“I Am Her Majesty’s Subject”: Prince George of Denmark and the Transformation of the English Male Consort

Abstract

One of the most enigmatic historical figures in late Stuart England was Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708), the husband of Queen Anne (r. 1702-1714). Unlike Philip of Spain, the husband of Mary I (r.1553-1558), who held the position of king consort, and William of Orange, later William III, the husband of Mary II (r. 1689-1694), who reigned as king in his own right, George of Denmark did not attain the position of king. George’s relegation to a status subordinate to his wife was a glaring contradiction to prevailing contemporary social theory, yet an explanation for this occurrence is completely absent from the body of historical studies concerned with the Revolution of 1688/89 and the passage of the Act of Settlement of 1701.