A queen mother is a former queen, often a

queen dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. 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 rank does not go to all mothers of monarchs though. A mother of a ruling monarch may only be referred to as queen mother if she was a

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

as opposed to a princess consort. " Queen Mother" usually, in English, refers to

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

(queen consort, 1936–1952; queen mother, 1952–2002), who was the mother of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and one of the few people to use the term as an official style. However, it is also used as an official title in Thailand where

Sirikit Sirikit (born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara; 12 August 1932) is a member of the Thai royal family who was List of Thai royal consorts#Rattanakosin Kingdom, Queen of Thailand from 28 April 1950 to 13 October 2016 as the wife of King Bhum ...

, the mother of the present king, is officially styled "The Queen Mother".

Status

A queen mother is often a

, a widow of a king, who is simultaneously a former queen consort and the mother of the current monarch. As there is only one monarch, there can only be one queen mother. It is unclear if a queen consort whose husband abdicates the throne, or a

queen regnant A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...

who abdicates, and is the mother of the current monarch would be the queen mother. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, a monarch loses the title of king or queen after abdication. For example,

Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

, who abdicated in favor of her daughter

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...

, was sometimes colloquially referred to as the queen mother despite declining the title and having reverted to being a princess. Queen Paola of Belgium, whose husband Albert II abdicated but retained the title of king, has generally been referred to as the queen mother of Philippe despite not being a queen dowager. A former queen consort who is the grandmother of the reigning monarch is sometimes called the queen grandmother. Queen Sri Savarindira of Thailand was known by this style.

United Kingdom

The title "queen mother" evolved to distinguish a queen dowager from all other queens when she is also the mother of the reigning sovereign. Thus, upon the death of her husband,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

, Queen Mary became queen mother, retaining the status throughout the reigns of her sons,

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

and

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

. The title also distinguishes former queens consort from those who are simply the mother of the current monarch. For example, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was "the queen's mother" when her daughter Victoria became queen regnant, but she was ''not'' "queen mother" as her husband was never a king. The title in British usage is purely a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

. While the wife of a king is called "queen", there is no constitutional or statutory recognition of "queen mother" as a title. There is no male equivalent to a queen mother (i.e. "king father"). This would occur only if the husband of a queen regnant outlived the queen and was thereafter father to the new king or queen. Such a situation has never occurred. Since the title "queen mother" derives from the woman's previous title of "queen", it would also be incongruous to call such a father of a monarch the "king father", as the husbands of queens regnant are not given the title "king", but rather titled as a prince. The exact title such a person would assume has not been clarified by royal lineage experts. "Prince father" is a possibility.

Ottoman Empire

In the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, ''

valide sultan Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of Hafsa Sultan (died 1534), mother of Sultan Suleima ...

'' () or sultana mother was the title held by the mother of a ruling

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

. The title was first used in the 16th century for Hafsa Sultan, consort of

Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...

and mother of

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...

, superseding the previous title of ''mehd-i ülya'' ("cradle of the great"). The Turkish pronunciation of the word ''Valide'' is . The second position the most important position in the Ottoman Empire after the sultan himself and being more powerful in the hierarchy than Haseki sultan. As the mother to the sultan, by

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic tradition ("A mother's right is God's right"), the valide sultan would have a significant influence on the affairs of the empire. She had great power in the court and her own rooms (always adjacent to her son's) and state staff. In particular during the 17th century, in a period known as the " Sultanate of Women", a series of incompetent or child sultans raised the role of the valide sultan to new heights.

India

In India, a queen (usually styled

rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

, or in the Muslim tradition,

begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is an honorific title from Central Asia, Central and South Asia, often used by leading women in society, including Royal family, royals, aristocrats, first lady, first ladies and prime ...

) who becomes queen-mother was known in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and Hindi as a '' rajamata'' - literally, mother of the king/monarch.

Africa

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

, the queen mother, or

Ndlovukati Ndlovukati (, pl. ''tiNdlovukati''; also spelled Indlovukazi) is the siSwati language, siSwati title for the female monarch of Eswatini. The title is given preferentially to the mother of the reigning List of Kings of Swaziland, king (styled the ...

