The British Monarchy Miscellany
Page 16
successful naval career before becoming a full time royal.
• He has provided constant support to his wife for over 65 years, and has supported over 800 organisations and causes as a royal consort.
• He helped modernise the monarchy by introducing the use of TV filming during royal occasions and
documentaries, and by opening up the Royal Collection.
His most successful contribution has been the Duke of Edinburgh Award providing leadership training to
thousands of young people.
• His tenure as Royal Consort is the longest in
English/British history, and his marriage to Elizabeth is the longest for any English/British monarch.
268
The 5 Longest-Lived
Royal Consorts
Listed below are the five longest-lived consorts married to English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018.
Royal Consort
Age at Death
1. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 101 yrs, 7 months, 26 days (4 Aug 1900-30 Mar 2002)
Consort of King George VI
2. Philip of Greece
97+ years
(10 Jun 1921-present)
Consort of Queen Elizabeth II
3. Mary of Teck
85 years, 9 months, 26 days
(26 May 1867-24 Mar 1953)
Consort of King George V
4. Alexandra of Denmark 80 years, 11 months, 19 days (1 Dec 1844-20 Nov 1925)
Consort of King Edward VII
269
5. Eleanor of Aquitaine
c.80-82 years
(c.1122/1124-1 Apr 1204)
Consort of King Henry II
270
The 5 Shortest-Lived
Royal Consorts
Listed below are the five shortest-lived consorts married to English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018.
Note: If Lady Jane Grey were considered a legitimate monarch her husband, Guilford Dudley (c.1535-1554), would rank in second place at approximately 19 years of age at death.
Royal Consort
Age at Death
1. Catherine Howard
c.17 to 20 years
(c.1522/1525-13 Feb 1542)
Fifth consort
of King Henry VIII
2. Isabella of Valois
19 years, 10 months, 4 days
(9 Nov 1389-13 Sep 1409)
Second Consort
of King Richard II
271
3. Anne of Bohemia
28 years, 27 days
(11 May 1366-7 Jun 1394)
First Consort
of King Richard II
4. Anne Neville
28 years, 9 months, 5 days
(11 Jun 1456-16 Mar 1485)
Consort of King Richard III
5. Jane Seymour
c.28-30 years
(c.1507/1509-24 Oct 1537)
Third consort
of King Henry VIII
272
The 5 Longest-Serving
Royal Consorts
Listed below are the five longest-serving consorts
married to English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018. Length of service is defined as time spent married to a living monarch.
Royal Consort
Length of Tenure
(Tenure)
1. Philip of Greece
66+ years
( 6 Feb 1952-present)
Consort of Queen Elizabeth II
2. Charlotte of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
57 years, 2 months, 9 days
( 8 Sep 1761-17 Nov 1818)
Consort of King George III
3. Philippa of Hainault
41 years, 6 months, 22 days
(24 Jan 1328-15 Aug 1369)
Consort of King Edward III
273
4. Eleanor of Provence
36 years, 10 months, 2 days
(14 Jan 1236-16 Nov 1272)
Consort of King Henry III
5. Eleanor of Aquitaine
34 years, 8 months, 11 days
(25 Oct 1154-6 Jul 1189)
Consort of King Henry II
274
The 5 Shortest-Serving
Royal Consorts
Listed below are the five shortest-serving consorts married to English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018. Length of service is defined as time spent married to a living monarch.
Note: If Lady Jane Grey were considered a legitimate monarch her husband, Guilford Dudley, would rank first on this list with a 9-day tenure as Royal Consort.
Royal Consort
Length of Tenure
(Tenure)
1. Anne of Cleves
6 months, 3 days
( 6 Jan to 9 Jul 1540)
Fourth Consort
of King Henry VIII
2. Catherine Howard
1 year, 3 months, 26 days
( 28 Jul 1540-23 Nov 1541)
Fifth Consort
of King Henry VIII
275
3. Jane Seymour
1 year, 4 months, 24 days
( 30 May 1536-24 Oct 1537)
Third Consort
of King Henry VIII
4. Caroline of Brunswick 1 year, 6 months, 9 days (29 Jan 1820-7 Aug 1821)
Consort of King George IV
5. Anne Neville
1 year, 8 months, 18 days
(26 Jun 1483-16 Mar 1485)
Consort of King Richard III
276
The 5 Longest Marriages of
Monarchs and Consorts
Listed below are the five longest marriages of
English/British monarchs and their consorts since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018.
