Will Kate Middleton Be Queen or Queen Consort? Royal Rule Explained

Queen Elizabeth II had been around for so long that when she died, the news shocked everyone despite her advanced age.

Her passing marked the end of an era in the royal narrative and seemingly sent the world hurtling towards even more chaos and disarray.

Immediately following her death, Prince Charles ascended to the throne as King Charles III, becoming the monarch in his mother's stead. This significant event prompted a complete rearrangement of the royal succession, ushering Prince William and Kate Middleton into their new roles as the Prince and Princess of Wales—the heir apparent and his spouse. Now the question a lot of people are asking is what will be Kate's exact title when William ascends to the throne. Will she be Queen or Queen Consort?

According to royal protocol, the spouse of a reigning monarch is granted the title of consort. However, there exists a discrepancy between the titles bestowed upon husbands and wives of the monarchs.

Whereas wives of British monarchs bear the distinguished title of Queen Consort, husbands receive the more modest title of Prince Consort: everybody remembers Prince Philip, who died eighteen months before his wife, Queen Elizabeth II. This practice is believed to bolster the authority of female monarchs, preventing their husbands from amassing too much power and influencing state affairs.

Now, the 'consort' bit is often omitted in common parlance, with royal spouses colloquially called Queen or Prince. For example, King Charles III's wife, Camilla, is often referred to as Queen Camilla, as evidenced by the invitation to their coronation. Similarly, Queen Elizabeth II's mother was commonly known as Queen Elizabeth during her marriage to King George VI, later assuming the title of Queen Mother.

Thus, when William eventually ascends to the throne, Kate Middleton will be given the official title of Queen Consort, but the 'consort' part of the title will probably be routinely omitted, just as has been the case with all her predecessors. Furthermore, in the event of her husband's premature passing, their son, Prince George, would ascend to the throne, in which case Princess Catherine would immediately become Queen Mother.

For the time being, the Princess of Wales has a plethora of additional titles, including Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Strathearn, and Lady Carrickfergus. It should be noted, though, that when she becomes Queen Consort, she will be expected to relinquish some of those other titles and will be known as Queen Consort or, less formally, simply the Queen.