Royal consort

A royal consort is a person of either sex who has an official status through 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 Queen Camilla, the British royal family notably styled to Camilla as "The Queen" instead of "The Queen Consort", signifying a reluctance to keep using the position as part of the style.^[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]