Monarch & Consort
Length of Marriage
1. Elizabeth II
70+ years
& Philip of Greece
( 20 Nov 1947 to present)
2. George III
57 years, 2 months, 9 days
& Charlotte of
( 8 Sep 1761-17 Nov 1818)
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
3. Edward VII
47 years, 1 month, 26 days
& Alexandra of Denmark (10 Mar 1863-6 May 1910) 4. George V
42 years, 6 months, 14 days
& Mary of Teck
(6 Jul 1893-20 Jan 1936)
5. Edward III
41 years, 6 months, 22 days
& Philippa of Hainault
24 Jan 1328-15 Aug 1369
277
The 5 Shortest Marriages of
Monarchs and Consorts
Listed below are the five shortest marriages of
English/British monarchs and their consorts since the Norman Conquest of 1066, updated as of May 2018.
Note: If Lady Jane Grey were considered a legitimate monarch, her marriage to Guilford Dudley of 8 months and 22 days would rank in second place.
Monarch & Consort
Length of Marriage
1. Henry VIII
6 months, 3 days
& Anne of Cleves
( 6 Jan to 9 Jul 1540)
2. Henry VIII
1 year, 3 months, 26 days
& Catherine Howard
( 28 Jul 1540-23 Nov 1541)
3. Henry VIII
1 year, 4 months, 24 days
& Jane Seymour
( 30 May 1536-24 Oct 1537)
4. Henry V
2 years, 2 months, 19 days
& Catherine of Valois
(2 Jun 1420-21 Aug 1422)
5. Henry VIII
2 years, 11 months, 19 days
& Anne Boleyn
( 28 May 1533-17 May 1536)
278
Monarchs Who
Never Married
Listed below are the English/British monarchs who never married, either before or during
their reigns, since the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Note: Edward VIII (1894-1972) remained a bachelor before and during his reign but married after his abdication. He is therefore excluded from this list.
William II
(c. 1056/60-1100)
He died at about 40 years of age without marrying and without fathering any illegitimate children. Contemporary church chroniclers suggested he was homosexual though there is no firm evidence for this.
Edward V
(1470-1483)
He died at 12 years of age. At the time of his death he was betrothed to six-year-old Anne, heiress to the Duchy of Brittany, with the marriage to take place after both reached their majorities.
279
Edward VI
(1537-1553)
He died at 15 years of age. At the time of his death he was betrothed to 8-year-old Elizabeth of Valois, daughter of French King Henry II, with the marriage to take place at a later date. Before then he had been briefly betrothed in childhood to the infant Mary Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth I
(1533-1603)
She famously died at age 69 without ever having married, and supposedly having remained a virgin her entire life.
The closer she came to marriage was during negotiations in the 1570s to marry Francois, Duke of Anjou, a son of Catherine de Medici and brother to three kings of France.
280
Some Monarchs Who
Married Their Cousins
Because of the constant intermarriage between the royal houses of Europe throughout history it is not unusual to find English/British monarchs and consorts who were related as cousins in the third, fourth or fifth degree.
Occasionally however monarchs married much more
closely related cousins. The list below includes
English/British monarchs who married cousins they were related to in the first to the second degrees.
Edward I and Margaret of France
Married on 8 Sep 1299
First cousins once removed
Edward’s mother, Eleanor of Provence, and Margaret’s paternal grandmother, Margaret of Provence, were sisters.
Edward III and Philippa of Hainault
Married on 24 Jan 1328
Second cousins
Edward’s maternal grandfather, King Philip IV of France, and Philippa’s maternal grandfather, Charles Count of Valois, were brothers.
281
Richard III and Anne Neville
Married on 12 Jul 1472
First cousins once removed
Richard’s mother, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, and Anne’s paternal grandfather, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, were brother and sister.
