Post by Gillian WhiteIn the UK, are there any rules about who is able to be known as 'Her Majesty
The Queen'?
Perhaps this from the BritFAQ might help:
16. What are the different types of queen?
There are three types of queen in practise in Britain, but only one of them is
sovereign.
Queen Regnant
- a woman who actually reigns; a woman in the line of succession who succeeds
as Sovereign in her own right
- example: Princess Elizabeth was the first in line of succession and became
Queen upon the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952
Queen Consort
- the wife of a King; a woman who marries a man who is in the line of
succession who later becomes King or is already King at the time of their
marriage
- example: the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married a man who was in line
of succession, Prince Albert, Duke of York; he later succeeded as King upon the
abdication of his brother (King Edward VIII) in 1936
- a Queen Consort is entitled to be called Queen (followed by her Christian
name) for the rest of her life, even after her husband dies
Queen Dowager
- the widow of a King; a woman who is the widow of a late reigning King
- example: HM Queen Mary became Queen Dowager following the death of her
husband HM King George V in 1936
- a particular type of Queen Dowager is one who uses the appellation 'Queen
Mother'
- example: following the death of her husband, King George VI in 1952, HM
Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002) chose to be called HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother; as a Queen Dowager, she is referred to as HM Queen Elizabeth, while her
daughter (the Queen Regnant) is referred to as HM The Queen