, 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 Lesotho
Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso
became Queen mother when her son King Letsie III became King. She served as Queen Mother until her death. There are many othe
queen mothers in Africa's
tribal monarchies, most of whom have served as regents to their sons. In many

matrilineal Matrilineality, at times called matriliny, is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which people identify with their matriline, their mother's lineage, and which can involve the inheritan ...

societies of

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

, 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 Nana Yaa Asantewaa (1840–1921), who led her subjects against the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

during the

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 a campaign in 1900 during the series of conflicts between the United Kingdom and the Ashanti Empire ...

in 1900. In more symbolically driven societies such as the kingdoms of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

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

Oloye ''Oba'' ('King' in the Yoruba language, Yoruba language) is a pre-nominal honorific for kings in Yorubaland. Traditional rulers with dynasties of Yoruba origin, across the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria, and Togo, frequently make use of it. ...

Erelu Kuti I of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, 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 her

noble title Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anoth ...

that have reigned since her demise.

Notable examples

These mothers of monarchs, and others, albeit not always officially so titled have also been considered equal to queen mothers: *

Adela of Champagne Adela of Champagne (; – 4 June 1206), also known as Adelaide, Alix and Adela of Blois, was Queen of France as the third wife of Louis VII. She was regent of France from 1190 to 1191 while her son Philip II participated in the Third Crusad ...

(1180–1206) France * Adelaide of Aquitaine (996–1004) France * Adelaide of Burgundy (973–983) Germany and Italy * Adelaide of Maurienne (1137–1154) France * Adelaide of Paris (898–901) West Francia * Ageltrude (894–898) Italy * Agnes of Aquitaine (1137–1159) Aragon * Agnes of Brandenburg (1286–1304) Denmark *

Agnes of Poitou Agnes of Poitou ( – 14 December 1077) was the queen of Germany from 1043 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1046 until 1056 as the wife of Emperor Henry III. From 1056 to 1061, she ruled the Holy Roman Empire as regent during the ...

(1056–1077), Germany, Italy, and Burgundy *

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

(1910–1925) United Kingdom * Alice of Champagne (1218–1246) Cyprus * Alice of Ibelin (1358–1369, 1382–1386) Cyprus * Aliya bint Ali (1939–1950) Iraq * Amalie Auguste of Bavaria (1873–1877) Saxony *

Amarindra Amarindra (, , ; 15 March 1737 – 25 May 1826) was the queen consort of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty. Her birth name was Nak (นาค). She was a daughter of a wealthy Mon from Bang Chang, in Samut ...

(1810–1826) Siam * Amélie of Orléans (1908–1910) Portugal * Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1947–1952) Denmark *

Anastasia of Kiev Anastasia of Kiev (, Anastasia Yaroslavna; ; 1023 – 1074/1094) was Queen of Hungary by marriage to Andrew I of Hungary, King Andrew the White. Life Anastasia was a daughter of Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Kiev and Ingigerd Olofsdotte ...

(1063–1074) Hungary * Anna Pavlovna of Russia (1849–1865) Netherlands *

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

(1643–1666) France * Anne of Kiev (1060–1075) France *

Athaliah Athaliah ( ''Gotholía''; ) was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel; she was queen consort of kingdom of Judah, Judah as the wife of Jehoram of Judah, King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and was later queen regnant c. 84 ...

( – 841 BCE) Judah * Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1888) Prussia *

Bathsheba Bathsheba (; , ) was an Kings of Israel and Judah, Israelite queen consort. According to the Hebrew Bible, she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, with whom she had all of her five children. Her status as the mother of Solomon ...

(11th century BC) Israel and Judah *

Bertha of Swabia Bertha of Swabia (; ; AD – after 2 January 966), a member of the Alemannic Hunfriding dynasty, was queen of Burgundy from 922 until 937 and queen of Italy from 922 until 926, by her marriage with King Rudolph II. She was again queen of Ital ...

(937–966) Burgundy * Bertrada of Laon (768–783) Francia * Beatrice of Castile (1279–1303) Portugal * Beatrice of Castile (1357–1359) Portugal *

Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born ...