Mary I and Philip of Spain
Married on 25 Jul 1554
First cousins once removed
Mary’s mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon, and Philip’s paternal grandmother, Queen Joanna of Castile, were sisters.
William III and Mary II
Married on 4 Nov 1677
First cousins
William’s mother, Mary Princess of Orange, and Mary’s father, King James II, were brother and sister.
George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Married on 21 Nov 1682
First cousins
George’s father, Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover, and Sophia’s father, George William, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, were brothers.
282
George IV and Caroline of Brunswick
Married on 8 Apr 1795
First cousins
George’s father, King George III, and Caroline’s mother, Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, were brother and sister.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Married on 10 Feb 1840
First cousins
Victoria’s mother, Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Albert’s father, Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, were brother and sister.
283
Royal Children
Listed below are all the children born to English/British monarchs since King William I, based on available
historical records. Each entry includes royal and noble titles, spouses, and other important brief information where appropriate. No miscarriages or stillbirths are included, but children who died shortly after birth are, provided they received a name. Children whose existence is uncertain are marked by the symbol ≠ and not officially counted. Monarchs who were childless are not included.
William I
(c.1027/28-1087)
By Matilda of Flanders (c.1031-1083):
1. Robert Curthose (c.1052/54-1134), Duke of Normandy Married Sybilla of Conversano. Had issue.
Claimant to the English throne against his brothers William II and Henry I.
284
2. Richard (c.1054/56-c.1069-81)
Died unmarried in a hunting accident in the New Forest, like his brother King William II later on.
3. Adelida (c.1055-before 1113)
Became a nun.
4. King William II (c.1056/60-1100)
Died unmarried.
5. Cecilia (c.1056/65-1126)
Became a nun and rose to be Abbess.
6. Constance (c.1057/61-1090), Duchess of Brittany Married Duke Alan IV of Brittany. No issue.
7. Matilda (?1061-before 1112)
Died unmarried.
8. Adela (c.1062/67-1137), Countess of Blois
Married Count Stephen-Henry of Blois. Had issue.
Mother of King Stephen, and of Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester.
≠ . Agatha (c.1064-before 1080)
Died unmarried.
285
9. King Henry I (c.1068/69-1135)
Married Matilda of Scotland. Had issue. (See below) Married Adeliza of Louvain. No issue.
Henry I
(c.1068/69-1135)
By Matilda of Scotland (c.1080-1118):
1. Matilda (1102- 1167), Holy Roman Empress, Countess of Anjou, Lady of the English
Married Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Widowed. No
issue.
Married Count Geoffrey V of Anjou. Had issue.
Nominated heir to the English throne by her father, but passed over by the English barons after his death in favour of King Stephen. Her efforts to wrestle the English crown from King Stephen led to the Anarchy (see Stephen in Monarchs Fact Sheets).
2. William Atheling (1103-1120), Heir to the Throne Married Matilda of Anjou. No issue.
Heir to the throne, died before his father.
286
Stephen
(c.1092/97-1154)
By Matilda of Boulogne (c.1105-1152):
1. Baldwin (c.1026-before 1135)
Died unmarried.
2. Eustace (c.1130/35-1153), Count of Boulogne Married Constance of France, daughter of King Louis VI of France. No issue.
Heir to the throne, died before his father.
3. William (c.1132/37- 1159), Count of Boulogne, Earl of Surrey
Married Isabelle de Warenne, Countess of Surrey. No issue.
4. Matilda (c.1033-c.1037/41)
Married Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, Earl of Worcester. No issue.
5. Marie (c.1136-1182), Countess of Boulogne Married Matthew of Alsace. Marriage annulled. Had
issue.
She was a nun before her marriage, and became a nun again after her marriage ended.
287
Henry II
(1133-1189)
By Eleanor of Aquitaine (c.1122/24-1204):
1. William (1153-1156), Count of Poitiers
Died in childhood.
2. Henry ‘The Young King’ (1155-1183)
Married Margaret of France, daughter of King Louis VII of France. No surviving issue.
Crowned future King of England in his father’s lifetime but died before him.
3. Matilda (1156-1189), Duchess of Saxony and of Bavaria
Married Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria. Had issue.