Will Catherine be Queen?

[Drac]

Hello all,

Her Majesty's anniversary had me wondering. Phillip did not become King when Elizabeth ascended the throne. Will Kate follow suit and be Consort?

Jim

[RogerWS76]

Usually the Title Consort is only used when there is a Queen who retains the power of the Crown. When a King comes to reign his wife is named Queen. While this is admittedly sexist, it is also intended to reserve and protect the right to reign to the Queen from her male "Consort".

It was disasterous to do otherwise in the 16th Century in Scotland when Mary had her husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, proclaimed King. While her own rule was tough enough, the new "King" was a disaster!

[cessna152towser]

As RogerWS76 said above, the reigning Queen takes the title of Queen and her husband is known as Prince... or referred to as the Queen's Consort.
Traditionally a reigning King's wife would take the title of Queen. It has been suggested that Camilla, Duchess of Rothesay might not take the title Queen when her husband becomes King because both of them have previously been married and divorced, and that she would be regarded as the King's Consort.
Whether this would set a precedent for the next generation remains to be seen. Personally I would have thought not and that Kate would take the title of Queen.

[McClef]

As morganatic marriage is not recognised in our constitution, Camilla will be de facto Queen Consort just as she is de facto Princess of Wales although she does not use it out of deference to Diana and her memory. There is no precedent for the wife of a reigning King to have a lesser title so it is highly unlikely that this deference would then continue.

Kate would then become Princess of Wales when William become Prince of Wales.

[Drac]

Kate would then become Princess of Wales when William become Prince of Wales.

Assuming that Elizabeth doesn't outlive Charles

Jim

[TheOfficialBren]

Camilla will become queen upon Charles' accession to the throne. When Charles dies, if he is survived by Camilla, William will become the king, Katherine will become the queen, and Camilla would be the Queen Dowager, if I understand correctly.

The reason, as stated above, for male spouses of royalty (like Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh) who are not the sovereign (the reigning monarch, like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) was traditionally so the line of succession would stay within the reigning family and nt be transferred to a new family by marrying into the royal family.

An everyday analogue (roughly shod together, I admit) illustrating how this could be a real pickle otherwise would be the following: FATHER owns MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATION. DAUGHTER marries MAN. MAN becomes CEO when FATHER dies solely because he is married to DAUGHTER, even though he may be unqualified and unprepared for the job.

Does that make sense?

[McClef]

Assuming that Elizabeth doesn't outlive Charles

Jim

I was of course dealing with what would be the expected normal course of events that parents do not outlive their offspring.

Bren - it does not work like a US company. Until recently our monarchical system worked upon "male preference primogeniture" and although this has now changed it does not apply to any of the royal family living at the time of the change, only to new borns following the change.

The eldest male child of the Sovereign was therefore the Heir Apparent even should they have an older sister who could only even be Heir Presumptive and who could be displaced should a younger brother appear.

If you read the constitutional arguments made at the time of the Abdication, it was clear that a Morganatic marriage was not acceptable and that whoever married the King would become by right and title, Queen Consort. Wallis Simpson was rejected by the country on that basis, they would not accept her married to the King with a lesser title and because she was divorced she was not considered acceptable as Queen. Times may have changed but if Camilla has been accepted as Charles' wife by the country then as such she has the right to be Queen in name.

I would take bets on it.

[Drac]

I was of course dealing with what would be the expected normal course of events that parents do not outlive their offspring.

I just wonder if Charles will abdicate to allow William to take the throne since he is far from a spring chicken.

Just speculation of an American who knows very little of the intricacies of British monarchy. What I know if from Amy, who does know it very well, but finds teaching to be not something she is overly fond of even if the student is her slow witted husband

Jim

[creagdhubh]

I was of course dealing with what would be the expected normal course of events that parents do not outlive their offspring.

Bren - it does not work like a US company. Until recently our monarchical system worked upon "male preference primogeniture" and although this has now changed it does not apply to any of the royal family living at the time of the change, only to new borns following the change.

The eldest male child of the Sovereign was therefore the Heir Apparent even should they have an older sister who could only even be Heir Presumptive and who could be displaced should a younger brother appear.

If you read the constitutional arguments made at the time of the Abdication, it was clear that a Morganatic marriage was not acceptable and that whoever married the King would become by right and title, Queen Consort. Wallis Simpson was rejected by the country on that basis, they would not accept her married to the King with a lesser title and because she was divorced she was not considered acceptable as Queen. Times may have changed but if Camilla has been accepted as Charles' wife by the country then as such she has the right to be Queen in name.

I would take bets on it.

Well put, Trefor.

[TheOfficialBren]

I was of course dealing with what would be the expected normal course of events that parents do not outlive their offspring. Bren - it does not work like a US company. Until recently our monarchical system worked upon "male preference primogeniture" and although this has now changed it does not apply to any of the royal family living at the time of the change, only to new borns following the change.

McClef, I am well-aware that it doesn't work like a corporation. Most Americans are unfamiliar with Royal convention. Corporations are about the closest thing we have over here. I also stated from the outset that my illustration was a poor one.