is a Ruling Queen,
her husband could never be King. An example is Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He
married Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; because
she insisted that he be given a title identifying his status, he became Albert,
Prince Consort.[5]

Role

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The traditional historiography on queenship has created an image of a queen who is
a king's "helpmate"[6] and provider of heirs.[7][8][9] They had power within the
royal household and partially within the court. Their duty was running the royal
household smoothly, such as directing the children's education, supervising the
staff, and managing the private royal treasury.[10] They unofficially acted as
hostesses, ensuring the royal family was not involved in scandals and giving gifts
to high-ranking officials in a society where this was important to maintain bonds.
As a result, consorts were expected to act as wise, loyal, and chaste women.[11]

Some royal consorts from foreign origins have served roles as transfers of culture.
Due to their unique position of being reared in one culture and then, when very
young, promised into marriage in another land with a different culture, they have
served as a cultural bridge between nations. Based on their journals, diaries, and
accounts, some exchanged and introduced new forms of art, music, religion, and
fashion.[12]

However, the consorts of monarchs have no official political power per se, even
when their position is constitutionally or statutorily recognized. They often held
an informal sort of power that was dependent on what opportunities were afforded to
her. Should she have an amiable personality and high intelligence, produce a
healthy heir and gain the favor of the court (especially the monarch's), then
chances were higher for her to gain it over time.[13] There have been many cases of
royal consorts being shrewd or ambitious stateswomen and, usually (but not always)
unofficially, being among the monarch's most trusted advisors. In some cases, the
royal consort has been the chief power behind her husband's throne; e.g. Maria
Luisa of Parma, wife of Charles IV of Spain. Often the consort of a deceased
monarch (the dowager queen or queen mother) has served as regent if her child, the
successor to the throne, was still a minor—for example:

Queen Regent Anne of Kiev, wife of Philip I of France

Queen Regent Jeonghui, grandmother of King Seongjong of Korea
Queen Regent Munjeong, mother of King Myeongjong of Korea
Queen Regent Sunwon, grandmother of King Heonjong of Korea
Grand Princess Regent Olga of Kiev, mother of Sviatoslav I of Kiev
Grand Princess Regent Elena Glinskaya, mother of Ivan IV of Russia
Queen Regent Mary of Guise, mother of Mary I of Scotland
Queen Regent Catherine of Austria, grandmother of Sebastian I of Portugal
Queen Regent Marie de' Medici, mother of Louis XIII of France
Queen Regent Anne, mother of Louis XIV of France
Queen Regent Luisa de Guzmán, mother of Afonso VI of Portugal
Rani Lakshmi Bai, mother of Raja Damodar Rao of Jhansi
Queen Regent Maria Christina of Austria, mother of Alfonso XIII of Spain
Queen Regent Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, mother of Wilhelmina I of the Netherlands
Queen Regent Anna Khanum, mother of Abbas II of Persia
Queen Regent Helen of Greece, mother of King Michael I of Romania
Similarly, in several cases in Siam (and later Thailand) the queen consort was
named regent during an extended absence of the king:

Queen Regent Saovabha Phongsri, wife of King Chulalongkorn of Siam, served as

Regent during Chulalngkorn's tour of Europe
Queen Regent Sirikit, wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, served as Regent
during her husband's extended retreat
Examples of queens and empresses consort

Anne of Bohemia and Hungary, consort of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

Margaret I of Denmark (1353–1412), was first the consort of King Haakon of Norway
and Sweden and later ruled Denmark, Norway and Sweden in her own right

Queen Sophia Magdalene wearing the crown of the Queen of Sweden.

