Prince Consort (capitalized) is a formal title. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is the only spouse of a British queen to have held it: it was awarded to him in 1857 by his wife, Queen Victoria (reigned 1837–1901). In 2005 Prince Henrik, the spouse of Margrethe II of Denmark, was awarded the same title.
Neither the descriptive princess consort nor the title 'Princess Consort' has yet been used in Western monarchies, as dynastic wives of kings have been styled queens consort, often with the title 'Queen'. However, Clarence House has announced that when the present Prince of Wales becomes the sovereign of the United Kingdom, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will have the title Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort rather than Her Majesty The Queen as used by previous wives of kings (see princess consort).
Read more about Prince Consort: Non-European Usage
Famous quotes containing the word prince:
“When Prince William [later King William IV] was at Cork in 1787, an old officer ... dined with him, and happened to say he had been forty years in the service. The Prince with a sneer asked what he had learnt in those forty years. The old gentleman justly offended, said, “Sir, I have learnt, when I am no longer fit to fight, to make as good a retreat as I can” —and walked out of the room.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)