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Aqueen dowager ordowager queen (compare:princess dowager ordowager princess) is a title or status generally held by thewidow of a king. In the case of the widow of anemperor, the title ofempress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear from the two words from which it is composed: queen indicates someone who served asqueen consort (i.e. wife of a king), whiledowager indicates a woman who continues to hold the title from her deceased husband (a queen who reigns in her own right is aqueen regnant). Aqueen mother is a former queen consort, often a dowager queen, who is the mother of the reigning monarch.

As of 2025,^[update] there are three queens dowager:Kesang Choden ofBhutan (who is the only living queen grandmother worldwide),Norodom Monineath ofCambodia (who is also queen mother), andLisa Najeeb Halaby (Noor Al'Hussein) ofJordan.

A queen dowager has an important royal position (whether or not she is the mother of the reigning sovereign) but does not normally have any rights to succeed a king as monarch on his death unless she happens to be next in line to the throne (one possibility would be if the king and queen were also cousins and childless, the king had no other siblings, and she in her other position as his cousin was also hisheiress presumptive).

A queen dowager continues to enjoy the title,style, andprecedence of a queen, but is no longer referred to asthe queen. A new reigning king would have (at accession or eventually) a wife who would be the new queen consort and thereforethe queen; aqueen regnant would also be calledthe queen. Many former queens consort do not formally use the word "dowager" as part of their titles. There may be more than one queen dowager at any given time.^{[citation needed]} TheGarter King of Arms's proclamation in the United Kingdom of the styles and titles of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at her funeral on 9 April 2002 illustrates her dual status as a queen dowager and a queen mother:

Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty and Most Excellent Princess Elizabeth, Queen Dowager and Queen Mother, Lady of the Most NobleOrder of the Garter, Lady of the Most Ancient and Most NobleOrder of the Thistle, Lady of theImperial Order of the Crown of India, Grand Master and Dame Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order upon whom had been conferred theRoyal Victorian Chain, Dame Grand Cross of the Most ExcellentOrder of the British Empire, Dame Grand Cross of the Most VenerableOrder of the Hospital of St John, Relict of His Majesty King George the Sixth and Mother of Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth The Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories Queen,Head of the Commonwealth,Defender of the Faith, Sovereign of the Most NobleOrder of the Garter, whom may God preserve and bless with long life, health and honour and all worldly happiness.

Aqueen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the current monarch. Not every queen mother is a queen dowager, such asQueen Paola of Belgium, who became the queen mother of her sonPhilippe after her husbandAlbert II abdicated the throne but retained the title of king.^[1] Not all queens dowager are the queen mother; they may have a relation other than mother to the reigning monarch, such as aunt or grandmother. For example,Mary, Queen of Scots, was queen dowager of France after the death of her husbandFrancis II, to whom she bore no children. Similarly,Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was queen dowager after her husbandWilliam IV was succeeded by his nieceVictoria.

Not every mother of a reigning monarch is the queen mother or a queen dowager. For example, the mother ofQueen Victoria of United Kingdom,Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was neither a queen dowager nor the queen mother because her husband,Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, had never been king. Similarly, whilst being the mothers of monarchs, bothAugusta of Saxe-Gotha andSrinagarindra of Thailand were not styled queen dowager because their respective husbands,Frederick, Prince of Wales andMahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla, were never kings. Instead, Augusta held the title of "Dowager Princess of Wales" (a precedent wasHenry VII of England's mother,Lady Margaret Beaufort, titled "My Lady the King's Mother"); Srinagarindra meanwhile received the designation "Princess Mother".^{[citation needed]}

As there is only one monarch, there can only be one queen mother. It is possible for there to be a queen mother and one or more queens dowager alive at any one time. This situation occurred in theCommonwealth realms in the period between the accession ofQueen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952 and the death of her paternal grandmother on 24 March 1953, when, for slightly over a year, there were three queens alive:

• Queen Elizabeth II (queen regnant).
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the widow of the deceasedKing George VI and the mother of the reigning queen. Queen Elizabeth, the former queen consort, specifically adopted the appellationqueen mother to distinguish herself from her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She reportedly loathed being referred to as adowager queen, and felt there would be confusion if she were called simply by her name, as her two immediate predecessors, Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra, had been.
• Queen Mary, the widow ofKing George V, the mother of the former kingEdward VIII (the thenDuke of Windsor) and of the late King George VI. Queen Mary had been the queen mother from the death of her husband in 1936 until the accession of her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952. She continued to be titled and styledHer Majesty Queen Mary.