(from 2013) Netherlands *

Berengaria of Castile Berengaria (Castilian language, Castilian: ''Berenguela''), nicknamed the Great (Castilian: la Grande) (1179 or 1180 – 8 November 1246), was Queen of CastileThe full title was ''Regina Castelle et Toleti'' (Queen of Castile and Toledo). for ...

(1217–1246) Castile * Blanche of Castile (1226–1252) France * Blanche of Namur (1343–1362) Norway *

Bona Sforza Bona Sforza (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen consort, Queen of Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Poland and List of Lithuanian consorts, Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund the Old, and Duchess of Bari and ...

(1548–1557) Poland *

Carlota Joaquina of Spain Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830) was Queen of Portugal and Brazil as the wife of King Dom John VI. She was the daughter of King Don Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. ...

(1825–1830) Portugal and Brazil *

Catherine Cornaro Catherine Cornaro (; or ; ; 25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia. She became queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to James II of ...

(1473–1474) Cyprus *

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...

(1559–1589) France * Catherine of Lancaster (1406–1418) Castile *

Catherine of Valois Catherine of Valois or Catherine of France (27 October 1401 – 3 January 1437) was Queen of England from 1420 until 1422. A daughter of King Charles VI of France, she married King Henry V of England and was the mother of King Henry VI. Cath ...

(1401–1437) England * Charlotte of Savoy (1483) France * Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1699–1714) Denmark and Norway * Christina Hvide (1195–1200) Sweden *

Christina of Denmark Christina of Denmark (; November 1521 – 10 December 1590) was a Denmark, Danish princess, the younger surviving daughter of Christian II, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway and Isabella of Austria. By her two marriages, she became List ...

(1167–1170) Sweden * Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (1611–1625) Sweden * Christina of Saxony (1513–1521) Denmark and Norway * Clementia of Hungary (1316) France * Constance of Aragon (1204–1205) Hungary *

Constance of Arles Constance of Arles ( 986 – 28 July 1032), also known as Constance of Provence, was Queen of France as the third wife of King Robert II of France. Life Born Constance was the daughter of William I of Provence, William I, Count of Provence and A ...

(1031–1032) France * Constance of Hungary (1230–1240) Bohemia *

Constance of Portugal Constance of Portugal (pt: ''Constança''; 3 January 1290 – Sahagún, 18 November 1313; ), was Queen of Castile by her marriage to Ferdinand IV. She was the eldest child and only daughter of King Denis of Portugal and his wife Elizab ...

(1312–1313) Castile and León * Constance of Sicily (1285–1302) Aragon and Sicily * Damit binti Abdul Rahman (1967–1978) Brunei * Désirée Clary (1844–1859) Sweden and Norway * Dorothea of Brandenburg (1481–1495) Denmark and Norway *

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (9 July 1511 – 7 October 1571) was queen consort of Denmark and Norway by marriage to King Christian III of Denmark. She was known to having wielded influence upon the affairs of state in Denmark.Jorgensen, Ellen & S ...

(1559–1571) Denmark and Norway *

Eadgifu of Kent Eadgifu of Kent (also Edgiva or Ediva; in or before 903 – in or after 966) was the third wife of Edward the Elder, List of British monarchs, King of Wessex. Family background Eadgifu was the daughter of Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent, who died ...

(939–955) Wessex * Eadgifu of Wessex (936–951) West Francia * Ealhswith (899–902) Wessex * Eleanor of Alburquerque (1416–1435) Aragon * Eleanor of Anjou (1337–1341) Sicily *

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine ( or ; ; , or ; – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As ...

(1189–1204) England * Eleanor of Aragon (1369–1382) Cyprus * Eleanor of Aragon (1438–1445) Portugal * Eleanor of England (1214) Castile * Elizabeth of Poland (1342–1380) Hungary *

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

(1272–1291) England * Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg (1705–1720) Hungary and Bohemia * Elena of Montenegro (1946) Italy * Ælfthryth (978–1000) England *

Elisabeth of Bavaria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austria on 24 April 1854 until h ...

