Queen mother
Encyclopedia
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.
The queen consort's eldest son (or daughter, if there is no son or if the kingdom practises absolute primogeniture) would normally be crowned as successor upon the king's death, often leaving the new monarch's mother still alive, but no longer holding any official position. A new king, of course, might already be married, or marry subsequently, and would have his own queen consort. A daughter who succeeded would be a queen regnant
and normally called simply "the Queen", so a confusion of titles could result.
Therefore, the title of "queen mother" identifies the widow of the deceased former king and mother of the currently reigning king or queen. The title distinguishes the queen mother from the current queen consort, who is the wife of the currently reigning king. It also distinguishes such a person from a monarch's mother who was not previously a queen consort. For example, The Duchess of Kent
was "the Queen's mother" when her daughter became queen regnant but not "queen mother".
As the king's or queen's mother, the queen mother is typically supported throughout her remaining years and given honour as a beloved relative, but has no official position or power. She is expected to carefully abstain from any involvement in governance or politics.
In Swaziland
, located in Southern Africa, the Queen Mother, or Ndlovukati
, reigns alongside her son. She serves as a ceremonial figurehead, while her son serves as the administrative head of state. He has absolute power. She is important at festivals such as the annual reed dance
ceremony.
In many matrilineal
societies of West Africa
, such as the Ashanti, the queen mother is the one through whom royal descent is reckoned and thus wields considerable power. One of the greatest leaders of Ashanti was Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
(1840–1921), who led her subjects against the British Empire
during the War of the Golden Stool
in 1900.
Furthermore, in more symbolically-driven societies such as the kingdoms of the Yoruba people
s, the queen mother may not even be a blood relative of the reigning monarch. She could be a female individual of any age who is vested with the ritual essence of the departed queens in a ceremonial sense, and who is practically regarded as the monarch's mother as a result. A good example of this is Erelu Kuti
of Lagos
, who has been seen as the iya oba or queen mother of every succeeding king of that realm, due to the activities of the three successors to the noble title that have reigned since her demise.
In Britain, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother served as a Counsellor of State
several times. She had always remained a popular figure of the royal family.
, reportedly once suggested to journalist Andrew Morton
(author of Diana: Her True Story) that when her son, Prince William, became king, she would be known as King Mother. No such designation has ever officially existed, nor is there independent evidence that such terminology was ever considered. Queen mother means "queen who is mother to the current monarch", not "mother of the queen"; "king mother" is a contradiction in terms.
However, of note, and possibly Diana's basis for the idea, is the style My Lady The King's Mother, held by Lady Margaret Beaufort during the reign of her son, Henry VII of England
.
of Cambodia was styled as HM King-Father Norodom Sihanouk when he abdicated in favor of his son.
and Juliana
used the style Princess after their abdication, arguing that, to avoid confusion, there should be only one Queen at a time.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
(a queen dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
) 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
Hereditary monarchy
A hereditary monarchy is the most common type of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies.Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and is also used to describe a number of similar yet distinct monarchical concepts in non-European cultures around the World.
Status
A queen consort, as wife of a king, has a royal position of great importance but does not normally have any rights to succeed him as monarch after his death.The queen consort's eldest son (or daughter, if there is no son or if the kingdom practises absolute primogeniture) would normally be crowned as successor upon the king's death, often leaving the new monarch's mother still alive, but no longer holding any official position. A new king, of course, might already be married, or marry subsequently, and would have his own queen consort. A daughter who succeeded would be a queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
and normally called simply "the Queen", so a confusion of titles could result.
Therefore, the title of "queen mother" identifies the widow of the deceased former king and mother of the currently reigning king or queen. The title distinguishes the queen mother from the current queen consort, who is the wife of the currently reigning king. It also distinguishes such a person from a monarch's mother who was not previously a queen consort. For example, The Duchess of Kent
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
was "the Queen's mother" when her daughter became queen regnant but not "queen mother".
As the king's or queen's mother, the queen mother is typically supported throughout her remaining years and given honour as a beloved relative, but has no official position or power. She is expected to carefully abstain from any involvement in governance or politics.
In Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, located in Southern Africa, the Queen Mother, or Ndlovukati
Ndlovukati
Ndlovukati is a Swati title that roughly means Queen Mother or Senior Queen, and is given preferentially to the mother of the King or another female royal of high-status if the King's mother has died.-Origins:...