There were several former queens consort of England, Scotland, and later the United Kingdom, who were never queen mothers. The following queens were dowagers between the given dates, whether queen mothers or not:

OfEngland:

• Edith of Wessex 5 January 1066 – 18 December 1075, wife ofEdward the Confessor; sister ofHarold Godwinson.
• Adeliza of Louvain 1 December 1135 – 23 April 1151, wife ofHenry I of England; remarried toWilliam d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel in 1139.
• Eleanor of Aquitaine 6 July 1189 – 1 April 1204, wife ofHenry II of England;queen mother toRichard I andJohn.
• Berengaria of Navarre 6 April 1199 – 23 December 1230, wife ofRichard I of England.
• Isabella of Angoulême 18/19 October 1216 – 31 May 1246, wife ofJohn of England andqueen mother toHenry III of England. Remarried toHugh X of Lusignan 1220.
• Eleanor of Provence 16 November 1272 – 24 June 1291, wife ofHenry III of England andqueen mother toEdward I of England.
• Marguerite of France 7 July 1307 – 14 February 1317, wife ofEdward I of England and stepmother toEdward II of England.
• Isabella of France September 1327 – 22 August 1358, wife ofEdward II of England andqueen mother toEdward III of England, from her husband's deposition on 20 January 1327.
• Isabella of Valois 14 February 1399 – 13 September 1409, wife ofRichard II of England; ceased to be queen consort with Richard's deposition on 30 September 1399. Remarried toCharles I de Valois, Duke of Orléans on 29 June 1406.
• Joanna of Navarre 20 March 1413—9 July 1437, wife ofHenry IV of England and stepmother toHenry V of England.
• Catherine of Valois 31 August 1422 – 3 January 1437, wife ofHenry V of England andqueen mother toHenry VI of England. Remarried toOwen Tudor in 1428 or 1429.
• Margaret of Anjou 21 May 1471 – 25 August 1482, wife ofHenry VI of England.
• Elizabeth Woodville 9 April 1483 – 8 June 1492, wife ofEdward IV of England andqueen mother toEdward V of England until the latter's deposition in 1483.

Of England andIreland

• Catherine Parr 28 January 1547 – 5 September 1548, sixth and last wife ofHenry VIII of England and stepmother to his childrenKing Edward VI,Lady Mary andLady Elizabeth.^[2] Remarried toThomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley most likely in mid-spring of 1547 and was mother toMary Seymour.^[3]

OfScotland

• Margaret of Wessex 13 November 1093 – 6 November 1093, wife ofMalcolm III of Scotland.
• Ermengarde de Beaumont 4 December 1214 – 12 February 1233/34, wife ofWilliam I of Scotland andqueen mother toAlexander II of Scotland.
• Marie de Coucy 6 July 1249 – 1285, wife ofAlexander II of Scotland andqueen mother toAlexander III of Scotland. Remarried to Jean de Brienne in 1257.
• Yolande of Dreux 19 March 1286 – 2 August 1322, wife ofAlexander III of Scotland. Remarried toArthur II, Duke of Brittany in 1292.
• Joan Beaufort 21 February 1437 – 15 July 1445, wife ofJames I of Scotland andqueen mother toJames II of Scotland. Remarried toJames Stewart in 1439.
• Mary of Guelders 3 August 1460 – 1 December 1463, wife ofJames II of Scotland andqueen mother toJames III of Scotland.
• Margaret Tudor 9 September 1513 – 8 October 1541, wife ofJames IV of Scotland andqueen mother toJames V of Scotland. Remarried toArchibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus in 1514 andHenry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven in 1528.
• Mary of Guise 14 December 1542 – 11 June 1560, wife ofJames V of Scotland andqueen mother toMary, Queen of Scots.