(1934–1951) Belgium *

(1254–1268) Jerusalem and Sicily * Elisabeth Farnese (1759–1766) Spain * Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1745–1750) Hungary and Bohemia * Elizabeth of Austria (1492–1505) Poland *

Elizabeth of Bosnia Elizabeth of Bosnia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Elizabeta Kotromanić, Јелисавета Котроманић ; ; ; – January 1387) was queen consort of Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary and Croatia in personal union with Hungary, Croat ...

(1382–1387) Hungary and Croatia *

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of K ...

(1952–2002) United Kingdom: the widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II. In some of the British media, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was often referred to as ''the Queen Mum'', and the term "Queen Mother" remained associated with her after her death. * Elizabeth of Carinthia (1342–1352) Sicily *

Elizabeth the Cuman Elizabeth the Cuman (1244–1290) was the Queen consort of Stephen V of Hungary. She was regent of Hungary during the minority of her son from 1272 to 1277. The Cumans were the western tribes of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. Her people follo ...

(1272–1290) Hungary * Elizabeth of Luxembourg (1440–1442) Bohemia and Hungary *

Elizabeth of Aragon Elizabeth of Portugal (''Elisabet'' in Catalan language, Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese language, Aragonese, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Spanish language, Spanish; 1271 – 4 July 1336), also known as Elizabeth of Aragon, was List of P ...

(1325–1336) Portugal *

Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile; c. 1437Karen Lindsey, ''Divorced, Beheaded, Survived'', p. xviii, Perseus Books, 1995. – 8 June 1492), known as Dame Elizabeth Grey during her first marriage, was Queen of Engla ...

(1483) England * Emma of Italy (986–987) West Francia * Emma of Normandy (1035–1052) Denmark and England * Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1890–1934) Netherlands * Ermengard of Italy (887–897) Provence * Ermengarde de Beaumont (1214–1233) Scotland *

Estrid of the Obotrites Estrid of the Obotrites ( 979 – 1035) was queen consort of Sweden, Queen of Sweden in the Viking age, a West Slavs, West Slavic princess married to the King of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung c. 1000–1022. She was the mother of King Anund Jacob ...

(1022–1035) Sweden * Euphrosyne of Kiev (1162–1193) Hungary * Frederica of Hanover (1964–1973) Greece * Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt (1797–1805) Prussia * Gayatri Rajapatni (1309–1350) Majapahit (Indonesia) *

Gerberga of Saxony Gerberga of Saxony ( 913 – 5 May 968/9 or 984?) was the queen of West Francia by marriage to Louis IV of France between 939 and 954. She ruled as regent during the minority of their son Lothair in 954–959. She was a member of the Ottonian ...

(954–984) West Francia *

Gisela of Swabia Gisela of Swabia ( 990 – 15 February 1043), was queen of Germany from 1024 to 1039 and empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 to 1039 by her third marriage with Emperor Conrad II. She was the mother of Emperor Henry III. She was regent of ...

(1039–1043), Germany, Italy, and Burgundy * Giovanna of Italy (1943–1946) Bulgaria * Gunnhild, Mother of Kings (961–970) Norway * Hafsa Sultan (1520–1534) Ottoman Empire *

Hamida Banu Begum Hamida Banu Begum (Persian: حمیده بانو بیگم; 1527 – 29 August 1604) was the queen consort, empress consort of the second Mughal emperor Humayun and the mother of his successor, the third Mughal emperor Akbar. ...

(1556–1604) Mughal India *

Handan Sultan Handan Sultan (; /1568 – 9 November 1605) was a consort of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, and mother and Valide Sultan to their son Sultan Ahmed I. She acted as '' de facto'' regent during her tenure from 1603 to 1605. Handan Sultan was one of ...

(1603–1605) Ottoman Empire * Halime Sultan (1617–1623) Ottoman Empire * Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe (2006–2017) Tonga * Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1660–1697) Sweden * Helen of Greece and Denmark (1940–1947) Romania * Helena of Serbia (1141–1146) Hungary * Helvig of Holstein (1290–1318) Sweden * Helvis of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1398–1421) Cyprus *

Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria of France ( French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. She was ...

(1649–1669) England and Scotland *

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...

