Queen
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queen is also a British rock band, see Queen (band).
A queen is the female head of a royal family. Sometimes she is the wife of a king, but sometimes the queen is the ruler and her husband is not a king.
In a country whose system of government is a monarchy, the ruler, or head of state, is decided by inheritance. That is, when a ruler dies their child, or nearest relative, takes over. For much of history most countries were governed in this way, especially in Europe. Some countries elect their monarch instead of using inheritance, like the Holy Roman Empire and Malaysia.
If the ruler is male they are called a king. If female they are called a queen.
The wife of a king is also called a queen. However the husband of a female ruler is not called a king. The last King of Britain (George VI) had a wife (Elizabeth) who was called Queen Elizabeth. When he died he had no sons, so he was followed by his daughter. She was also called Elizabeth and became Queen Elizabeth II. She was married to The Duke of Edinburgh; but when she became Queen he did not become King.
Many people do not think it is good to have a Queen, because she is not elected, though most people in the UK want to keep the royal family.
