Role of The Queen Consort
In general, the consorts of monarchs have no power per se, even when their position is constitutionally or statutorily recognized. However, often the queen consort of a deceased king (the queen dowager or queen mother) has served as regent while her child, the successor to the throne, was still a minor — for example:
- Anne of Kiev, wife of Henry I of France
- Marie de Medici, mother of Louis XIII of France
- Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots
- Maria Christina of Austria, mother of Alfonso XIII of Spain
- Helen of Greece, mother of King Michael of Romania
- Marie Antoinette, mother of Louis XVII of France (disputed)
- Munjeong, mother of King Myeongjong of Korea
- Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, mother of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
- Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi and mother of Damodar Rao
Besides these examples, there have been many cases of queens consort being shrewd or ambitious stateswomen and, usually (but not always) unofficially, being among the king's most trusted advisors. In some cases, the queen consort has been the chief power behind her husband's throne; e.g. Maria Luisa of Parma, wife of Carlos IV of Spain, and Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), wife and Empress Consort of Nicholas II of Russia.
Read more about this topic: Queen Consort
Famous quotes containing the words role of the, role of, role and/or queen:
“But however the forms of family life have changed and the number expanded, the role of the family has remained constant and it continues to be the major institution through which children pass en route to adulthood.”
—Bernice Weissbourd (20th century)
“Where we come from in America no longer signifies—it’s where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are.
The irony of the role of women in my business, and in so many other places, too, was that while we began by demanding that we be allowed to mimic the ways of men, we wound up knowing we would have to change those ways. Not only because those ways were not like ours, but because they simply did not work.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“You are pitiful isolated individuals; you are bankrupts; your role is played out. Go where you belong from now on—into the dustbin of history!”
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940)
“The Queen had one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. “Off with his head!” she said without even looking around.”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)