Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II got married more than seven decades ago. But, despite his official union with the British Monarch, he did not become or known as King when the then-Princess ascended to the throne.
Up to this day, many royal fans and watchers are seemingly curious to know why he did not receive the same title as his wife's. Besides, when a royal becomes a King based on British history, his wife will automatically become Queen. So, why did the Duke of Edinburgh not receive the King's title when his wife ascended to the throne?
According to Reader's Digest, Prince Philip is a royal-born Prince. He is the son of Princess Alice of Battenberg and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
However, he had to relinquish his royal titles from the thrones outside the British Monarchy to marry the then-Princess Elizabeth. After the wedding, though, he was given the title, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Philip was not a Prince of the United Kingdom yet until a decade later their wedding. He did not also receive new titles when his wife ascended to the throne. As it happened, he only became a formal British Prince in 1957 when Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the title.
As per Town & Country, there is a reason why Prince Philip is not King or did not receive the same title as his wife's. While the succession, reportedly, looks mainly on the bloodline and not gender, the case is different in terms of the royals' spouses.
It was said that the British Parliamentary Law treats men and women differently when it comes to the titles of the spouses. As stated, when a male royal in the bloodline marries, the wife will receive the same title as his husband's.
This dynamic is seen in every royal who became King of the United Kingdom. Upon their ascension, their wives became Queen, or Queen Consort, to be exact.
However, when a female royal in the bloodline marries, the spouse is not "eligible" to take or receive the male counterpart of the wife's title. This is why Prince Philip is not a King.
The publication added that this may be also due to the perspective that "Kings always reign," while the Queen title can become "symbolic." In the future of the British Monarchy, however, it has appeared that the United Kingdom will have several Kings for many years as the direct descendants of the Queen are all male, except for Princess Charlotte, who is currently the fourth person in line to the throne.