Of England, Ireland and Scotland

• Henrietta Maria of France 30 January 1649 – 10 September 1669, wife ofCharles I andqueen mother toCharles II.
• Catherine of Braganza 6 February 1685 – 30 November 1705, wife of Charles II.
• Mary of Modena 16 September 1701 – 7 May 1718, wife ofJames II and VII; ceased to be queen consort with his deposition on 11 December 1688.

Of the United Kingdom:

• Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen 20 June 1837 – 2 December 1849, wife ofWilliam IV.
• Alexandra of Denmark 6 May 1910 – 20 November 1925, wife ofEdward VII,queen mother toGeorge V.
• Mary of Teck 20 January 1936 – 24 March 1953, wife ofGeorge V,queen mother toEdward VIII andGeorge VI until the latter's death on 6 February 1952.
• Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 6 February 1952 – 30 March 2002, wife ofGeorge VI andqueen mother toElizabeth II – styled as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

If the current queen consort,Queen Camilla, outlives the incumbent king,King Charles III, she will become a queen dowager, while King Charles’sson anddaughter in law become the new king and queen consort respectively. She would not be known as a queen mother, as she is not the biological parent of Prince William.

Note that in some of the countries mentioned below it is unusual to indicate a former queen-consort as a dowager.

• Queen Dowager Xuan, concubine ofKing Xiaowen and mother ofKing Zhaoxiang of Qin.
• Queen Dowager Zhao, wife ofKing Zhuangxiang of Qin and mother ofQin Shi Huang.
• Empress Lü, wife ofEmperor Gaozu of Han.
• Wu Zetian, wife ofEmperor Gaozong and mother of EmperorsZhongzong andRuizong of Tang. Later became the onlyEmpress regnant in the history of China.
• Empress Dowager Cixi, wife ofXianfeng Emperor and mother ofTongzhi Emperor of Qing.

• Empress Dowager Eishō (11 January 1835 – 11 January 1897), wife and widow ofEmperor Kōmei of Japan.
• Empress Shōken (9 May 1849 – 9 April 1914), wife and widow ofEmperor Meiji of Japan.
• Empress Teimei (25 June 1884 – 17 May 1951), wife and widow ofEmperor Taishō of Japan and mother ofEmperor Shōwa.
• Empress Kōjun (6 March 1903 – 16 June 2000), wife and widow ofEmperor Shōwa of Japan and mother of EmperorAkihito.

• Queen Heonae (997–1009), third wife and widow ofGyeongjong of Goryeo and sister ofSeongjong of Goryeo, mother ofMokjong of Goryeo and daughter ofGwangjong of Goryeo
• Queen Gongye (1126–1146), third wife and widow ofInjong of Goryeo and mother ofUijong of Goryeo,Myeongjong of Goryeo,Sinjong of Goryeo
• Queen Jangryeol (1624–1688), wife and widow ofInjo of Joseon step-mother ofHyojong of Joseon, step-grandmother ofHyeonjong of Joseon, step-great-grandmother ofSukjong of Joseon.
• Queen Jeongsun (1745–1805), second wife and widow ofYeongjo of Joseon and step-grandmother ofJeongjo of Joseon and step-great-grandmother ofSunjo of Joseon.

• Caroline of Baden (1825–1841), second wife and widow of KingMaximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
• Marie of Prussia (1864–1889), widow of KingMaximilian II of Bavaria.

• Mafalda of Portugal (1197-1 May 1256), wife of KingHenry I of Castile
• Constance of Portugal (3 January 1290 – 18 November 1313), wife of KingFerdinand IV of Castile, mother of KingAlfonso XI of Castile
• Maria of Portugal (9 February 1313 – 18 January 1357), wife of KingAlfonso XI of Castile, mother of KingPeter I of Castile
• Isabella of Portugal (1428 – 15 August 1496), wife of KingJohn II of Castile, mother ofIsabella I of Castile
• Joan of Portugal (20 March 1439 – 12 December 1475), wife of KingHenry IV of Castile

• Helen of Zadar (969 – 976), wife and widow of KingMichael Krešimir II of Croatia.

