Royal consort

A royal consort is a person of either sex who has an official status through in an intimate relationship, often through marriage or concubinage, with a monarch.[1] The term, consort, was thereafter extended to encompass similar relationships with other significant figures, such as a head of state. The term as pertains to royalty "has its roots in seventeenth-century vocabulary in both New England and England", where it was initially used to mean a spouse.[2] However, the word itself originates from the Latin term "consors", meaning "partner", and can be used in everyday English as a synonym for "partner", or as a verb meaning "to associate".[3]

In more recent usage it has been noted that the term, "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 Camilla, the British royal family notably referred to Camilla as "Queen" instead of "Queen Consort", signifying a reluctance to keep using the title.[5][6]

Variations of the term in royalty 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 Governor Generals of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, additionally have the title of viceregal consort, despite not being married to royalty.[11][12][13] In certain polytheistic religions such as Hinduism, female analogues to the main deities have often been described as consorts.[14]