Just curious:
If a king from one country wanted to marry the queen from another, would they be allowed, and if so, what would that mean for the countries in which they rule? Where would they spend their time and what would happen to their children?
1. Yes, King and Queen Regnant of different countries can get married; there is no law in any country against that. In fact, that has happen before quite a few times:
- Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon married each other; it was their union (and consequently, the union of their countries) that created the Spanish Kingdom in the first place.
- Mary I of England married Philip II of Spain.
2. In past, when Monarchs of different countries married, that more or less meant also union of the Crowns; while each of them remained Sovereign of his/her separate country, their Heir Apparent eventually inherited both Kingdoms.
Philip and Mary never had children, but if they did, the child would have been King or Queen Regnant of both England and Spain upon his/her parents’ death.
3. In our times, it is highly unlikely marriage of two people would result in merging of two separate Sovereign states. If such a marriage did take place, it is likely one of the following would happen:
- The countries would agree to share the same Monarch (the future child of the couple) but would still remain separate sovereign states – in other words, personal union of Crowns would take place.
That has happened before; when James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I as King of England (as James I of England), that meant personal union of Crowns – that did NOT mean the counties merged (that happened a century later, with the creation of Great Britain).
In fact, there is a precedent in our times as well; Queen Elizabeth is Monarch of 16 separate, Sovereign states (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc); they share the same Monarch but remain separate countries.
- Either the King, or the Queen would have to abdicate.
For example, if Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (future Queen Regnant of Sweden) had married Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (future King of Norway), it is likely either would choose to abdicate to avoid any potential tensions.
- The Parliaments of the respective countries would come to an agreement about the future Line of Succession.
For example, the eldest child of the couple could inherit the Throne in one country, the second one – in the other.
