It's sort of a status thing, isn't it?
We've had, what, five Queens Regnant? Mary I, Elizabeth I, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II.
William III and Mary II ruled jointly, as equals so that's a unique case.
Every other Queen has been a Queen Consort, officially. This is because, traditionally, a woman takes the social (class) staus of her husband. Thus they are more commonly referred to as simply 'Queen'.
In the case of Queens Regnant, there is a diffculty. Generally speaking, a woman who marries 'beneath herself', loses her higher social status. But clearly there is not a chance of a Queen becoming a mere Priness, Duchess or whatever. That would occasion all kinds of dynastic chaos. The French got round it with the Salic Law. When Mary I married Philip of Spain, he was already King of Naples, so that was fine, but Parliament placed strict limitations on his authority. Because of the awkwardness of the situation and the unpopularity of this foreign 'King' (all our rulers since 1066 have been foreigners so it must have been the Catholicism that was the problem), Elizabeth I chose not to marry.
As a consequence of all this Tudor mucking about, Queen Annes' husband, Prince George of Denmark, was never anywhere near being made King.
When Victoria married Albert. he was given the official title Prince Consort. A title he gave great worthiness by his lifelong hard work in support of his wife and the service of her people.
Prince Philip was also officially Prince Consort, but didn't use the title, preferring Duke of Edinburgh.
Camilla is a Queen Consort, just as many have been before her, but is the first to use the full title. Apparently because that's what the late Queen specified. It's possible she did so because Camilla has, for much of her life, been Charles' main source of support. His first wife, self-indulgent brat to the core, never even came close to supporting him - he relied on Camilla even then. Elizabeth may have seen something of Prince Alberts dedication in Camilla and wanted her marked out in this way.
The legal family name is Mountbatten. Anglicisation of Philips actual surname which is Battenberg -but you don't want royalty named after cakes. obviously! The late Queens' maiden name was Saxe-Coburg Gotha but her grandparents used the pseudonym Windsor after 1914 to pretend they weren't German.
The correct title would be Dowager Queen - people always get these things arse about face. There is no male equivalent because women, on the whole, live longer than men. Philip would have simply remained Duke of Edinburgh if he had survived his wife.
Who is Kate Middleton?I Do you mean Kate Middleton Mountbatten? Or Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine of Wales? She's not been Kate Middleton for years, and it pisses me off that people don't do her the courtesy of acknowledging her life choices.
If Prince George does not marry a (cisgender) woman, then on his death the Crown passes to Princess Charlotte and her offspring, if any. If he marries a man...well, actually, he can't. By law, the monarch has to be a communicating member of the Church of England, which currently does not accept same-sex marriage, though it does allow priests who wish to to bless same-sex civil partnerships. It will also celebrate marriages where one partner is trans, provided they have transitioned. socially if not medically. Anglicans are allowed to enter same-sex relationships and civil partnerships 'on the understanding that they remain chaste'.
Given that the Monarch is titular Head of the Church of England, it is likely - if the current state of affairs within the C of E remains unchanged -that if Prince George does turn out gay, he will be sequestered from the Line of Succession, given a title like Duke of Windsor and become an 'ordinary' senior Royal. Princess Charlotte will become Heir Apparent and potentially Queen. At which point, the gods help us all because she's apparently a force of nature!
