Real reason Prince Philip never became King finally revealed

The surprising law that prevented Prince Philip from becoming King, despite his marriage to Queen Elizabeth.


Pop Culture & Art June 10, 2024
-Reuters

Prince Philip did not receive the title of 'King' when Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952.

That is due to a strict British parliamentary law. 

This rule dictates succession and the titles granted to monarchs' spouses based on bloodline, not gender. 

According to Reader's Digest, "In terms of succession, the law looks only to blood, and not to gender... In terms of the spouses of royalty, however, that law treats men and women differently." 

Unlike women marrying into the Royal Family, men are not eligible to take the male form of their wife’s title. When Philip Mountbatten married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, he did not become a prince. It was not until 1957 that Queen Elizabeth bestowed the title of 'Prince' on Philip through a letters patent, Reader’s Digest noted.

This rule also applies to Princess Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, as noted by royal historian Marlene Koenig in Town and Country. Conversely, Queen Camilla was granted a female-version title of Charles. 

She was initially known as 'Queen Consort' after King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022, though the 'Consort' title has largely been dropped.

Prince Philip, born on June 10, 1921, passed away on April 9, 2021, just shy of his 100th birthday. 

Following his death, Buckingham Palace stated, "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle." 

Less than a year and a half later, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral aged 96.

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