Why was Cleopatra VII called Queen of Kings?

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Cleopatra Cleopatra, carving from the temple of Horus at Idfū, Egypt.

Cleopatra VII was titled "Queen of Kings" during an extravagant event known as the "Donations of Alexandria" in 34 BCE. During this ceremony, she and the Roman triumvir Mark Antony sat on golden thrones and made grandiose distributions of eastern territories to their children.1

In this display, Antony proclaimed Cleopatra's son, Caesarion, to be the "King of Kings," while Cleopatra was hailed as "Queen of Kings". This title was intended to reflect their status as supreme monarchs over a vast array of territories and subordinate rulers. The event was a calculated political move designed to assert their power and challenge the authority of Octavian in Rome, as it explicitly promoted Caesarion as the true heir to Julius Caesar.213