(1810) Holland * Huzaima bint Nasser (1933–1935) Iraq * Ingeborg of Denmark (1280–1287) Norway *

Ingrid of Sweden Ingrid of Sweden (Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louisa Margareta; 28 March 1910 – 7 November 2000) was List of Danish consorts, Queen of Denmark from 20 April 1947 to 14 January 1972 as the wife of King Frederik IX. Ingrid was born into the Hous ...

(1972–2000) Denmark *

Isabeau of Bavaria Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – 24 September 1435) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI of France, Charles VI from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach a ...

(1422–1435) France *

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

(1874–1885) Spain *

Isabella of Angoulême Isabella (, ; c. 1186/ 1188 – 4 June 1246) was Queen of England from 1200 to 1216 as the second wife of King John, Countess of Angoulême in her own right from 1202 until her death in 1246, and Countess of La Marche from 1220 to 1246 as t ...

(1216–1246) England *

Isabella of France Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of Edward II of England, King Edward II, and ''de facto'' regent of England from 1327 ...

(1327–1358) England * Isabella of Ibelin (1284–1324) Cyprus and Jerusalem *

Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (; 24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and Lady of the Netherlands fr ...

(1474–1496) Portugal * Jadwiga of Kalisz (1333–1339) Poland * Joan Beaufort (1437–1445) Scotland *

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

(c.852–842 BC) Israel * Josephine of Leuchtenberg (1859–1876) Sweden and Norway * Jijabai (1598–1674) Maratha Empire (India) * Juana Manuel (1379–1381) Castile and León * Judith of Bavaria (940–943) West Francia * Keōpūolani (1778–1823) Hawaii (United States) * Kesang Choden (1972–2006) Bhutan *

Kösem Sultan Kösem Sultan (; 1589 – 2 September 1651), also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (;), was the Haseki sultan, Haseki Sultan as the chief consort and legal wife of the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, Valide sultan, Vali ...

(1623–1648) Ottoman Empire * Kunigunda of Halych (1278–1285) Bohemia * Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (1771–1782) Sweden *

Louise of Sweden Louise of Sweden (; 31 October 1851 – 20 March 1926) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912 as the wife of Frederick VIII of Denmark, King Frederick VIII. Born into the House of Bernadotte, Louise was the onl ...

(1912–1926) Denmark * Luisa de Guzmán (1656–1666) Portugal * 'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso (1990–1995, 1996–2003) Lesotho * Malek Jahan Khanom (1848–1873) Persia (Iran) * Malekeh Jahan (1909–1925) Persia (Iran) * Margaret of Denmark (1380–1387) Norway * Margaret of Bourbon (1253–1256) Navarre *

Margaret of Durazzo Margaret of Durazzo ( 28 July 1347 – 6 August 1412) was Queen of Naples and Hungary and Princess of Achaea as the spouse of Charles III of Naples. She was regent of Naples from 1386 until 1393 during the minority of her son Ladislaus of Nap ...

(1386–1412) Naples * Margaret of Navarre (1166–1183) Sicily * Margaret Sambiria (1259–1282) Denmark *

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

(1513–1541) Scotland * Margaret of Provence (1270–1285) France *

Margaret Skulesdatter Margaret Skulesdatter (Old Norse: ''Margrét Skúladóttir'') (1208–1270) was a Norwegian queen consort, spouse of King Haakon IV of Norway and queen consort of Norway from 1225 to 1263. Biography Margrete was the daughter of Jarl Skule Bårds ...

(1263–1270) Norway *

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was List of Italian royal consorts, Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand ...

(1900–1926) Italy *

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...

(from 2024) Denmark * Maria of Austria (1576–1603) Hungary and Bohemia *

María de Molina María Alfonso Téllez de Meneses (c. 1265 – 1321), known as María de Molina, was queen consort of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León from 1284 to 1295 by marriage to Sancho IV of Castile, and served as regent for her min ...

(1295–1312) Castile and León * Maria of Portugal (1350–1357) Castile and León * Maria of Romania (1934–1945) Yugoslavia *

Maria Amalia of Saxony Maria Amalia (Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga; 24 November 1724 – 27 September 1760) was Queen of Spain from 10 August 1759 until her death in 1760 as the wife of King Charles III. Previously, she had been Queen of Nap ...

