queen regnant

noun

plural queens regnant
: a queen reigning in her own right

Examples of queen regnant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As the firstborn child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, the royal follows her father in the line of succession and is poised to become Belgium's first queen regnant. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023 As the first woman to rule England in her own right, Mary also adapted the coronation’s language and imagery to reflect her status as a queen regnant. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2023 Meet All the Female Heirs Set to Take the Throne Archduchess Alix will likely witness a first for her country: Belgium's first queen regnant. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023 Unlike a queen regnant, a queen consort does not have any real authority and the title is usually given to the spouse of a monarch. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 6 May 2023 Otherwise, Leonor will be the first queen regnant of Spain since the 1800s. Lia Beck, Peoplemag, 5 May 2023 If the monarch has a queen consort—the wife of a reigning king rather than a queen regnant who rules in her own right—at the time of the coronation, she is typically crowned alongside him. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2023 Last come Edward’s two older half sisters, by two mothers, of two faiths: Mary and Elizabeth, Catholic and Protestant, England’s first two queens regnant. Jason Farago, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2022 As a queen regnant, she was expected to wed, bear heirs and cede some level of authority to her husband. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'queen regnant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1639, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of queen regnant was circa 1639

Dictionary Entries Near queen regnant

Cite this Entry

“Queen regnant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/queen%20regnant. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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