, reigns alongside her son. She serves as a ceremonial figurehead, while her son serves as the administrative head of state. He has absolute power. She is important at festivals such as the annual reed dance
Umhlanga
Umhlanga, or Reed Dance ceremony, is an annual Swazi and Zulu tradition held in August or September. Tens of thousands of unmarried and childless Swazi/Zulu girls and women travel from their villages to participate in the eight-day event...
ceremony.
In many matrilineal
Matrilineality
Matrilineality is a system in which descent is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. Matrilineality is also a societal system in which one belongs to one's matriline or mother's lineage, which can involve the inheritance of property and/or titles.A matriline is a line of descent from a...
societies of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, such as the Ashanti, the queen mother is the one through whom royal descent is reckoned and thus wields considerable power. One of the greatest leaders of Ashanti was Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
Yaa Asantewaa
Yaa Asantewaa was appointed queen mother of Ejisu of the Ashanti Empire—now part of modern-day Ghana—by her brother Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpese, the Ejisuhene "ruler of Ejisu"...
(1840–1921), who led her subjects against the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
during the War of the Golden Stool
War of the Golden Stool
The War of the Golden Stool, also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War, the Third Ashanti Expedition, the Ashanti Uprising, or variations thereof, was the final war in a series of conflicts between the British Imperial government of the Gold Coast and the Empire of Ashanti, a powerful, semi-autonomous...
in 1900.
Furthermore, in more symbolically-driven societies such as the kingdoms of the Yoruba people
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
s, the queen mother may not even be a blood relative of the reigning monarch. She could be a female individual of any age who is vested with the ritual essence of the departed queens in a ceremonial sense, and who is practically regarded as the monarch's mother as a result. A good example of this is Erelu Kuti
Erelu Kuti
The Erelu Kuti of Lagos is the traditional noblewoman charged with the bearing of the ritual essence of Oloye Erelu Kuti I, a seventeenth century Yoruba royal who aided in the consolidation of her homeland, first as the daughter of its paramount king, then as the sister of two of his successors,...
of Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, who has been seen as the iya oba or queen mother of every succeeding king of that realm, due to the activities of the three successors to the noble title that have reigned since her demise.
In Britain, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother served as a Counsellor of State
Counsellor of State
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is in another Commonwealth realm, abroad or unavailable for other reasons...
several times. She had always remained a popular figure of the royal family.
Recent British queen mothers
The following queens became queen mothers, though not all chose to use that style.- Queen AlexandraAlexandra of DenmarkAlexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
(1844–1925) — widow of Edward VII and mother of George VGeorge VGeorge V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
. - Queen MaryMary of TeckMary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
(1867–1953) — widow of George VGeorge VGeorge V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
and mother of kings Edward VIII and George VI. Queen Mary never used the title Queen Mother, choosing instead to be known as "Queen Mary" and that style was used to describe her in the Court CircularCourt CircularThe Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by Buckingham Palace and printed a day in arrears at the back...
. But she was a queen mother just the same. When her granddaughter acceded to the throne as Elizabeth II in 1952, the new queen's mother became queen mother. - Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900–2002) — the widow of George VI and mother of Elizabeth II. In some of the British media, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is often referred to as the Queen Mum, and the term "Queen Mother" remains associated with her after her death.
Other notable queen mothers in history
The title queen mother has been widely used. Other well-known queen mothers include:- BathshebaBathshebaAccording to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her....
- queen mother of Ancient Kingdom of Israel - TiyeTiyeTiye was the daughter of Yuya and Tjuyu . She became the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III....
- an Egyptian queen, grandmother of TutankhamunTutankhamunTutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom... - Blanche of CastileBlanche of CastileBlanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
- queen mother of FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1226–1252) - Katarina Kosača-KotromanićKatarina Kosaca-KotromanicBlessed Catherine of Bosnia was the Queen consort of Bosnia as the wife of King Stephen Thomas. She was a daughter of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, Duke of Saint Sava...
