With the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, many people who aren’t experts with the Royal Family have been questioning, who comes next??
The British royal family chooses a system of succession where the first born child from the current king/queen.By this system, Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son, the former Prince of Wales, Charles III, has taken over the throne. He advances to King Charles III. But who comes next after Charles? And where do Elizabeth’s three other kids fall on this line? Look below for an almost full view on the current waiting line for the highest royal title.
- King Charles III
The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Charles has taken over the title of King following the death of his mother. He has two sons, William and Harry, both from his first marriage with the late Princess Diana. He is now married to Camilla, the Queen Consort.
- Prince William
The eldest son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, the Prince of Wales is next in line to succeed the throne following his father. William is currently married to Catherine, Princess of Wales. They have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
- Prince George
The oldest son of Prince William and Princess Catherine, the nine-year-old is second in line for the throne. He currently attends Lambrook School in Berkshire, but he spent the first few years of his schooling attending St Thomas’s School in Battersea.
- Princess Charlotte
As William and Catherines second born, Princess Charlotte is third in line for the throne. She is now seven years old and attends Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside both her brothers.
- Prince Louis
The youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Louis is fourth in line for the throne. He is the last of his siblings in line. He is now 4 years old and attends Lambrook School in Berkshire as well.
- Prince Harry
If none of the Wales be able to take over the throne, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will be next in line. Harry is the youngest son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana. He is married to Megan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. They have two children, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
- Archie Mountbatten- Windsor
Being the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 3 year old Archie is sixth in line for the throne.
- Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor
Archie’s younger sister, one year old Lilibet, is seventh in line for the throne.
- Prince Andrew
The third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Andrew, the Duke of York, is eight in line for the throne. He has two daughters, both through his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
- Princess Beatrice
The eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, Princess Beatrice is ninth in line for the throne. She married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, and they have one daughter, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.
- Sienna Elizabeth
The daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mozzi is tenth in line for the throne. She celebrated her first birthday on September 18th.
- Princess Eugenie
Following her niece, Princess Eugenie is eleventh in line for the British throne. She is married to Jack Brooksbank. They have one son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
- August Brooksbank
The only son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, one year old August follows his mother as twelfth in line for the throne.
- Prince Edward
The youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Prince Edward is thirteenth in line to become the King of England. The Earl of Wessex is married to Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. They have two children, James and Louise.
- James, Viscount Severn
The youngest child of Edward and Sophie, fourteen year old James follows his father as fourteenth in line for the throne. He attends Eagle House School, a co-educational preparatory school in Berkshire.
- Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
The oldest child of The Earl and Countess of Wessex, eighteen year old Lady Louise is fifteenth in line. She will be starting her university education at St Andrews University this September.
- Princess Anne
The second child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, and their only daughter, Princess Anne is sixteenth in line for the throne. She is married to Timothy Laurence, and she has two children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
- Peter Phillips
The only son of Princess Anne, and the Queen’s oldest grandchild, Peter Phillips is seventeenth in line for the throne. He has two children, Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips.
- Savannah Phillips
The eldest great grandchild of Queen Elizabeth, eleven year old Savannah follows her father as eighteenth in line for the throne.
- Isla Phillips
Right after her older sister, ten year old Isla takes the spot as nineteenth in line for the throne.
The order of succession seems to have some more kinks than what you would think. At first glance, it looks like the Crown will pass from the current Sovereign to their eldest child following their death or, in rare cases, abdication of the throne. However, Princess Anne is the second born child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, but she is last in line for the throne out of all her siblings, having her two younger brothers placed ahead of her. Why? Because she was born prior to the passing of the Succession to the Crown Act, which was passed in 2013, changing the rules for the succession so that it is based on birth order, not gender. So Princess Charlotte will follow her older brother in the line for the throne, but the rule does not apply to Princess Anne. Even though this line is long and a bit confusing, there is a high chance that any royal family member listed past third in line will never get the chance to take the throne. As of now, Britain is set to see another long reign of Kings, following the 70 year and 214 day reign of Queen Elizabeth, the longest of any British monarch.