(1759–1760) Naples and Sicily * Maria Anna of Austria (1750–1754) Portugal * Maria Christina of Austria (1886–1929) Spain *

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (, ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was the queen consort of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue ...

(1833–1868) Spain * Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg (1632–1654) Sweden * María Isabella of Spain (1830–1848) Two Sicilies * Maria Laskarina (1270) Hungary *

Maria Leopoldina of Austria Don (honorific), Dona Maria Leopoldina of Austria (22 January 1797 – 11 December 1826) was the first Empress of Brazil as the wife of Emperor Dom (title), Dom Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I from 12 October 1822 until her death. She was ...

(1826) Portugal * Maria Luisa of Parma (1808–1819) Spain * Maria Luisa of Spain (1792) Hungary and Bohemia * Maria Luisa of Spain (1803–1807) Etruria * Maria Pia of Savoy (1889–1908) Portugal *

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

(1765–1780) Germany *

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereig ...

(1849–1855) Sardinia *

Mariam-uz-Zamani Mariam-uz-Zamani (; – 19 May 1623), commonly known by the misnomer Jodha Bai, was the Empress consort, chief consort, principal Hinduism, Hindu wife and the favourite wife of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. She was also the longest-servi ...

(1605–1623) Mughal India * Mariana of Austria (1665–1696) Spain *

Mariana Victoria of Spain Mariana Victoria of Spain (; 31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781) was an ''Infante, Infanta of Spain'' by birth and was later the List of Portuguese consorts, Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Joseph I of Portugal, Joseph I. She acted as rege ...

(1777–1781) Portugal * Marie de Coucy (1249–1285) Scotland *

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...

(1610–1642) France *

Marie of Anjou Marie of Anjou (14 October 1404 – 29 November 1463) was Queen of France as the spouse of King Charles VII from 1422 to 1461. She served as regent and presided over the council of state several times during the absence of the king. Life Marie ...

(1461–1463) France * Marie of Prussia (1864–1889) Bavaria * Marie of Edinburgh (1930–1938) Romania *

Mary of Guelders Mary of Guelders (; c. 1434/1435 – 1 December 1463) was Queen of Scots by marriage to King James II. She ruled as regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463. Background She was the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and Catherine of Clev ...

(1460–1463) Scotland *

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

(1542–1560) Scotland *

Mary of Hungary Mary, also known as Maria of Anjou (, , ; 137117 May 1395), queen regnant, reigned as Queen of Hungary and List of dukes and kings of Croatia, Croatia between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death. She was the daughter of Louis I of Hun ...

(1309–1323) Naples *

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...

(1936–1952) United Kingdom: widow of King George V and mother of kings

and

. Queen Mary never used the title ''Queen Mother'', because she thought it implied advancing years, choosing instead to be known as "Queen Mary" and that style was used to describe her in the

Court Circular The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the royal family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St James ...

. *

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

(1567–1587) Scotland * Musbah bint Nasser (1951–1952) Jordan * Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II (1999–2016) Ashanti people (Ghana) * Narriman Sadek (1952–1953) Egypt * Natalija Keshko (1889–1903) Serbia * Nazli Sabri (1936–1952) Egypt * Norodom Monineath (from 2004) Cambodia * Nurbanu Sultan (1574–1583) Ottoman Empire * Olga Constantinovna of Russia (1913–1917, 1920–1922) Greece * Ota (899–903) East Francia * Paola Ruffo di Calabria (from 2013) Belgium * Pauline Therese of Württemberg (1864–1873) Württemberg * Phuntsho Choden (1952–1972) Bhutan *

Plaisance of Antioch Plaisance of Antioch (1235/1236 or ca. 1235 – September 27/22, 1261) was Queen of Cyprus by marriage to King Henry I. She served as regent of the kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem for their son, King Hugh II, in 1254–1261 and 1258–1261 ...

