British queen mothers are queen dowagers who have been the mother of the reigning sovereign of England, Scotland or the United Kingdom. The term queen mother has been used in the English language since at least 1560.: "The widow of a king who is also the mother of the reigning monarch. "Webster's Third New International Dictionary. British queen mothers assume the style of "Her Majesty Queen [first name]" upon their husband's death. Moreover, a queen mother is not necessarily the mother of a queen regnant; the title applies regardless of the current monarch's gender.
List
English queen mothers House of Wessex and House of Denmark Portrait Name Father House by birth Birth Became queen mother Ceased to be queen mother Death Spouse Sovereign issue Ælfthryth Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon 18 March 978 17 November 1000 or 1001 Edgar Æthelred the Unready Emma of Normandy Richard I of Normandy Normandy 17 March 1040 8 June 1042 6 March 1052 Cnut Harthacnut 8 June 1042 6 March 1052 Æthelred the Unready Edward the Confessor
House of Plantagenet Portrait Name Father House by birth Birth Became queen mother Ceased to be queen mother Death Spouse Sovereign issue Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine William X, Duke of Aquitaine Ramnulfids 3 September 1189 6 April 1199 1 April 1204 Henry II Richard I 27 May 1199 1 April 1204 John Isabella, Countess of Angoulême Aymer, Count of Angoulême Taillefer or 28 October 1216 4 June 1246 John Henry III Eleanor of Provence Ramon Berenguer V, Count of Provence Barcelona 20 November 1272 24 or 25 June 1291 Henry III Edward I Isabella of France Philip IV, King of France Capet 25 January 1327 22 August 1358 Edward II Edward III Catherine of Valois Charles VI, King of France Valois 27 October 1401 1 September 1422 3 January 1437 Henry V Henry VI Elizabeth Woodville Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers 9 April 1483 25 June 1483 8 June 1492 Edward IV Edward V
House of Stuart Portrait Name Father House by birth Birth Became queen mother Ceased to be queen mother Death Spouse Sovereign issue Henrietta Maria of France Henry IV, King of France Bourbon 25 November 1609 29 May 1660 10 September 1669 Charles I Charles II
Scottish queen mothers House of Dunkeld Portrait Name Father House by birth Birth Became queen mother Ceased to be queen mother Death Spouse Sovereign issue Ermengarde de Beaumont Richard I of Beaumont 4 December 1214 12 February 1233 or 1234 William I Alexander II Marie de Coucy Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy Coucy 6 July 1249 1285 Alexander II Alexander III
House of Stuart Portrait Name Father House by birth Birth Became queen mother Ceased to be queen mother Death Spouse Sovereign issue Joan Beaufort John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset Beaufort 21 February 1437 15 July 1445 James I James II Mary of Guelders Arnold, Duke of Guelders Egmond 17 January 1433 3 August 1460 1 December 1463 James II James III Margaret Tudor Henry VII, King of England Tudor 28 November 1489 9 September 1513 18 October 1541 James IV James V Mary of Guise Claude, Duke of Guise Guise 22 November 1515 14 December 1542 11 June 1560 James V Mary I Henrietta Maria of France Henry IV, King of France Bourbon 25 November 1609 30 January 1649 3 September 1651 10 September 1669 Charles I Charles II 29 May 1660 10 September 1669
Queen mothers of the United Kingdom House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and House of Windsor PortraitNameCoat of armsBirthFather (House by birth)SpouseSovereign issueDeathYears as queen motherNotesAlexandra of Denmark1 December 1844Christian IX, King of Denmark (Glücksburg)Edward VIIGeorge V20 November 19251910–1925Preferred not to use the titleMary of Teck26 May 1867Francis, Duke of Teck (Teck)George VEdward VIII and George VI24 March 19531936–1952Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon4 August 1900Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (Bowes-Lyon)George VIElizabeth II30 March 20021952–2002 Her fifty-year widowhood is the longest that anyone has held the status of Queen Mother.
References
Further reading Dictionary of National Biography Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Chambers Biographical Dictionary Encyclopædia Britannica