Royal consort

It has been recently noted that consort, "though literally denoting a partner or spouse, is a heavily loaded term, for a consort is usually implied to be a mere appendage, far inferior in power and status to his or her spouse". In invitations for the 2023 coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, for example, the British royal family notably styled Camilla as "The Queen" instead of "Queen Consort".

Uses of the term in royal contexts include:

• Queen consort, wife of a reigning king
• Prince consort, husband of a reigning queen
• King consort, rarely used alternative title for husband of a reigning queen
• Princess consort, rarely used alternative title for wife of a reigning king

The spouses of governors-general of some Commonwealth countries, such as Canada, are sometimes referred to as "viceregal consort".

In certain polytheistic religions such as Hinduism, female analogues to the main deities have been described as consorts.