Coronation day 2023: What does TM the King mean?

6 May 2023, 10:53

The meaning of TM the King revealed as King Charles and Queen Camilla are crowned at the coronation...

King Charles and Queen Camilla are being crowned today at a historic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Millions of royal fans are watching the ceremony take place as the most senior members of the family gather together.

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But as the incredible weekend kicks off, some people have been wondering what ‘TM the King’ means.

What does TM the King mean?

A monarch is usually addressed as Your Majesty, and referred to as His/Her Majesty, which is abbreviated to HM.

The plural of this is Their Majesties or ‘TM', which is often used by royal experts.

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There are lots of different titles used in the royal family, with female members typically referred to as 'Your Highness' or 'Ma'am'.

Meanwhile, male members of the Royal Family are to be referred to as 'Your Royal Highness' or 'Sir'.

As for Queen Camilla's title, she will officially go by Queen, according to Buckingham Palace.

A royal source told the BBC that in the first few months of the new reign it made sense to use Queen so as to avoid confusion with the late Queen Elizabeth.

While the wife of the King would usually be known as ‘Princess Consort’, the late Queen hoped that Camilla would take the Queen title and that the public would support it.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth was known as Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York until her father, George VI, became King in 1936.

When she married Prince Philip, he became the Duke of Edinburgh and Elizabeth's title was changed to Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.

She then became Her Majesty The Queen in 1952.