Consort

Consort Basics

Dictionary

Consort, a word that finds its origin in the Latin consors, is a term that describes someone who accompanies one or more subjects in the same reality. The concept is also used to refer to a woman’s husband and vice versa: a man’s wife in relation to him.

The notion, as many of you will know, is frequently associated with the monarchy, thus identifying each monarch’s mate. The treatment of the consort varies according to gender and the rules that govern the kingdom in question. Usually, the consort of a king is valued with the title of queen, although in the opposite case (that is, when the consort is the husband of the queen) it is usually treated differently.

In the UK, for example, the King’s consort is regarded as Queen and is therefore treated as Majesty. The Queen’s consort, on the other hand, becomes a Prince and is treated as Royal Highness.

In Spain, the King’s consort is the Queen consort (Majesty). Consort of the Queen is a constitutional title that supports the title of Prince and treating him then as Royal Highness.

Sofia of Greece is the queen consort in Spain. She is the wife of King Juan Carlos I, and, as has been seen over the years, she has not interfered at all in what is the institutional and constitutional role of her husband. Despite this, the aforementioned queen has developed her own functions and actions that have been exercised as a perfect complement to those that she has been carrying out.

It can be said, beyond the differences in each case, that consort is the woman or man married to a monarch. Often times, the consort does not have official political power, although he is in a position to act as regent and take care of the kingdom until his children grow up and can access the throne.

Due to a minority of age or because the child has been disqualified by the Cortes Generales from being able to exercise its authority are the two reasons that can lead to the establishment of the figure of the aforementioned regent in Spain. An office this that is always carried out in the name of the king and that is developed through what is known as a constitutional mandate.

Specifically, it is established that when appointing the regent, an established order will be followed: father, widowed consort or mother, queen consort widow. However, in the event that none of these three figures existed as such, the aforementioned position would fall into the hands of the oldest relative who is closest in the line of succession to the throne.

In the same way, it is also established in the Spanish Constitution of 1978 that the queen consort or the consort of the monarch can also act as guardians of the minor king. In order to do so, said assignment had to be produced either through the king’s will, legitimately or by appointment of the aforementioned Courts.

In the field of law, consorts are the individuals who litigate together and form the same party in the framework of the lawsuit. This means that the consort attends the trial with at least one other subject to litigate with the same character of plaintiff or defendant.

Consort