This is a list of former consorts to monarchs of sovereign states who are living to date. There are many former consorts still living; most of these have held the title of queen consort. Many of these former queens hold the title Queen Mother. Former queens regnant, such as Margrethe II of Denmark, are not included on this list.
The most recent former consort to die was Lalla Latifa Amahzoune of Morocco, on 29 June 2024. [1]
Portrait | Name | Former title | Country | Reign | Length of reign | Spouse | Born | Age | Reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Queen Grandmother Kesang Choden of Bhutan | Queen consort of Bhutan | Bhutan | 30 March 1952 – 21 July 1972 | 20 years, 113 days | King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck of Bhutan | 21 May 1930 | 94 years, 86 days | husband's death | |
Queen Mother Sirikit of Thailand | Queen consort of Thailand | Thailand | 28 April 1950 – 13 October 2016 | 66 years, 168 days | King Rama IX of Thailand | 12 August 1932 | 92 years, 3 days | husband's death | |
Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan | Empress consort of Japan | Japan | 7 January 1989 – 30 April 2019 | 30 years, 113 days | Emperor Akihito of Japan | 20 October 1934 | 89 years, 300 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Mother Norodom Monineath of Cambodia | Queen consort of Cambodia | Cambodia | 24 September 1993 – 7 October 2004 | 11 years, 13 days | King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia | 18 June 1936 | 88 years, 58 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Paola of Belgium | Queen consort of the Belgians | Belgium | 9 August 1993 – 21 July 2013 | 19 years, 346 days | King Albert II of Belgium | 11 September 1937 | 86 years, 339 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Sofía of Spain | Queen consort of Spain | Spain | 22 November 1975 – 19 June 2014 | 38 years, 209 days | King Juan Carlos I of Spain | 2 November 1938 | 85 years, 287 days | husband's abdication | |
Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan | Princess consort of Jordan | Jordan | 25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972 | 11 years, 210 days | King Hussein of Jordan | 25 April 1941 | 83 years, 112 days | divorce from husband | |
Queen Mother Ntfombi of Eswatini | Queen consort of Eswatini | Eswatini | Unknown – 21 August 1982 | — | King Sobhuza II of Swaziland | 27 December 1949 | 74 years, 232 days | husband's death | |
Queen Noor of Jordan | Queen consort of Jordan | Jordan | 15 June 1978 – 7 February 1999 | 20 years, 237 days | King Hussein of Jordan | 23 August 1951 | 72 years, 358 days | husband's death | |
Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo of Bhutan | Queen consort of Bhutan | Bhutan | 31 October 1988 – 9 December 2006 | 18 years, 39 days | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan | 10 June 1955 | 69 years, 66 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Mother Tshering Pem Wangchuck of Bhutan | Queen consort of Bhutan | Bhutan | 31 October 1988 – 9 December 2006 | 18 years, 39 days | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan | 22 December 1957 | 66 years, 237 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Mother Tshering Yangdon of Bhutan | Queen consort of Bhutan | Bhutan | 31 October 1988 – 9 December 2006 | 18 years, 39 days | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan | 21 June 1959 | 65 years, 55 days | husband's abdication | |
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned | Consort to the Emir of Qatar | Qatar | 27 June 1995 – 25 June 2013 | 17 years, 363 days | Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar | 8 August 1959 | 65 years, 7 days | husband's abdication | |
Queen Mother Sangay Choden of Bhutan | Queen consort of Bhutan | Bhutan | 31 October 1988 – 9 December 2006 | 18 years, 39 days | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan | 11 May 1963 | 61 years, 96 days | husband's abdication | |
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco | Princess consort of Morocco | Morocco | 21 March 2002 – c. 2018 | — | King Mohammed VI of Morocco | 10 May 1978 | 46 years, 97 days | divorce from husband |
Portrait | Name | Former title | Country | Reign | Length of reign | Spouse | Birth | Age | Cause |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Queen Ratna of Nepal | Queen consort of Nepal | Nepal | 13 March 1955 – 31 January 1972 | 16 years, 324 days | King Mahendra of Nepal | 19 August 1928 | 95 years, 362 days | husband's death | |
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece | Queen consort of the Hellenes | Greece | 18 September 1964 – 1 June 1973 | 8 years, 256 days | King Constantine II of Greece | 30 August 1946 | 77 years, 320 days | Monarchy abolished | |
Queen Komal of Nepal | Queen consort of Nepal | Nepal | 4 June 2001 – 28 May 2008 | 6 years, 359 days | King Gyanendra of Nepal | 18 February 1951 | 73 years, 179 days | Monarchy abolished |
Portrait | Name | Former title | Country | Reign | Length of reign | Spouse | Birth | Age | Cause |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 26 April 1989 – 25 April 1994 | 4 years, 364 days | Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak | 7 November 1932 | 91 years, 282 days | husband's term ended |
Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing | Spouse of the President of France | Andorra | 27 May 1974 – 21 May 1981 | 6 years, 359 days | Co-Prince Valéry | 10 April 1933 | 91 years, 127 days | husband's defeat for re-election as President of France | |
Bernadette Chirac | Spouse of the President of France | Andorra | 17 May 1995 – 16 May 2007 | 11 years, 364 days | Co-Prince Jacques | 18 May 1933 | 91 years, 89 days | husband did not seek re-election as President of France | |
Tuanku Tengku Fauziah | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 13 December 2001 – 12 December 2006 | 4 years, 364 days | Sultan Sirajuddin of Perlis | 6 June 1946 | 78 years, 70 days | husband's term ended | |
