A Queen Mother is a person satisfying the following criteria:
- She is the mother of the current monarch, or possibly of the consort of the monarch (though this would not be normal practice).
- She has been Queen consort.
- The monarch, if a male, is married; if he is not, his mother retains her title of Queen. (This is analogous to the mother of a peer, who is called a dowager if the peer is married but not otherwise.)
It is usually understood that the title depends on monarch's grant and is not automatic.
| Styles of The Queen Mother | |
|---|---|
| File:Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.PNG | |
| Reference style | Her Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Contrary to myth, Queen Mother does not mean Mother of the queen and applies irrespective of whether the monarch is male or female.
A Queen Mother retains the style of Her Majesty that she enjoyed as Queen, but there is no further coronation ceremony to reflect her changed status.
Middle Ages monarchs often had mothers alive. Sometimes they even served as regents. Then, for centuries, there were only a few Queen Mothers in the Kingdom of England (up to 1707), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1927) and the modern United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (post-1927)
This is somewhat uncommon, as in history women often lived as widows. For most of the time in the 20th Century, there was a Queen Mother; three people had that title. As discussed below, it is not clear when there will be one again in the United Kingdom.
List
English
- 1035–1052 Emma of Normandy, mother of Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor.
- 1135–1137? Adela of Normandy, daughter to William I and mother of Stephen of England.
- 1154–1167 Empress Matilda, mother of Henry II of England. Arguably a Queen mother; her Queenship comes from her having been proclaimed Queen regnant of England, and from having been Queen consort of Germany and Italy, ("Eastern Franks and Langobards")
- 1189–1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard I of England and John of England.
- 1216–1246 Isabella of Angouleme, mother of Henry III of England.
- 1272–1291 Eleanor of Provence, mother of Edward I of England.
- 1327–1358 Isabella of France, mother of Edward III of England.
- 1422–1437 Catherine of Valois, mother of Henry VI of England
- April to June 1483 (and possibly 1485–1492) Elizabeth Woodville, mother of Edward V of England and Elizabeth of York.
- 1649/1660–1669 Henrietta Maria of France, mother of Charles II of England.
British
- 1910–1925 Alexandra of Denmark (though she preferred not to use the title). Mother of George V of the United Kingdom.
- 1936–1952 Mary of Teck. Mother of George VI of the United Kingdom. (Even as mother of Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, she was officially known as Queen Mother, although he was unmarried while he was king.)
- 1952–2002 Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, mother of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom; her fifty years is by far the longest ever that anyone has held the title.
History
- 1035–1052 Emma of Normandy, mother of Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor.
- Herleva was mother of William I of England but was never a Queen. She died c. 1050. William did not become King until 1066.
- Matilda of Flanders was wife of William I and mother to both William II of England and Henry I of England, but predeceased her husband in 1083.
- Edith of Scotland was the first Queen consort of Henry I and mother of Empress Matilda. But predeceased her husband in 1118.
- Adeliza of Louvain was the second Queen consort of Henry I but never had children from this marriage. She survived her husband and died in 1151.
- 1135–1137? Adela of Normandy, daughter to William I and mother of Stephen of England. She is known to have survived enough to see her son become King, but how long into his reign she survived is uncertain.
- Matilda of Boulogne was Queen consort of Stephen of England but her children never succeeded to the throne. She predeceased her husband in 1152.
- 1154–1167 Empress Matilda, mother of Henry II of England. Arguably a Queen mother; her queenship comes from her having been proclaimed Queen regnant of England, and from having been Queen consort of Germany and Italy, ("Eastern Franks and Langobards").
- 1189–1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard I of England and John of England.
- Marguerite of France was consort to co-ruler Henry the Young King but their only son predeceased them. She survived her husband and died in 1197.
- Berengaria of Navarre was Queen consort of Richard I but never had children. She survived her husband and died in 1230.
- 1216–1246 Isabella of Angouleme, wife of John of England mother of Henry III of England.
- 1272–1291 Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III and mother of Edward I of England.
- Eleanor of Castile was the first Queen consort of Edward I and mother of Edward II of England, but predeceased her husband in 1290.
- Marguerite of France was the second Queen consort of Edward I and stepmother of Edward II, but not his natural mother. She survived her husband and died in 1317. Her sons Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk and Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent were younger half-brothers to a King but never Kings themselves.
- 1327–1358 Isabella of France, wife of Edward II and mother of Edward III of England.
- Philippa of Hainault was the Queen consort of Edward III and mother of thirteen childen but predeceased her husband in 1369. None of her children rose to the throne but through them Philippa is an ancestor of all English monarchs since 1377.
- Anne of Bohemia was the first Queen consort of Richard II of England but was childless. She predeceased her husband in 1394.
- Isabella of Valois was the second Queen consort of Richard II but there were no children from this marriage. She survived her husband and died in 1410.
There was one Queen Mother during the period of the House of Lancaster.
- Blanche of Lancaster, daughter of Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, first wife of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and mother of Henry IV of England was never Queen.
- Mary de Bohun was wife of Henry IV and mother of Henry V of England but died before her husband Henry IV succeeded, so she was never Queen.
- Catherine of Valois, wife of Henry V and mother of Henry VI of England was Queen Mother from his accession in 1422 until her death in 1437.
- Margaret of Anjou was Queen consort of Henry VI but their only son Edward of Westminster predeceased his parents in 1471. She survived her husband and died in 1482.
There was one Queen Mother (for just two months) during the period of the House of York.
- Cecily Neville was mother of both Edward IV of England and Richard III of England but was never Queen.
- Lady Eleanor Talbot was said to have secretly married Edward IV c. 1461. This marriage was never publicly announced and Eleanor died childless in 1468, without becoming either Queen consort or Queen Mother. Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville in 1464, while Eleanor was still alive. Consequently all children of Edward and Elizabeth were declared illegitimate in 1483.
- Elizabeth Woodville was wife to Edward IV and mother to Edward V of England who was King only during April to June 1483. She was Queen Mother during this time. She was ex-Queen Mother until her death in 1492. Her daughter Elizabeth of York married current monarch Henry VII of England in 1485. As mother to the Queen consort, Woodville possibly was again regarded as Queen Mother. One element of Henry's claims came through being husband of Elizabeth of York, heiress to her deceased brothers Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. Thus, it was politically expedient not to draw a clear line whether Elizabeth of York was Queen consort or Queen regnant and co-ruler with her husband.
- Anne Neville was Queen consort of Richard III but their only son Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales predeceased his parents in 1484. Anne died in 1485 and Richard followed her in death months later.
There were no Queen Mothers during the Tudor period.
- Margaret Beaufort was alive throughout the reign of her son Henry VII of England and actually outlived him by two months. But she was never Queen consort and hence could not be Queen Mother.
- Elizabeth of York was mother to Henry VIII of England but died in 1503. Henry did not become king until 1509.
- Catherine of Aragon was first wife to Henry VIII and mother to Mary I of England but died in 1536. Mary did not become Queen regnant until 1553.
- Anne Boleyn was second wife to Henry VIII and mother to Elizabeth I of England but died in 1536. Elizabeth did not become Queen regnant until 1558.
- Jane Seymour was third wife to Henry VIII and mother to Edward VI of England but died in 1537. Edward did not become King until 1547.
- Anne of Cleves was fourth wife to Henry VIII but their marriage was never consummated. She was stepmother to Mary I , Elizabeth I and Edward VI but not their natural mother. She died in 1557, having outlived both Henry and Edward.
- Catherine Howard was fifth wife to Henry VIII and stepmother to Mary I , Elizabeth I and Edward VI. But she was not their natural mother. She died in 1542 before any of her stepchildren rose to the throne.
- Catherine Parr was sixth wife to Henry VIII and stepmother to Mary I , Elizabeth I and Edward VI. But she was not their natural mother. As a widow, Catherine ceased being considered a Queen after remarrying to Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley in 1547. She died in 1548.
- Lady Frances Brandon was mother to Lady Jane Grey and alive during her short reign (July 6/July 10–July 19, 1553). But she was never Queen. She outlived her daughter and died in 1559.
House of Stuart
There was only one Queen Mother in this period.
- Mary I of Scotland was mother to James I of England. She claimed the throne of England from 1558 to her death in 1587. But she was never Queen regnant of England and James did not become King until 1603.
- Anne of Denmark was mother to Charles I of England but died in 1616. Charles did not become King until 1625.
- Henrietta Maria of France was mother to Charles II of England and became Queen Mother when Charles became King. Some would argue that this was in 1649, when Charles I was executed; most would say that it was in 1660, at the English Restoration. She died in 1669, before the accession of her younger son James II of England, so there was no Queen Mother in that reign.
