This article is about pre-1707 spouses of English monarchs. For British consorts since 1707, see List of British royal consorts.
The English royal consorts listed here were the spouses of the reigning monarchs of the Kingdom of England, excluding the joint rulers, Mary I and Philip who reigned together in the 16th century, and William III and Mary II who reigned together in the 17th century.
Most of the consorts were women, and enjoyed titles and honours pertaining to a queen consort; some few were men, whose titles were not consistent, depending upon the circumstances of their spouses' reigns. The Kingdom of England merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. There have thus been no consorts of England since that date.
In 1066, the Duke of Normandy, William, killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and overthrew the English elite, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. He established himself as king, his wife Matilda as queen consort, and beneficed his faithful vassals from the continent. His dynasty would not, however, outlive his children, becoming defunct with the death of his youngest son, Henry I, in 1135.
In 1135, Stephen of Blois, the son of Henry I's sister Adela, seized the English throne, his cousin Empress Matilda's claims being ignored by the Norman barons. His wife, Matilda of Boulogne, became his Queen consort, but their son Eustace predeceased Stephen, and he was forced to appoint the Empress's son Henry as his successor.
With the death of Elizabeth I, the crown of England passed to her cousin and nearest heir, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England as well. His dynasty would rule – interrupted by the Interregnum between 1649 and 1660 – until 1714. The Kingdom of England, however, was merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Great Britain, after which there ceased to be monarchs and consorts of England.
^Henry VI was deposed 4 March 1461, restored 3 October 1470, and deposed again 11 April 1471. Throughout this time Margaret of Anjou was considered by the Lancastrians to be de jure Queen of England
^Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was not made public for several months.
^She was no longer able to use the title in a public capacity after she was forbidden from doing so in November 23, 1541, although she still remained married to the king until her execution.