 Initially between 1139 and 1141 Matilda referred to herself as acting as a "feme sole", "a woman [acting] alone", highlighting her autonomy and independence from her spouse.Additionally, it was also conventional that newly elected kings use ' until their coronation as , the interval being counted as an interregnum.Since she was never crowned at Westminster, during the rest of the war she appears to have used this title rather than that of the Queen of England, although some contemporaries referred to her by the royal title.