Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on Friday at Windsor Castle. He was 99.
Now, one might wonder, if Queen Elizabeth was addressed as ‘Queen’, shouldn’t Prince Philip, her husband, be referred to as ‘King’? Why was he only given the title of Prince?
Prince Philip was always described as Queen Elizabeth’s consort or ‘Prince Consort’, as opposed to ‘King Philip’.
Here’s the explanation behind it. When George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father passed away in 1952, he left behind the kingdom to his daughter, who had married Prince Philip in 1947.
Also read: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, dies at 99
However, back then, Philip had been working only as a Naval officer and had assumed the title of Duke of Edinburgh only after marrying Elizabeth. The Duke of Edinburgh was then given the honour of ‘Prince’ officially in 1957 after Elizabeth bestowed the title upon him.
Now, why couldn’t the Prince be called ‘King’? Well, here’s the answer. The British royal family follows an iron-clad rule that a man who marries a ruling queen will only be referred to as a ‘Prince Consort’ because the title of ‘King’ can only be given to a monarch who inherits the throne and can reign.
Philip had not “inherited the throne” from Elizabeth since he had married her, the Queen, who was already ruling the kingdom.
The next question that could arise in people’s minds is: If Prince Philip was not supposed to inherit the throne, who could? Who is going to be the next King of Britain?
Here’s your answer: Prince Charles, the eldest son of Elizabeth and Philip, will be succeeding his mother as King.
What do you think about Britain’s monarch rule? Let us know in the comments section below: