A prince consort (German Prinzgemahl; Spanish principe consorte) is the husband of a queen regnant, the wife of a king being the queen consort, or often simply queen. This already illustrates the fact that a male ruler was the norm. Having a female ruler was exceptional, and the status of the husband of a queen regnant was invariably problematic. The institution of the prince consort developed gradually over the course of the early modern period, existing only in realms where the laws of succession permitted a woman to accede to the throne (Throne, succession to). The actual term pri…