Queen mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort (a queen dowager) whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe, and is also used to describe a number of similar yet distinct monarchical concepts in non-European cultures around the World.
Read more about Queen Mother: Status, Recent British Queen Mothers, Other Notable Queen Mothers in History, Exceptional Cases, 'King Mother', King Father, Princess
Famous quotes containing the words queen and/or mother:
“It is better to pay court to a queen ... than to worship, as we too often do, some unworthy person whose wealth is his sole passport into society. I believe that a habit of respect is good for the human race.”
—M. E. W. Sherwood (1826–1903)
“With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea,”
—Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)