Why did Queen Elizabeth the Second delayed in granting equal precedence to her husband Prince Philip?

Question

Prince Philip walked several paces behind Queen Elizabeth the Second on ceremonial occasions during the early years of the queen's reign.

Why did the queen wait many years before granting her husband equal precedence at her side on ceremonial occasions?

Answer 1

Philip has never been given equal precedence with the Queen because he is not the hereditary monarch. The Queen is sole reigning monarch of the UK and Commonwealth Realms. Philip is a non-reigning consort. He has served the monarchy to the best of his ability over many decades and has been granted precedence over other members by the Queen---it is up to her about the placement in precedence of her spouse since there is no set rule for a prince who is a consort to a reigning queen.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_precedence_in_the_United_Kingdom#British_royal_family

By (the Queen's) Order-in-Council, the Duke of Edinburgh has "place, pre-eminence and precedence" over all men in the United Kingdom—except, where provided by Parliament, Charles, Prince of Wales-- because Charles is future king.





Elizabeth wanted Philip to be by her side, and as she gained in years of service and experience, she was able to ask that Philip receive certain precedence for certain occasions.

Answer 2

She has never done that. She still has precedence and he walks a small pace behind her.

Answer 3

She CAN'T. Silly. Only parliament could do that, and they haven't done it since 'William and Mary'. Homework time.

Answer 4

She has'nt,if you look at any film of the two of them together he is always just a little bit behind her, not much, just a step or two.

Answer 5

She never has - he may not follow behind quite so obviously these days however. He may be her husband but in terms of who is Queen and who isn't, he can never be (King) as it's the Queen who carries the line to the Throne via her father. He does have precedence over the other royal men, as will have been seen when Harry bowed his head as the Prince passed him when exiting the Church at Sandringham, over Christmas.

Answer 6

She didn't grant him equal precedence. She did declare that he has "place, pre-eminence and precedence" over all men in the United Kingdom, except where, in certain circumstances, the heir apparent takes precedence. If you ever see them out and about he is still a pace or two behind, but over time managed to make it seem effortless and less affected than it was in the early years.

Answer 7

He still doesn't have it. She's the monarch; he is not. No one can have "equal precedence" with her.



Precedence is not synonymous with merely walking beside her. The latter is just a matter of deciding to be less formal as time went on, not of granting "equal precedence".



Since there is no established place in the order of precedence for a prince consort, his wife can grant him precedence over other males in the family by Letters Patent or an Order-in-Council. The Queen did this for Prince Philip after she succeeded to the throne, but that did not give him equal precedence with her.