Prince consort

A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.

Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (husband of Elizabeth II, prince consort in each of the realms of which she is Queen), and Prince Henrik of Denmark (husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark).

In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal title, such as Prince, Prince Consort (see below) or King consort, with Prince being the most common. However, most monarchies do not have formal rules on the styling of princes consort, and a prince consort may have no royal title. Exceptions exist such as in the case of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.

Prince Consort (capitalized) is a formal title. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is the only spouse of a British queen to have held it: it was awarded to him in 1857 by his wife, Queen Victoria (reigned 1837–1901). In 2005 Prince Henrik, the spouse of Margrethe II of Denmark, was awarded the same title.

Neither the descriptive princess consort nor the title 'Princess Consort' has yet been used in Western monarchies, as dynastic wives of kings have been styled queens consort, often with the title 'Queen'. However, Clarence House has announced that when the present Prince of Wales becomes the sovereign of the United Kingdom, his wife, the 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 (see princess consort).

Non-European usage

The Imperial Chinese title of "駙馬" (fùmǎ), and its Manchu equivalent "額駙" (éfù), is sometimes translated as Prince consort. This was originally an office of the imperial household, later evolving into the title reserved for husbands of imperial princesses. These princes consort could hold other offices and titles in their own right.

See also

• List of British consorts
• List of royal consorts of Canada