Why will Camilla be crowned when Prince Philip wasn’t? Britain’s queen consort will be honoured at King Charles’ coronation, but Queen Elizabeth’s husband didn’t get a royal title change …

Oct 16 , 2022

Camilla, Queen Consort feeds carrots to horses as she attends a reception to thank the community of Aberdeenshire for their organisation and support following the death of Queen Elizabeth at Station Square, the Victoria & Albert Halls, Ballater, on October 11. Photo: Reuters

Buckingham Palace announced on October 11 that King Charles’ coronation will take place on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey in London. Charles’ wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, will also be crowned alongside the new king at the event.

Britain’s Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall arrives to attend the Christmas Day morning church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, in December 2021. Photo: AFP

They will be crowned in a traditional ceremony, which the palace said “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future”.

Britain’s King Charles, left, and Camilla, Queen Consort sit at Westminster Hall, where both Houses of Parliament are meeting to express their condolences following the death of Queen Elizabeth, at Westminster Hall, in London, on September 12. Photo: AP

Camilla Parker Bowles, 75, formerly known as the Duchess of Cornwall, was named queen consort when Charles, 73, ascended the throne upon Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8.

Earlier this year, the late queen expressed her wish for Camilla to use the title in a statement marking her Platinum Jubilee.

Britain’s then Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall leave after attending the ceremonial opening of the sixth Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff, Wales, in October 2021. Photo: AFP

“Consort” is a term used to describe the spouse of a sovereign. Camilla will be the first consort crowned at a British coronation since 1937, when Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the queen mother, was crowned alongside her husband, King George VI, according to the Royal Collection Trust (RCT).

But why is Camilla getting crowned when Prince Philip wasn’t?

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Prince Philip wasn’t crowned during Queen Elizabeth’s coronation

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrive to attend Ladies Day at Royal Ascot race meeting, in Ascot, Britain, in June 2012. Photo: EPA-EFE

Elizabeth was crowned as queen at her coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. As the queen’s consort, Prince Philip knelt before her majesty to show his allegiance, according to the RCT.

Britain’s Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh waves as he is discharged from the King Edward VII hospital in central London, Britain, in June 2012. Photo: EPA-EFE

“I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, do become your liegeman of life and limb, and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God,” Philip said at the ceremony, according to the RCT.

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of their coronation, in Buckingham Palace, 1953. Photo: Getty Images

However, Philip wasn’t crowned at the ceremony like the queen was, in accordance with tradition, as stated on the royal family website. It states that while queen consorts are crowned alongside their king, the consorts of female sovereigns are not crowned.

Male consorts aren’t given the title of king

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, to mark their Platinum Wedding Anniversary (70 years), in November 2021. Photo: AFP

While the website doesn’t elaborate on the reasons behind this, it’s possibly because male consorts aren’t typically given the title of king. The most likely reason for this is because the title of king could be considered to outrank the title of queen.

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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at their wedding in 1947. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

The title of queen can mean either a “female monarch” or “wife of the monarch”, while a king can only ever describe a reigning monarch, according to Mental Floss.

He was born outside the UK

Prince Philip was born in 1921, in Greece. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

Nonetheless, there has been speculation as to whether this was the only reason that Philip was never king. Royal author Nigel Cawthorne previously said that Philip couldn’t have been king because he was born outside the UK.

Prince Philip served as Queen Elizabeth’s consort for the entirety of her 70-year reign. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

Philip was a prince of Greece and Denmark before marrying into the British royal family and would have followed the precedent set by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who was not made king consort because he was from outside the UK.

Albert was born into the royal house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1819 and became a Knight of the Garter upon his marriage to Victoria in 1840, before becoming prince consort in 1857, the royal website states.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Insider

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King Charles

Camilla, Queen Consort will be crowned alongside husband King Charles at his coronation in May 2023 in London, after Queen Elizabeth’s death in September
But Elizabeth’s spouse Prince Philip wasn’t crowned in 1953 as male consorts aren’t given the title of king – possibly to avoid ‘outranking’ the British queen

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