- queen mother of BosniaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
(1463–1478) - Bona SforzaBona SforzaBona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
- queen mother of Poland-LithuaniaGrand Duchy of LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
(1548–1557) - Catherine de Medici - queen mother of France (1559–1589)
- Maria of Medici - queen mother of France (1610–1642)
- Anne of AustriaAnne of AustriaAnne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
- queen mother of France (1643–1666) - Margaret of SavoyMargherita of SavoyMargherita of Savoy , was the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy during the reign of her husband, Umberto I.-Family:...
- queen mother of ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1900–1926) - Maria Christina of AustriaMaria Christina of AustriaMaria Christina of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain...
- queen mother of SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(1906–1929) - Maria of Romania - queen mother of YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(1941–1961) - Helen of Greece and Denmark - queen mother of RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
(1940–1948) - Frederica of Hanover - queen mother of GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(1964–1981) - Catherine of ValoisCatherine of ValoisCatherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
- queen mother of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Saovabha Bongsri - queen mother of Siam (later ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
) (1910–1919)
Exceptional cases
- Ingeborg of NorwayIngeborg of NorwayIngeborg of Norway , was a Norwegian and by marriage Swedish princess and royal duchess with a position in the regency governments in Norway and Sweden...
(1301–61), Duchess of Sweden, acted and ranked as if she were a queen regnant for a year before the Swedish reign of her son, King Magnus IVMagnus IV of SwedenMagnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...
, and thereafter as if she were his queen mother, serving intermittently on his board of regentRegentA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
s. However, she was never officially recognized as queen or queen mother. - Her granddaughter-in-law MargaretMargaret I of DenmarkMargaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
(1353–1412), who ruled all of Scandinavia as the mother of one king and the adoptive mother of another, held a similar complicated unofficial position, but much longer and in traditional history given the title of Queen. Early in her career, she had been Queen consort of Norway for 17 years and of Sweden for one year. - Helen of Greece and Denmark — wife, from 1921–28, of the future Carol II of RomaniaCarol II of RomaniaCarol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
, and mother of King Michael of Romania. In circumstances that read like a soap opera, Michael first ruled from 1927–30, before his father was king (and again after his father abdicated). When in 1930 Carol returned to Romania and assumed the throne, he actually retrodated his reign to 1927, the year his father (King Ferdinand) died. As Elena had not yet divorced her playboy husband at the time (that was to happen in the following year), he unwittingly granted her the retroactive title of queen. Thus, in 1940, after his abdication and the second accession of their son, she rightfully became the queen mother of Romania. - Similarly, Maharani Gayatri DeviGayatri DeviGayatri Devi , often styled as Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur, was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar...
of JaipurJaipurJaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
was the third wife of her husband, the monarch, but not the mother of his successor, a son by the king's first wife. However, she has been accorded the title of queen mother (Rajmata) anyway. - The Valide SultanValide SultanValide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
, the mother of an Ottoman Sultan, is sometimes referred to as queen mother.
Erroneous usage of the title
- Queen Noor of Jordan is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the queen mother of Jordan. But while she is the widow of King Hussein and was his fourth wife, the current king, Abdullah IIAbdullah II of JordanAbdullah II ibn al-Hussein is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family...
, is not her son; he's her stepson. His mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein.
King mother
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, reportedly once suggested to journalist Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton (writer)
Andrew David Morton is a former British Fleet Street journalist, a notable writer and biographer.Before moving into a career in journalism, he attended grammar school, then studied history at the University of Sussex....
(author of Diana: Her True Story) that when her son, Prince William, became king, she would be known as King Mother. No such designation has ever officially existed, nor is there independent evidence that such terminology was ever considered. Queen mother means "queen who is mother to the current monarch", not "mother of the queen"; "king mother" is a contradiction in terms.
However, of note, and possibly Diana's basis for the idea, is the style My Lady The King's Mother, held by Lady Margaret Beaufort during the reign of her son, Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
King father
If a king were to abdicate and pass the throne to his child, then in that case the king could have his son or daughter style him as a king father. King Norodom SihanoukNorodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
of Cambodia was styled as HM King-Father Norodom Sihanouk when he abdicated in favor of his son.
Princess
The Dutch queens WilhelminaWilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
and Juliana
Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana was the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1948 and 1980. She was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry...
used the style Princess after their abdication, arguing that, to avoid confusion, there should be only one Queen at a time.