Why isn Prince Phillip King of England?
Prince Philip was a Prince of Greece and Denmark before he married the then Princess Elizabeth, who was the heir to the British throne. Men do not rise to the rank of their wives when they marry, as women do, so he remained a Prince and was not elevated to “King”. He was created a Prince of the United Kingdom, though, upon or shortly after his marriage. Similarly, although Anthony Armstrong Jones was ennobled when he married Princess Margaret, he did not become a Prince.
When a King succeeds to the throne, his wife becomes Queen Consort. On his death, she is no longer queen, and their eldest male child becomes king instead. If there are no male children, then the eldest daughter becomes ‘Queen Regnant’ (i.e. queen in her own right, not through marriage). In the case of Elizabeth II, her father George VI only had daughters, she was the eldest and therefore inherited the throne in the absence of a brother. A Queen Regnant continues in her role until her own death, regardless of how long her husband lives. However, in the UK there is no such thing as a ‘King Consort’. So when a woman becomes Queen Regnant, her husband does not become King – he is instead a Prince (for example Prince Phillip (Elizabeth II’s consort) or Prince Albert (Victoria’s consort). On the death of a Queen Regnant, her husband is no longer consort. The reason there is no such thing as ‘king consort’ is because ‘king’ is considered a more senior title than ‘queen’ therefore, the consor