• Jutta of Saxony (1250–1267), widow of KingEric IV of Denmark. Remarried to Burchard VIII, Count of Querfurt-Rosenburg.
• Matilda of Holstein (1252–1288), widow ofAbel, King of Denmark. Remarried toBirger Jarl in 1261.
• Margaret Sambiria (1259–1282), widow of KingChristopher I of Denmark.
• Agnes of Brandenburg (1286–1304), widow of KingEric V of Denmark. Remarried toGerhard II, Count of Holstein-Plön in 1293.
• Dorothea of Brandenburg (1448–1449, 1481–1495), widow of KingChristopher III and later KingChristian I of Denmark.
• Christina of Saxony (1513–1521), widow ofJohn, King of Denmark.
• Sophie of Pomerania (1533–1568), second wife and widow of KingFrederick I of Denmark.
• Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1559–1571), widow of KingChristian III of Denmark.
• Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1588–1631), widow of KingFrederick II of Denmark.
• Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg (1670–1685), widow of KingFrederick III of Denmark.
• Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1699–1714), widow of KingChristian V of Denmark.
• Anne Sophie Reventlow (1730–1743), second wife and widow of KingFrederick IV of Denmark.
• Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1746–1770), widow of KingChristian VI of Denmark.
• Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1766–1796), second wife and widow of KingFrederick V of Denmark.
• Marie of Hesse-Kassel (1839–1852), widow of KingFrederick VI of Denmark.
• Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg (1848–1881), second wife and widow of KingChristian VIII of Denmark.
• Louise of Sweden (1912–1926), widow of KingFrederick VIII of Denmark.
• Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1947–1952), widow of KingChristian X of Denmark.
• Ingrid of Sweden (1972–2000), widow of KingFrederik IX of Denmark.

• Olga Constantinovna of Russia (1913–1924), widow of KingGeorge I of Greece.
• Sophia of Prussia (1923–1924), widow of KingConstantine I of Greece.
• Frederica of Hanover (1964–1973), widow of KingPaul of Greece.

• Urraca of Portugal (1151–1222), wife of KingFerdinand II of León, mother of KingAlfonso IX of León
• Teresa of Portugal (4 October 1178 – 8 June 1250), wife of KingAlfonso IX of León
• Constance of Portugal (3 January 1290 – 18 November 1313), wife of KingFernando IV of León, mother of KingAlfonso XI of León
• Maria of Portugal (9 February 1313 – 18 January 1357), wife of KingAlfonso XI of León, mother of KingPeter I of León
• Isabella of Portugal (1428 – 15 August 1496), wife of KingJohn II of León, mother ofIsabella I of León
• Joan of Portugal (20 March 1439 – 12 December 1475), wife of KingHenry IV of León

• Beatrice of Castile (1242 – 27 October 1303), wife of KingAfonso III of Portugal and mother of KingDinis I of Portugal
• Elizabeth of Aragon (1271 – 4 July 1336), wife of KingDinis I of Portugal and mother of KingAfonso IV of Portugal
• Beatrice of Castile (8 March 1293 – 25 October 1359), wife of KingAfonso IV of Portugal and mother of KingPeter I of Portugal
• Leonor Telles de Menezes (1350 – 27 April 1386), wife of KingFernando I of Portugal
• Eleanor of Aragon (1 February 1402 – 19 February 1445), wife of KingDuarte I of Portugal and mother of KingAfonso V of Portugal
• Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525), wife of KingJoão II of Portugal
• Eleanor of Austria (15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), third wife of KingManuel I of Portugal
• Catherine of Austria (14 January 1507 – 12 February 1578), wife of KingJoão III of Portugal and grandmother of KingSebastião I of Portugal
• Luisa of Guzman (13 October 1613 – 27 February 1666), wife of KingJoão IV of Portugal and mother of KingsAfonso VI andPedro II
• Maria Anna of Austria (7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754), wife of KingJoão V of Portugal and mother of KingJosé I of Portugal
• Mariana Victoria of Spain (31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781), wife of KingJosé I of Portugal and mother of QueenMaria I of Portugal
• Carlota Joaquina of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830), wife of KingJoão VI of Portugal and mother of King-EmperorPedro IV of Portugal and KingMiguel I of Portugal
• Maria Pia of Savoy (14 February 1847 – 5 July 1911), wife of KingLuís I of Portugal and mother of KingCarlos I of Portugal
• Amélie of Orleans (28 September 1865 – 25 October 1951), wife of KingCarlos I of Portugal and mother of KingManuel II of Portugal

• Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (25 February 1713 – 29 July 1735), third wife and widow of KingFrederick I of Prussia.
• Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (31 May 1740 – 28 June 1757), widow of KingFrederick William I of Prussia.
• Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (17 August 1786 – 13 January 1797), widow of KingFrederick II of Prussia.
• Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt (16 November 1797 – 25 February 1805), second wife and widow of KingFrederick William II of Prussia.
• Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria (2 January 1861 – 14 December 1873), widow of KingFrederick William IV of Prussia.
• Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (9 March 1888 – 7 January 1890), widow ofWilliam I, German Emperor and King of Prussia.
• Victoria, Princess Royal (15 June 1888 – 5 August 1901), widow ofFrederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

• Elisabeth of Wied (27 September 1914 – 2 March 1916), widow of KingCarol I of Romania
• Marie of Edinburgh (20 July 1927 – 18 July 1938), widow ofFerdinand I of Romania

• Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (10 May 1752 – 15 November 1828), widow of KingFrederick Augustus I of Saxony.
• Maria Anna of Bavaria (27 January 1805 – 13 September 1877), second wife and widow of KingFrederick Augustus II of Saxony.
• Amalie Auguste of Bavaria (13 November 1801 – 8 November 1877), widow of KingJohn of Saxony.
• Carola of Vasa (5 August 1833 – 15 December 1907), widow of KingAlbert of Saxony.

• Mariana of Austria (24 December 1634 – 16 May 1696), second wife and widow of KingPhilip IV of Spain.
• Maria Anna of Neuburg (28 October 1667 – 16 July 1740), second wife and widow of KingCharles II of Spain.
• Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans (9 December 1709 – 16 June 1742), widow of KingLouis I of Spain.
• Elisabeth Farnese (25 October 1692 – 11 July 1766), second wife and widow of KingPhilip V of Spain.
• Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878), fourth wife and widow of KingFerdinand VII of Spain.
• Maria Christina of Austria (21 July 1858 – 6 February 1929), second wife and widow of KingAlfonso XII of Spain.

In Sweden, there has also been another title for a dowager queen, calledRiksänkedrottning, which meansQueen Dowager of the Realm. This title was used in the 16th and 17th centuries. The last time the title queen dowager was used was in 1913.

• Catherine Stenbock, (1537–1610), third wife and widow of KingGustav I of Sweden.
• Gunilla Bielke, (1568–1597), second wife and widow of KingJohn III of Sweden.
• Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, (1573–1625), second wife and widow of KingCharles IX of Sweden.
• Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, (1599–1655), widow of KingGustavus Adolphus of Sweden.
• Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, (1636–1715), widow of KingCharles X Gustav of Sweden.
• Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, (1720–1781), widow of KingAdolph Frederick of Sweden.
• Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, (1746–1815), widow of KingGustav III of Sweden.
• Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, (1759–1818), widow of KingCharles XIII of Sweden.
• Désirée Clary, (1777–1860), widow of KingCharles XIV John of Sweden.
• Josephine of Leuchtenberg, (1807–1876), widow of KingOscar I of Sweden.
• Sophia of Nassau, (1836–1913), widow of KingOscar II of Sweden.

• María Isabella of Spain (1830–1848), second wife and widow of KingFrancis I of the Two Sicilies. Remarried to Francesco, Count dal Balzo dei Duchi di Presenzano in 1839.
• Maria Theresa of Austria (1859–1861), second wife and widow of KingFerdinand II of the Two Sicilies.

• Charlotte, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Ireland (30 October 1816 – 5 October 1828), second wife and widow of KingFrederick I of Württemberg and stepmother of KingWilliam I of Württemberg.
• Pauline Therese of Württemberg (25 June 1864 – 10 May 1873), second wife and widow ofWilliam I of Württemberg and mother ofCharles I of Württemberg.
• Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (6 October 1891 – 30 October 1892), widow ofCharles I of Württemberg.