Empress Nam Phương on her wedding day, 1934. Royal portrait by unknown Nguyen
Dynasty photographer, taken as a wedding photo of Nam Phương and was widely used
right after in French Indochina

Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun married his half-sister Ankhesenamun

Empress Carlota of Mexico as a regent was the first woman to rule in the Americas.
[14]

Teresa Cristina, Empress consort of Brazil

Past queens consort:

Queen Sindeok, consort of Taejo of Joseon

Queen Jeongan, consort of Jeongjong of Joseon
Queen Wongyeong, consort of Taejong of Joseon
Queen Soheon, consort of Sejong the Great of Joseon
Queen Jeongsun, consort of Danjong of Joseon
Queen Inseong, consort of Injong of Joseon
Queen Uiin, first consort of Seonjo of Joseon
Queen Inmok, second of Seonjo of Joseon
Queen Inyeol, first consort of Injo of Joseon
Queen Jangnyeol, second consort of Injo of Joseon
Queen Inseon, consort of Hyojong of Joseon
Queen Myeongseong, consort of Hyeonjong of Joseon
Queen Ingyeong, first consort of Sukjong of Joseon
Queen Jang, principal consort of Sukjong of Joseon. Demoted back in 1694 to the
rank of hui-bin, Royal Noble Consort Joseon rank 1
Queen Jeongseong, first consort of Yeongjo of Joseon
Queen Hyoui, consort of Jeongjo of Joseon
Queen Hyohyeon, first consort Heonjong of Joseon
Queen Maria Theresa, consort of Louis XIV of France
Queen Marie Leszczyńska, consort of Louis XV of France
Queen Marie Antoinette, consort of Louis XVI of France[15]
Queen Caroline, consort of George II
Queen Charlotte was George III's consort for 57 years, 70 days, between 1761 and
1818, making her Britain's longest-tenured queen consort.
Queen Caroline, consort of George IV
Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV
Queen Alexandra, consort of Edward VII
Queen Mary, consort of George V
Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI
Queen Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan, consort of Bảo Đại
Queen Victoria, consort of Gustaf V of Sweden
Queen Louise, consort of Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Queen Louise, consort of Christian IX of Denmark
Queen Louise, consort of Frederick VIII of Denmark
Queen Alexandrine, consort Christian X of Denmark
Queen Ingrid, consort of Frederick IX of Denmark
Queen Louise, consort of Leopold I of Belgium
Queen Marie, consort of Leopold II of Belgium
Queen Elisabeth, consort of Albert I of Belgium
Queen Astrid, consort of Leopold III of Belgium
Queen Fabiola, consort of Baudouin of Belgium
Queen Paola, consort of Albert II of Belgium
Queen Sofía, consort of Juan Carlos I of Spain
Queen Anne Marie, consort of Constantine II of Greece
Queen Geraldine, consort of Zog I of Albania
Queen Marie José, consort of Umberto II of Italy
Queen Kapiolani, consort of King Kalākaua of Hawaiʻi
Queen Soraya Tarzi, principal consort of King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan
Tsaritsa Ioanna, consort of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria
Queen Elizabeth, consort of Henry VII of England
Ranee Sylvia Brett, consort of Vyner Brooke of The Raj of Sarawak
Queen Catherine, first consort of Henry VIII of England. She was also regent in
times of war.
Queen Anne Boleyn, second consort of Henry VIII of England.
Queen Jane Seymour, third consort of Henry VIII of England.
Queen Anne of Cleves, fourth consort of Henry VIII of England
Queen Catherine Howard, fifth consort of Henry VIII of England
Queen Catherine Parr, sixth consort of Henry VIII of England
Queen Anne, consort of James I of England
Queen Henrietta, consort of Charles I of England
Queen Cattherine, consort of Charles II of England
Queen Mary, consort of James II of England
Queen Halaevalu Mata'aho, consort of Tāufa'āhau Tupou IV, Tu'i of Tonga.
Queen Hortense, consort of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland
Queen Sultanah Bahiyah, consort of Abdul Halim of Kedah, the fifth of Yang di-
Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
Queen Sultanah Haminah, consort of Abdul Halim of Kedah, the 14th of Yang di-
Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
Queen Siti Aishah, consort of Salahuddin of Selangor, the 11th of Yang di-Pertuan
Agong of Malaysia
Queen Tunku Ampuan Najihah, consort of Ja'afar of Negeri Sembilan, the tenth of
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
Queen Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun, consort of Azlan Shah of Perak, the 9th of
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
Queen Tunku Puan Zanariah, consort of Iskandar of Johor, the 8th of Yang di-Pertuan
Agong of Malaysia
Queen Sisowath Kossamak, consort of King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia
Queen Norodom Monineath, consort of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
Queen Wilhelmine, consort of William I of the Netherlands
Queen Anna Pavlovna, consort of William II of the Netherlands
Queen Sophie, first consort of William III of the Netherlands
Queen Emma, second consort of William III of the Netherlands: When William died on
23 November 1890, Emma became regent (1890–1898) for her underaged daughter,
Wilhelmina, the late king's only surviving child.
Queen Maud, consort of King Haakon VII of Norway. She was also simultaneously a
princess of the United Kingdom.
Queen Ratna, second consort of Mahendra of Nepal
Queen Rambai Barni, consort of King Prajadhipok of Thailand
Queen Ruth, consort (or Mohumagadi) of Seretse Khama, King of the Bamangwato
Tswanas of Botswana
Queen Mantfombi, principal consort (or Inkosikazi Enkhulu) of Goodwill Zwelithini
of Zululand, South Africa. She was also simultaneously a princess of Eswatini.
Past empresses consort:

Empress Theodora, consort of Justinian I, East Roman Emperor[16]

Empress Aelia Sophia, consort of Justin II of the Byzantine Empire
Empress Xiaocigao, principal consort of Hongwu Emperor from the Ming dynasty
Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani, principal consort of Akbar the Great, the third Mughal
Emperor
Empress Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani, principal consort of Jahangir, the fourth Mughal
Emperor
Empress Nur Jahan, chief consort of Jahangir, the fourth Mughal Emperor
Empress Mumtaz Mahal, principal consort of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor
Empress Isabella of Portugal, consort of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the
regent of the Spanish Empire.
Haseki Sultan Hürrem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the
Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Haseki Sultan Nurbanu Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Selim II, Sultan
of the Ottoman Empire.
Haseki Sultan Safiye Sultan, principal consort of Murad III, Sultan of the Ottoman
Empire.
Haseki Sultan Kösem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Ahmed I, Sultan of
the Ottoman Empire. She served as regent during the minority for her son Murad IV
and her grandson Mehmed IV between 1623 - 1632 and again from 1649 until 1651.
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consort of Francis I, Holy Roman Empire.
Empress Ana María Huarte, consort of Agustín I of Mexico, Emperor of Mexico.
Titular Empress Carlota Joaquina of Spain, consort of John VI of Portugal, Titular
Emperor of Brazil
Empress Carlota of Mexico, consort of Maximilian I of Mexico, Emperor of Mexico.
Empress Maria Leopoldina, consort of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil
Empress Amélie, consort of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil
Empress Teresa Cristina, consort of Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil
Empress Myeongseong, first principal wife of Gojong, the first emperor of the
Korean Empire
Empress Eugénie, consort of Napoléon III, Emperor of the French
Empress Augusta Victoria, consort of Wilhelm II
Empress Elisabeth, consort of Franz Joseph I
Empress Xiao Zhen Xian, principal consort of Xianfeng, Qing Emperor
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, consort of Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All
Russia
Empress Durdhara, principal consort of Chandragupta Maurya, first Mauryan emperor
Empress Shubhadrangi, principal consort of Bindusara, Mauryan emperor
Empress Asandhimitra, principal consort (or Agramahishi) of Ashoka, third Mauryan
emperor
Empress Devi, first principal consort of Ashoka, third Mauryan emperor
Empress Karuvaki, principal consort of Ashoka, third Mauryan emperor
Empress Padmavati, principal consort of Ashoka, third Mauryan emperor
Empress Tishyaraksha, principal consort of Ashoka, third Mauryan emperor
Empress Michiko, consort of Emperor Akihito of Japan
Current queens consort:

Queen Camilla, consort of Charles III of the United Kingdom

Queen Azizah, consort of Abdullah of Malaysia
Queen Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, consort of Tupou VI of Tonga
Queen 'Masenate, consort of Letsie III of Lesotho
Queen Jetsun Pema, consort of Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck of Bhutan
Queen Saleha, consort of Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam
Queen Máxima, consort of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Queen Mathilde, consort of Philippe of Belgium
Queen Rania, consort of Abdullah II of Jordan
Queen Silvia, consort of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Queen Suthida, consort of Vajiralongkorn of Thailand
Queen Letizia, consort of Felipe VI of Spain
Queen Sonja, consort of Harald V of Norway
Current empress consort:

Empress Masako, consort of Emperor Naruhito of Japan

Current queens consort in federal monarchies

Queen Nur Zahirah, consort of Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu

Queen Fauziah, consort of Sirajuddin of Perlis
Queen Norashikin, consort of Sharafuddin of Selangor
Queen Aishah Rohani, consort of Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan
Queen Zarith Sofiah, consort of Ibrahim Ismail of Johor
Queen Nur Diana Petra, consort of Muhammad V of Kelantan
Queen Zara Salim, consort of Nazrin Shah of Perak
Queen Maliha, consort of Sallehuddin of Kedah
Queen Azizah, consort of Abdullah of Pahang
Queen Ratu Hemas, consort of Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta
Because queens consort lack an ordinal with which to distinguish between them, many
historical texts and encyclopedias refer to deceased consorts by their premarital
(or maiden) name or title, not by their marital royal title (examples: Queen Mary,
consort of George V, is usually called Mary of Teck, and Queen Maria José, consort
of Umberto II of Italy, is usually called Marie José of Belgium).

See also
First Lady
Consort crown
Prince consort
Princess consort
Haseki Sultan
Sultana
Royal Noble Consort (Korea)
List of Bohemian consorts
List of Burmese consorts
List of British royal consorts
List of Bulgarian consorts
List of royal consorts of Canada
List of Danish royal consorts
List of Dutch royal consorts
List of Queens and Empresses of France
List of Georgian consorts
List of Hawaiian royal consorts
List of Hungarian consorts
List of Japanese imperial consorts
List of Norwegian royal consorts
List of Persian consorts
List of Pre-colonial Filipino Consorts
List of Portuguese queens
List of Spanish royal consorts
List of Swedish royal consorts
List of Thai royal consorts
List of Tongan royal consorts
References
"What is Queen Consort? What will be the role of Camilla?". The Economic Times. 9
September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
Hilton, Lisa (2009). Queens consort : the autobiography. London: Phoenix. ISBN
978-0-7538-2611-9. OCLC 359673870.
Susan (11 December 2018). "Four of a Kind: Queen Consort, Queen Dowager, Queen
Mother, Queen Regnant". Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
Davis, Fanny (1986). "The Valide". The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to
1918. ISBN 0-313-24811-7.
Chancellor, Frank B. (1931). Prince Consort. New York: The Dial Press. pp. 215–
218.
Stafford, P (1983). Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early
Middle Ages. London. p. 100.
Nelson, J (1986). Politics and Ritual in Early Medieval Europe. London. pp. 7.
ISBN 9780907628590.
Mistry, Zubin (2019). "Ermentrude's consecration (866): queen-making rites and
biblical templates for Carolingian fertility". Early Medieval Europe. 27 (4): 567–
588. doi:10.1111/emed.12373. hdl:20.500.11820/141896e9-d116-4fc3-b50a-b9094ca0e8c0.
ISSN 1468-0254. S2CID 213816257.
Stafford, P (1983). Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early
Middle Ages. London. p. 86.
Stafford, P (1983). Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early
Middle Ages. London. p. 112.
Stafford, P (1983). Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early
Middle Ages. London. p. 99.
Watanabe-O'Kelly, Helen (2016). "Cultural Transfer and the Eighteenth-Century
Queen Consort". German History. 34 (2): 279–292. doi:10.1093/gerhis/ghw002.
Orr, Clarissa Campbell (2004). Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the
Consort. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–9. ISBN 0521814227.
"Carlota, The Belgian Princess Who Went Mad When She Became A Mexican Empress".
Cultura Colectiva. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
"Marie-Antoinette | Facts, Biography, & French Revolution". Encyclopædia
Britannica. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
Phillips, Lawrence Barnett (1871). The Dictionary of Biographical Reference:
Containing One Hundred Thousand Names, Together with a Classed Index of the
Biographical Literature of Europe and America. S. Low, Son, & Marston. p. 900.
Categories: Queens consortQueensRoyal titles
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