Che Puan Besar Haminah | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 13 December 2011 – 12 December 2016 | 4 years, 365 days | Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah | 15 July 1953 | 71 years, 31 days | husband's term ended | |
Cécilia Attias | Spouse of the President of France | Andorra | 16 May 2007 – 15 October 2007 | 152 days | Co-Prince Nicolas | 12 November 1957 | 66 years, 277 days | divorce from husband | |
Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 31 January 2019 – 30 January 2024 | 4 years, 364 days | Sultan Abdullah of Pahang | 5 August 1960 | 64 years, 10 days | husband's term ended | |
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy | Spouse of the President of France | Andorra | 2 February 2008 – 15 May 2012 | 4 years, 103 days | Co-Prince Nicolas | 23 December 1967 | 56 years, 236 days | husband's defeat for re-election as President of France | |
Permaisuri Siti Aishah | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 26 April 1999 – 21 November 2001 | 2 years, 209 days | Sultan Salahuddin of Selangor | 18 November 1971 | 52 years, 271 days | husband's death | |
Sultanah Nur Zahirah of Terengganu | Raja Permaisuri Agong | Malaysia | 13 December 2006 – 12 December 2011 | 4 years, 364 days | Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu | 7 December 1973 | 50 years, 252 days | husband's term ended |
Queen most commonly refers to:
A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity, and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated with monarchies, where they may be used by a wife of an office holder or of a prince of the blood, for the duration of their marriage. They are also almost universally used for presidents in republics and in many countries for members of legislative bodies, higher-ranking judges, and senior constitutional office holders. Leading religious figures also have styles.
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally share the king's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting as regent.
A queen dowager or dowager queen 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 clear from the two words from which it is composed: queen indicates someone who served as queen consort, while dowager indicates a woman who continues to hold the title from her deceased husband. A queen mother is a former queen consort, often a dowager queen, who is the mother of the reigning monarch.
A queen regnant is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns suo jure over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning king; or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch and rules pro tempore in the child's stead or instead of her husband who is absent from the realm, be it de jure in sharing power or de facto in ruling alone. A queen regnant is sometimes called a woman king. A princess regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over a principality; an empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over an empire.
Great Royal Wife, or alternatively, Chief King's Wife is the title that was used to refer to the principal wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who served many official functions.
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, 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 as opposed to a princess consort.
Neithhotep or Neith-hotep was an ancient Egyptian queen consort who lived and ruled during the early First Dynasty. She was once thought to be a male ruler: her outstandingly large mastaba and the royal serekh surrounding her name on several seal impressions previously led Egyptologists and historians to the erroneous belief that she might have been an unknown king. As the understanding of early Egyptian writings developed, scholars learned that Neithhotep was in fact a woman of extraordinary rank. She was subsequently considered to be the wife of unified Egypt's first pharaoh, Narmer, and the mother of Hor-Aha.
Haseki Sultan was the title used for the chief consort of an Ottoman sultan. In later years, the meaning of the title changed to "imperial consort". Hurrem Sultan, principal consort and legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, was the first holder of this title. The title lost its exclusivity under Ibrahim I, who bestowed it upon eight women simultaneously. The title haseki sultan was used until the 17th century. After that, kadınefendi became the highest ranking title for imperial consorts, although this title was not as prestigious as haseki sultan.
Naemyeongbu, literally Women of the Internal Court, was a category of rank in the royal court of Joseon that referred to concubines and female officials living within the palaces. It was separate from the Oemyeongbu category, which consisted of royal women living outside the palace.
The Cheongju Han clan is a Korean clan who are well known for their many female members including six queens.
The queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire was the consort of the Neo-Assyrian king. Though the queens derived their power and influence through their association with their husband, they were not pawns without political power. The queens oversaw their own, often considerable, finances and owned vast estates throughout the empire. To oversee their assets, the queens employed a large administrative staff headed by a set of female administrators called šakintu. Among the duties of the queens were religious responsibilities and overseeing parts of the royal palaces; their role as "rulers of the domestic realm" is reflected in their title as "Women of the Palace". The power and influence of the queens was increased further under the Sargonid dynasty (722–609 BC), when they more frequently appear in artwork and large military units directly subservient to the queen were created.