• Dowager QueenKa'ahumanu, favoured wife of KingKamehameha I
• Queen Emma of Hawaii, queen consort ofKing Kamehameha IV

• Amélie of Leuchtenberg (July 31, 1812 – January 26, 1873), second wife and widow ofPedro I of Brazil.

• Raja Perempuan Tengku Anis of Kelantan, widow ofSultan Ismail Petra
• Tunku Puan Nora of Johor, widow ofSultan Ismail
• Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun of Perak, widow ofSultan Azlan Shah
• Permaisuri Siti Aishah of Selangor, widow ofSultan Salahuddin
• Che Puan Besar Haminah of Kedah, widow ofSultan Abdul Halim
• Cik Puan Besar Kalsom of Pahang, widow ofSultan Haji Ahmad Shah

• Yun San, chief queen consort of KingAlaungpaya and mother to three successive kings,Naungdawgyi,Hsinbyushin andBodawpaya
• Shin Phyo Oo, chief queen consort of King Naungdawgyi, mother toPhaungka
• Shin Min Hla, the chief queen consort ofHsinbyushin and mother toSingu Min
• Me Myat Shwe, Princess ofTaungoo, chief queen consort of KingTharawaddy, mother ofKing Pagan and Queen ConsortSetkya Dewi
• Kyaut Maw Mibaya, Shin Min Yin, queen of the southern department of King Tharawaddy and mother of KingMindon
• Laungshe Mibaya, Nanzwe queen consort of King Mindon and mother of KingThibaw

• Amarindra, (7 September 1809 – 25 May 1826), wife and widow of KingRama I of Siam and mother of KingRama II of Siam.
• Sri Suriyendra, (21 July 1824 - 18 October 1836), wife and widow of KingRama II of Siam and mother of KingMongkut and KingPinklao.
• Saovabha Phongsri, (23 October 1910 – 20 October 1919), wife and widow of KingChulalongkorn of Siam and mother of KingVajiravudh and KingPrajadhipok.
• Savang Vadhana, (23 October 1910 – 17 December 1955), wife and widow of KingChulalongkorn of Siam and grandmother of KingAnanda Mahidol and KingBhumibol Adulyadej.
• Sukhumala Marasri, (23 October 1910 – 9 July 1927), wife and widow of KingChulalongkorn of Siam.
• Rambai Barni, (30 May 1941 – 22 May 1984), wife and widow of KingPrajadhipok of Siam.
• Sirikit, (13 October 2016 – 24 October 2025), wife and widow of KingBhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and mother of KingVajiralongkorn.

• Musbah bint Nasser (1884 – 15 March 1961), wife ofAbdullah I of Jordan and mother ofTalal of Jordan.
• Zein Al-Sharaf Talal (2 August 1916 – 26 April 1994), wife ofTalal of Jordan and mother ofHussein of Jordan.
• Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Noor Al'Hussein) (b. 23 August 1951), the fourth wife and widow ofKing Hussein of Jordan and the stepmother of the current king,Abdullah II.

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In the novel seriesThe Princess Diaries, the character Princess Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo is the princess dowager of theprincipality of Genovia. In the films, where Genovia is portrayed as a kingdom, Clarisse is portrayed as a dowager queen.

In the fantasy novel seriesA Song of Ice and Fire, and later theHBO seriesGame of Thrones, the characterCersei Lannister became the queen mother to KingJoffrey Baratheon after her husbandRobert Baratheon was killed in a hunting accident, although she managed to strong-arm the position of regent as well, and was thus known as the "queen regent". In the episode "High Sparrow", the new queen consort,Margaery Tyrell, mocks Cersei's loss of power by asking her to clarify whether she should be addressed as queen mother or dowager queen.

In the 2015 Indian movieBaahubali-The Beginning and its sequelBaahubali-the Conclusion, actressRamya Krishnan portrays the character "Rajamatha Shivagami Devi". In most Indian languages, the word 'rajamata' means 'Queen-Mother'.

In the video gameLong Live the Queen, after the queen regnant of the kingdom of Nova is assassinated, her widower is referred to as the king-dowager.

In the 2023Netflix seriesQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, actressMichelle Fairley portrays Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, King George's mother.

• Queens consort
• Royal titles
• Widowhood

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