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Princess consort

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Princess consort

Princess consort is an official title or an informal designation normally accorded to the wife of a sovereign prince. The title may be used for the wife of a king if the more usual designation of queen consort is not used.

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More informally, it may even be used to describe the family position of any woman who marries royalty non-morganatically, if the rank she derives from that marriage is at least that of a princess (e.g., Grace Kelly was Princess Consort during marriage, whereas Liliane Baels and Countess Juliana von Hauke are not usually so described).

The "consort" is often dropped when speaking or writing of a princess consort and the term is only capitalised when the title is borne officially.

Currently, there are two princesses consort in Europe: Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein and Charlene, Princess of Monaco.

United Kingdom

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall announced that in the event of her husband Charles, Prince of Wales, acceding to the throne of the United Kingdom, that she will not use the legal style of Queen Consort. She intends instead to use the style "Princess Consort", despite the fact that her husband would not be a sovereign prince but a sovereign king.

Such a title has no historical precedent; under English common law wives of kings automatically become queens. The Guardian reported in 2017 that experts expect that "the fiction will end when Elizabeth II dies" and Camilla will be queen regardless of title, as was the case with all other women married to British kings regnant, with the exception of Mary II who was a joint-sovereign, have become queens consort. In addition, the husband of Queen Mary I of England, Philip, was made king consort. It is to be noted that the current consort of Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is styled prince insted of king consort.

Morocco

The consort of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Princess Lalla Salma, is styled as HRH the Princess Consort, the first Moroccan royal consort to receive any title.

References

Princess consort Wikipedia