# Why isn't Phillip the King? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608 "2013-05-06T12:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/61 "2013-05-08T18:45:08Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > What was Queen Victoria’s mother called? [**Unwelcome**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_I_of_the_United_Kingdom). ``` After Victoria became queen, ``` > [@](#): > > Her mother was consigned to a remote apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Victoria often refused to meet her.[52] When Victoria complained to Melbourne that her mother’s close proximity promised “torment for many years”, Melbourne sympathised but said it could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a “schocking [sic] alternative”. — Wikipedia ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/62 "2013-05-08T19:12:29Z")
They did make up in later years, after Victoria’s children were born. > [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Was the Queen Mum the first to hold that title? What was Queen Victoria’s mother called? The Duchess of Kent – Victoria wasn’t even a year old when her father died. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/63 "2013-05-08T19:20:16Z")
A fun bit of trivia: When were there two women, mother and daughter, each of whom was entitled to be called “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth”? The obvious answer is During the 50-year period 1952-2002. Queen Elizabeth (née Bowes-Lyon) , widow of King George VI, and her daughter (née Windsor) the Queen (regnant). But there was a prior instance. During the six and a half years ending four months and four days before Columbus discovered America, Queen Elizabeth (née Woodville), widow of King Edward IV, was mother to Queen Elizabeth (of York), consort of King Henry VII. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/64 "2013-05-08T22:19:19Z")
Going a bit further off-topic: IIRC, Parliament has been considering a same-sex marriage bill. Does it contain any provisions unique to the Royal Family? Would the British public likely be accepting of a gay, married monarch? How far down the line of succession does one have to go to the first openly gay person? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/65 "2013-05-09T02:24:39Z")
What’s the Church of England’s position? Because the monarch is considered to be Head of the Church (aka, Defender of the Faith), I would imagine that would play a huge part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bob\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_X)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/66 "2013-05-10T05:29:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > He was not a descendant of a previous British king. > > There can be both – William and Mary ruled jointly in the 17th century – but they were both part of the line of succession. William was completely unrelated to the line of succession. But as pointed out by Alessan, he had a lot of troops. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/67 "2013-05-10T08:43:59Z")
> [@Bob\_X](#): > > William was completely unrelated to the line of succession. William’s mother, Mary, was James II’s older sister. When he invaded in 1688, he was fourth in line to the throne, behind the newborn James Francis Edward (“The Old Pretender”), Mary (William’s wife), and Anne. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608/68 "2013-05-10T16:36:22Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > William’s mother, Mary, was James II’s older sister. When he invaded in 1688, he was fourth in line to the throne, behind the newborn James Francis Edward (“The Old Pretender”), Mary (William’s wife), and Anne. While this is true (and noted upthread), the “he” in **RealityChuck** ’s post referenced Prince Philip, the present Duke of Edinburgh, not William – inaccurately, as was also dealt with upthread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-phillip-the-king/657608.md?page=3)