What is "prince consort"

Prince \Prince\, n. [F., from L. princeps, -cipis, the first, chief; primus first + capere to take. See Prime, a., and Capacious.]

1. The one of highest rank; one holding the highest place and authority; a sovereign; a monarch; -- originally applied to either sex, but now rarely applied to a female.
   --Wyclif (Rev. i. 5).

   Go, Michael, of celestial armies prince.
   --Milton.

   Queen Elizabeth, a prince admirable above her sex.
   --Camden.

2. The son of a king or emperor, or the issue of a royal family; as, princes of the blood.
   --Shak.

3. A title belonging to persons of high rank, differing in different countries. In England it belongs to dukes, marquises, and earls, but is given to members of the royal family only. In Italy a prince is inferior to a duke as a member of a particular order of nobility; in Spain he is always one of the royal family.

4. The chief of any body of men; one at the head of a class or profession; one who is pre["e]minent; as, a merchant prince; a prince of players. ``The prince of learning.''
   --Peacham.

   Prince-Albert coat, a long double-breasted frock coat for men.

   Prince of the blood, Prince consort, Prince of darkness. See under Blood, Consort, and Darkness.

   Prince of Wales, the oldest son of the English sovereign.

   Prince's feather (Bot.), a name given to two annual herbs ( Amarantus caudatus and Polygonum orientale), with apetalous reddish flowers arranged in long recurved panicled spikes.

   Prince's metal, Prince Rupert's metal. See under Metal.

   Prince's pine. (Bot.) See Pipsissewa.

Consort \Con"sort\ (k[o^]n"s[^o]rt), n. [L. consore, -sortis; con- + sors lot, fate, share. See Sort.]

1. One who shares the lot of another; a companion; a partner; especially, a wife or husband.
   --Milton.

   He single chose to live, and shunned to wed, Well pleased to want a consort of his bed.
   --Dryden.

   The consort of the queen has passed from this troubled sphere.
   --Thakeray.

   The snow-white gander, invariably accompanied by his darker consort.
   --Darwin.

2. (Naut.) A ship keeping company with another.

3. Concurrence; conjunction; combination; association; union. ``By Heaven's consort.''
   --Fuller. ``Working in consort.''
   --Hare.

   Take it singly, and it carries an air of levity; but, in consort with the rest, has a meaning quite different.
   --Atterbury.

4. [LL. consortium.] An assembly or association of persons; a company; a group; a combination. [Obs.]

   In one consort' there sat Cruel revenge and rancorous despite, Disloyal treason, and heart-burning hate.
   --Spenser.

   Lord, place me in thy consort.
   --Herbert.

5. [Perh. confused with concert.] Harmony of sounds; concert, as of musical instruments. [Obs.]
   --Milton.

   To make a sad consort'; Come, let us join our mournful song with theirs.
   --Spenser.

   Prince consort, the husband of a queen regnant.

   Queen consort, the wife of a king, as distinguished from a queen regnant, who rules alone, and a queen dowager, the window of a king.

n. the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.

n. a prince who is the husband of a reigning female sovereign

A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.

In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal title, such as Prince, Prince Consort or King consort, with 'Prince' being the most common. However, most monarchies do not have formal rules on the styling of princes consort, and a prince consort may have no royal title. Exceptions exist such as in the case of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.

Prince Consort (capitalized) is a formal title. Prince Albert is the only spouse of a British queen to have held it: it was awarded to him in 1857 by his wife, Queen Victoria (reigned 1837–1901). In 2005, Prince Henrik, the spouse of Margrethe II of Denmark, was awarded the same title. In 2016, Prince Henrik announced that he would no longer use the title.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms) is a Prince of the United Kingdom but is not Prince Consort. There was a suggestion to name Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as Prince Consort prior to 1957's letters patent regarding his title and on their 60th wedding anniversary in 2007, but Prince Albert remains the only spouse of a British monarch to have held the title.

Neither the descriptive princess consort nor the title 'Princess Consort' has yet been used in Western monarchies, as dynastic wives of kings have been styled queens consort, often with the title 'Queen'. However, Clarence House has announced that when the present Prince of Wales becomes the sovereign of the United Kingdom, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will have the title Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort rather than Her Majesty The Queen as used by previous wives of kings (see princess consort).