(1254–1261) Cyprus * Perestu Sultan (1876–1904) Ottoman Empire * Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (1972–2008) Nepal * Rikissa of Denmark (1216–1220) Sweden * Richeza of Poland (1074–1077) Hungary * Safiye Sultan (1595–1604) Ottoman Empire * Sancha of Castile (1196–1208) Aragon * Sancha of León (1065–1067) León * Saovabha Phongsri (1910–1919) Thailand *

Sibylla of Acerra Sibylla of Acerra (1153–1205) was List of Sicilian royal consorts, Queen of Sicily as the wife of Tancred of Lecce, King Tancred. After Tancred's death, she was regent in 1194 for their son, William III of Sicily, King William III. She was the si ...

(1194) Sicily *

(from 2016) Thailand * Sofía of Greece and Denmark (from 2014) Spain * Sophia of Halshany (1434–1461) Poland *

Sophia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter of ...

(1182–1198) Denmark * Sophia of Nassau (1907–1913) Sweden * Sophia of Prussia (1917–1920, 1922–1924) Greece *

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King ...

(1588–1631) Denmark and Norway * Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg (1670–1685) Denmark and Norway * Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1740–1757) Prussia * Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (1792–1809) Sweden * Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1746–1766) Denmark and Norway *

Tadj ol-Molouk Tâdj ol-Molouk (; 17 March 1896 – 10 March 1982) was List of royal consorts of Iran, Queen of Iran as the second wife of Reza Shah, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty and Shah of Iran between 1925 and 1941. The title she was given after becoming ...

(1941–1979) Persia (Iran) * Taj ol-Molouk (1907–1909) Persia (Iran) *

Theophanu Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...

(983–991) Germany *

Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen (8 July 1792 – 26 October 1854) was queen of Bavaria as the wife of King Ludwig I. Oktoberfest was created in honour of their wedding and is still celebrated annually on Theresienwiese in Mu ...

(1848–1854) Bavaria *

Tiye Tiye (c. 1398 BC – 1338 BC, also spelled Tye, Taia, Tiy and Tiyi) was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, mother of pharaoh Akhenaten and grandmother of pharaoh Tutankhamun; her parents were Yuya and Thuya. In 2010 ...

(14th century BC) Egypt * Tshering Yangdon (from 2006) Bhutan * Turhan Sultan (1648–1683) Ottoman Empire * Violant of Aragon (1284–1295) Castile and León *

Victoria, Princess Royal Victoria, Princess Royal (Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa; 21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901) was German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of Frederick III, German Emperor. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom ...

(1888–1901) Prussia * Xiaoqinxian (1861–1908) Qing China * Zein al-Sharaf Talal (1952–1994) Jordan

Exceptional cases

* Ingeborg of Norway (1301–1361), Duchess of Södermanland, acted and ranked as if she were a queen regnant for a year before the Swedish reign of her son, King Magnus IV, and thereafter as if she were his queen mother, serving intermittently on his board of

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

s. However, though she has been called ''the King Mother'' in biographical literature, she was never officially recognized as queen or queen mother. *Her granddaughter-in-law

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

(1353–1412), who ruled all of Scandinavia as the mother of one king and the adoptive mother of another, held a similarly complicated unofficial position but for much longer, and in traditional history is given the title of Queen. Early in her career, she had been Queen consort of Norway for seventeen years and of Sweden for one year. * Jijabai (1598–1674) was neither consort of a ruling king nor a ruling queen or regent. In practical terms her husband Shahaji was a nobleman under other rulers, but her son founded an independent empire and became its sovereign. Hence she is given the title Queen Mother – ''Rajmata'' in Hindi. * Sadijé Toptani (1876–1934), mother of King Zog I of Albania: after her son became king in 1928 she was raised to the title Queen Mother of the Albanians (''Nëna Mbretëreshë e Shqiptarëve'') with the style of Her Majesty, a position she held from September 1, 1928, until her death. * Helen of Greece and Denmark was the wife of the future

Carol II of Romania Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, in 1914. He was the f ...

from 1921 to 1928, and mother of King

Michael of Romania Michael I ( ; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced abdication on 30 December 1947. Shortly after Michael's birth, his f ...

. Michael first ruled 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 Helen 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, Gayatri Devi, Maharani of

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

(1919–2009) 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 sultan Valide Sultan (, lit. "Sultana mother") was the title held by the mother of a ruling sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans first formally used the title in the 16th century as an epithet of Hafsa Sultan (died 1534), mother of Sultan Suleima ...

or Sultana mother was title which usually held by the mother of the reigning Ottoman Sultan, even though she may never have been chief consort ( Haseki Sultan, later BaşKadın).

King father

The male equivalent of a queen mother, being a male former monarch or consort who is the father of the reigning monarch, is sometimes known as the "king father" or another variation based on the title of the monarch or consort. If a king abdicates and passes the throne to his child, or if a reigning queen abdicates or dies and is survived by her husband, he might acquire a substantive title.

Examples

*King

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...

of Cambodia was styled as "His Majesty King Father Norodom Sihanouk" when he abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Norodom Sihamoni. *

Jigme Singye Wangchuck Jigme Singye Wangchuck (, ; born 11 November 1955) is the fourth Druk Gyalpo ( Dragon King) of Bhutan, reigning from 1972 to 2006. He is the father of the present King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck. He is the only son of five ch ...

became the king father of Bhutan following his abdication in favor of his son,

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (born 21 February 1980) is the fifth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) of Bhutan. His reign began in 2006 after his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne. A public coronation ceremony was held on 6 November ...

. *

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 1 January 1952) is a member of Qatar's royal family, the House of Thani. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013 when he abdicated the throne, handing power to his fourth son Tamim bin Hamad Al ...

became the "Father Emir" of Qatar following his abdication as

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

in favor of his son,

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nasser, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir ...

. *After King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in 2013, his style was shortened to ''His Majesty King Albert'' (as did King Leopold III); he is the father of King

Philippe of Belgium Philippe (born 15 April 1960) is King of the Belgians. He is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He succeeded his father upon the former's abdication for health reasons on 21 July 2013. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 1 ...

. *After Sultan

Omar Ali Saifuddien III Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien (Jawi script, Jawi: ; 23 September 1914 – 7 September 1986) was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 1950 until his abdication in 1967 to his oldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah. Over the course of his ...

of Brunei abdicated, he became the "Begawan Sultan" or the sultan father. He was given the title of "His Majesty The Sultan-Father", or in Malay, ''Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan,'' and this office became vacant when he died. * Francisco, Duke of Cádiz, the king consort of Isabel II of Spain, was king father to

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

. *

Ferdinand II of Portugal ''Dom (title), Dom'' Ferdinand II (; 29 October 1816 – 15 December 1885), also known as Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and as "the King-artist" (), was King of Portugal from 16 September 1837 to 15 November 1853 as the husband and co-ruler ...

, ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' king to

Maria II of Portugal Dona Maria II (Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Habsburgo-Lorena e Bragança; 4 April 1819 – 15 November 1853) also known as "the Educator" () or as ...

, was king father to

Pedro V of Portugal Dom (honorific), Dom Pedro V (; 16 September 1837 – 11 November 1861), nicknamed "the Hopeful" (), was King of Portugal from 1853 until his death in 1861. Early life and reign As the eldest son of Maria II of Portugal, Queen Maria II and ...

and

Luís I of Portugal Dom (title), ''Dom'' Luís I (; 31 October 1838 – 19 October 1889), known as "the Popular" (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''o Popular'') was King of Portugal from 1861 to 1889. Luís was a member of the ruling House of Braganza. The second ...

. *Following his abdication,

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

was king father to Maximilian II of Bavaria. *In the former Chinese Empire, a living monarch who passed the throne to his son was called '' Taishang Huang''. This title was last bestowed upon

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

Current comparisons

The following individuals hold a similar role as mothers or fathers of their country's reigning monarchs: * Ndlovukati Ntfombi of Eswatini (from 1986) *

(from 2013) * Queen Paola of Belgium (from 2013) * Moza bint Nasser (from 2013) *

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica; Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη, romanized: ''Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki''; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was Queen of Spai ...

(from 2014) * Queen Sirikit of Thailand (from 2016) * Queen Norodom the Queen Mother of Cambodia (from 2004) * Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan (from 2019) * Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (from 2024)

Notes

References

{{Monarchies * * Royal titles