- Catherine of Braganza was Queen consort of Charles II but was childless. She survived her husband and died in 1705.
- Anne Hyde was first wife of James II and mother to both Mary II of England and Anne of Great Britain but died in 1671. James did not become King until 1685.
- Mary of Modena was the second wife and Queen consort of James II. Her son James Francis Edward Stuart never acceeded to the throne but was the Jacobite Pretender since 1701. She died in 1718 while her son still claimed the throne.
- Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange was daughter of Charles I and mother of William III of England. But she was never Queen of England and died in 1660. William did not become King until 1689.
House of Hanover
There were no Queen Mothers among the Hanoverians.
- Sophia of the Palatinate was the mother of George I of Great Britain, but died in 1714. She was herself the heiress presumptive of Anne of Great Britain. Her death allowed George to succeed Anne later in the same year. His claim to the British throne was through her.
- Sophia Dorothea of Celle was the mother of George II of Great Britain, but died in 1726. George II did not become King until 1727. She was never regarded as Queen, since her husband George I had divorced her in 1694, twenty years before becoming King of England.
- Caroline of Ansbach was the wife of George II but died in 1737. Her husband outlived her. They were the grandparents of their successor George III of the United Kingdom.
- Augusta of Saxe-Gotha was wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and mother of George III. As her husband was never king, she was never Queen consort. She was always called the Dowager Princess of Wales from the death of her husband in 1751 until her own death in 1772.
- Hannah Lightfoot was said to have married George III while he was heir to the throne in 1759. She was already married to the still-living Isaac Axelford since 1753. Such a marriage would constitute bigamy. Hannah died childless later in the year of her "second marriage" and was survived by both "husbands."
- Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the wife of George III and mother of both George IV of the United Kingdom and William IV of the United Kingdom, but predeceased her husband in 1818.
- Maria Anne Fitzherbert was married to George IV while he was Prince of Wales in 1785. The marriage was considered invalid under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, so she never became Queen consort. She never had children by this marriage. She died in 1837.
- Caroline of Brunswick was the Queen consort of George IV but died in 1821. Her husband outlived her.
- Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the Queen consort of William IV, but both parents outlived all their children. She outlived her husband and died in 1849. She was an aunt to Victoria of the United Kingdom.
- Viktoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Victoria of the United Kingdom but was never a Queen consort, so was not entitled to be Queen Mother. She still presumed that she would have the title, but her daughter was not very fond of her and made it clear that she would not grant it to her.
- Victoria of the United Kingdom was mother to Edward VII of the United Kingdom but was Queen regnant until 1901. Since Edward VII did not become king until his mother died, there was no Queen Mother in his reign.
- Alexandra of Denmark was wife of Edward VII and mother of George V of the United Kingdom. She was Queen Mother from 1910 to her own death in 1925.
- Mary of Teck was wife of George V and mother to both Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and George VI of the United Kingdom. However, since Edward VIII was not married while he was king, she was technically not Queen Mother during his reign. She was Queen Mother from 1936 until the death of her younger son in 1952. She died in 1953.
- Wallis, Duchess of Windsor was royal mistress to Edward VIII but only married him in 1937, following his abdication from the throne. They were childless. She outlived her husband and died in 1986.
- Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was wife to George VI and mother of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. She was Queen Mother from 1952 until her death in 2002.
Future Queen Mothers?
There is little likelihood that there will be another Queen Mother in the near future. If Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom decides to abdicate in favour of her son Charles, Prince of Wales, it is possible that she would be given the title of Queen Mother, but there is no precedent for this. Otherwise, assuming that Charles succeeds through her death, he will of course have no mother alive.
If Charles is then succeeded by either of his sons, Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry of Wales, or Charles does not succeed but one of them does, they will have no mother alive either. Their mother Diana, Princess of Wales predeceased them in 1997. Their stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall would presumably not be eligible for the title since no stepmother held it before.
The most likely scenario is that William's wife will be the next Queen Mother.
It is possible that if someone else succeeds, then an existing member of the Royal family could become Queen Mother. For example, if Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex or Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester succeeds to the throne, and is then outlived by his wife and succeeded by his own child, she would be Queen Mother. However, neither scenario is very likely.