Umberto II of Italy

An ordinal is the number placed after a monarch's regnal name to differentiate between a number of kings, queens or princes reigning with the same regnal name.

Examples

• Kings Umberto I and Umberto II of Italy used the ordinals I and II to distinguish between themselves.

• Queens Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II are distinguished between by their ordinal.

• Popes John Paul I and John Paul II are distinguished between by their ordinal.

• Princes Rainier II of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco are distinguished between by use of their ordinal.

Use of ordinals

All monarchs and popes since mediaeval times have used ordinals. In British English and Hiberno-English ordinals, though they officially exist, are not used where only one monarch has used that reign name.

Thus, though Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was officially Victoria I her ordinal is not used except in formal legal documents. Similarly though he is officially King Juan Carlos I of Spain and the ordinal is used in Spanish, the king is simply called King Juan Carlos of Spain in English.

Non-consecutive ordinals may indicate dynastic claims for non-regnant monarchs. For example, legitimists believed that, after Louis XVI of France was executed during the French Revolution, he was succeeded by his young son, who they called Louis XVII. Although the child died in prison a few years later and never reigned, his uncle, coming to the French throne after the revolution, took the name Louis the XVIII in acknowledgement of his dynasty's rights. Similarly, when Emperor Napoleon I's regime collapsed, he abdicated in favor of his four-year-old son, who was proclaimed Napoleon II. The young emperor was desposed only weeks later by the Allies and was never recognized internationally; but when his cousin Louis Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor in 1852, he declared himself Napoleon III of France in recognition of his predecessor.

Queens consort

Princess Grace of Monaco, referred to historically as Grace Kelly.

While reigning monarchs use ordinals, ordinals are not used for queens consort and princesses consort. So whereas King George V of the United Kingdom used an ordinal to distinguish him from other kings in the United Kingdoms called George, his wife Queen Mary had no ordinal. Similarly while Prince Rainier III had an ordinal, his wife, Princess Grace of Monaco had no ordinal.

The lack of an ordinal in the case of queens consort and princesses consort complicating the recording of history, as there may be a number of consorts over time with the same name with no way to distinguish between them. For that reason, royal consorts after their deaths are recorded in history books and encyclopaedias through the use of their maiden name or pre-marital name.

Examples

• At least two English/British kings had wives known as Queen Mary:
  • Queen Mary, the second wife of King James II/VI of England and Scotland is known historicially as Mary of Modena.
  • Queen Mary, consort of George V, is known Mary of Teck.

• King Henry VIII of England has two queens called '"Catherine:
  • Queen Catherine, Henry's first wife is known as Catherine of Aragon.
  • Queen Catherine, Henry's fifth wife is known as Catherine Howard.
• At least two English/British kings had wives known as Queen Elizabeth:
  • Queen Elizabeth, the wife of King Henry VII of England, is known as Elizabeth of York.
  • Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) is now increasingly referred to historically as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (see below)
• Princess Grace of Monaco, the consort of Prince Rainier III, is known as Grace Kelly.

Changing back from consort name to maiden name

The changeover from queen consort name back to maiden name after their death is sometimes gradual, with many of those alive during the late consort's lifetime still using her consort name. Thus for a decade or two people still referred to George V's late consort as Queen Mary. However new generations who never knew her as Queen Mary now use Mary of Teck. Similarly while many still refer to Princess Grace of Monaco, people who did not know her as such now predominantly use Grace Kelly.

Given the fact that she is only relatively recently deceased, people still refer to the widow of George VI by her last title, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. However in time she will come to be referred to (as is increasingly referred to in reference books and sources such as Wikipedia), as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Similarly, though she is still widely referred to as Diana, Princess of Wales, her last title, the late first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales is increasingly being referred to in sourcebooks, and will eventually be generally known as, Lady Diana Spencer.

See also

• MacCormick v. Lord Advocate
• Style of the British Sovereign