The Royal Line Of Succession: Who Is Next In Line For The British Throne?
Editor's Note: Queen Elizabeth II died on September 9. This article, which originally appeared in Glamour UK**, was published prior to her death.
Having ascended to the British throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II is the world's longest-reigning monarch. Following the royal line of succession, she was crowned after the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947 – five years before she would become Queen. Prince Philip sadly passed away on 9 April 2021, aged 99.
She has four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. She has reigned for 69 years, has eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
Her grandchildren are Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall (son and daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Philips); Prince William and Prince Harry (sons of Prince Charles and Princess Diana); Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York); and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn (daughter and son of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex).
According to the Royal Family website, the royal line of succession is “regulated not only through descent, but also by Parliamentary statute,” and is officially defined as "the sequence of members of the Royal Family in the order in which they stand in line to the throne.”
Queen Elizabeth II will be succeeded by her firstborn Charles, the Prince of Wales, who will then be succeeded by his firstborn Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, followed by Prince William's firstborn, Prince George. But where do the rest of the royals, such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, fit into the equation?
Here's the royal line of succession:
Chris Jackson1/24Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales
Prince Charles is the first in line to succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He was married to Lady Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales, from 1981 to 1996. He had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, with Diana. Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall on 9 April 2005. She did not take the title of Princess of Wales out of respect for the late Princess Diana.
When Prince Charles becomes King, Camilla will not become Queen. As the wife of the King, her technical title will be the Queen Consort, however a statement from Clarence House in 2020 indicated that she would instead be known as Princess Consort.
Chris Jackson2/24Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge
Prince William is the second-in-line to the British throne. He married Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, on 29 April 2011 and they share three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
When Prince William becomes King, Kate Middleton will be known as Queen Consort.
Pool/Samir Hussein3/24Prince George of Cambridge
Prince George is third in line to the throne, after his father and grandfather. He was born on 22 July 2013.
UK Press Pool4/24Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
Princess Charlotte, born on 2 May 2015, is the fourth in line to the throne.
WPA Pool5/24Prince Louis of Cambridge
Prince Louis, born on 23 April 2018, is the fifth in line to the throne.
Samir Hussein6/24Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex is sixth in line to the British throne. He married US actress Meghan Markle on 19 May, 2018, at Windsor Castle. They share two children: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Pool/Samir Hussein7/24Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
Archie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first child, was born on 6 May 2019. He is seventh in line to the throne.
WPA Pool8/24Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, Lilibet, was born on 4 June 2021. The name Lilibet is a nod to the Royal Family's nickname for Queen Elizabeth II, and her middle name is Diana, after Harry's late mother, Princess Diana. Lililbet is eighth in line to the throne.
Max Mumby/Indigo9/24Prince Andrew, the Duke of York
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is currently ninth in line to the throne. He is the Queen's third child and married Sarah Ferguson, who became Duchess of York, in 1986. Although they divorced in 1996, they share two daughters: Princess Beatrice (born in 1988) and Princess Eugenie (born in 1990).
In October 2021, the Metropolitan Police dropped an investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew sexually abused Virginia Giuffre. He has denied the allegations.
However, in January 2022, it was confirmed that Prince Andrew will face a civil trial in the USA over the claims. On Thursday 13 January, Buckingham Palace released the following statement:
"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Mark Cuthbert10/24Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Beatrice (full title: Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York) is 10th in line to the throne. She married property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020, and welcomed a daughter, Sienna Elizabeth, with him in September 2021. She's also stepmother to Edoardo's son Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from his previous relationship with Dara Huang.
Karwai Tang11/24Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna, born on 18 September 2021, is 11th in line to the throne.
Max Mumby/Indigo12/24Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
Princess Eugenie, full title: Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York, is 12th in line to the throne. She married her boyfriend Jack Brooksbank 12 October 2018. Their son, August, was born on 9 February 2021.
WPA Pool13/24Master August Brooksbank
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August, is 13th in line to the throne.
Dan Mullan14/24Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. He is currently 14th in line to the throne. He has two children with Sophie: Lady Louise, born in 2003 and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007.
Pool/Samir Hussein15/24James, Viscount Severn
James, Viscount Severn, is 15th in line to the throne.
YUI MOK16/24The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Lady Louise is 16th in line to the throne. Although she is older than her brother James, she still falls behind him in the royal line of succession. This is because she and James were born before the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 – which determined that “the gender of a person born after 28 October 2011 does not give that person, or that person’s descendants, precedence over any other person (whenever born).”
Max Mumby/Indigo17/24The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal is the Queen’s second child and only daughter. She is 17th in line to the throne. She has married twice: first to Captain Mark Phillips, with whom she had her two children, Peter and Zara, while she is now married to Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence.
Max Mumby/Indigo18/24Mr. Peter Phillips
The eldest of the Queen’s grandchildren, Peter Phillips is 18th in line to the throne. He does not have a royal title because, as the Princess Royal’s son, he’s descended from the female line. He and his sister Zara Tindall don’t have courtesy titles as their father, Mark Phillips, turned down an earldom when he married Princess Anne.
He married Autumn Kelly in 2008 and together they share two daughters, Savannah, born in 2010, and Isla, born in 2012. They announced their divorce in February 2020.
Mark Cuthbert19/24Miss Savannah Phillips
Born in 2010, Savannah Phillips is 19th in line to the throne.
Max Mumby/Indigo20/24Miss Isla Phillips
Born in 2012, Isla Phillips is 20th in line to the throne.
Max Mumby/Indigo21/24Zara Tindall, or Mrs. Michael Tindall
Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, is 21st in line to the throne. She married English rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011 and they had their first child, Mia Grace, in 2014, their second, Lena Elizabeth in 2018, and their third, Lucas, in 2021.
Max Mumby/Indigo22/24Miss Mia Tindall
Born in 2014, Mia Grace Tindall is 22nd in line to the throne.
Max Mumby/Indigo23/24Miss Lena Tindall
Born in 2018, Lena Elizabeth Tindall is 23rd in line to the throne.
Alan Crowhurst24/24Master Lucas Tindall
Born in 2021, Lucas Tindall is 24th in line to the throne.
