The royal family line determines who will be the next king or queen. Known as the line of succession, the order changes when royal babies are born but it is always clear who will be the next monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022; however, even if Prince Philip, who died in 2021, had outlived her, he would not have become king as he was not next in line to succeed her.
Instead Charles, as her firstborn son, became king and in time will be succeeded by the heir apparent, his own firstborn son, William, Prince of Wales.
When the time comes, his firstborn, Prince George, who is 10 years old at the time of writing, will become king.
But where does the rest of the royal family, including Princess Charlotte, Princess Beatrice and Prince Harry’s baby Lilibet come in the order?
How is the heir to the British throne chosen?
Formerly the principle of male primogeniture applied, so a boy would always be preferred over a girl. This would allow a younger brother to inherit the throne before his older sister. However, in 2011, following William and Kate’s wedding, the rules changed to allow the first-born child to be the heir to the throne, even if she were a girl. The leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries unanimously approved the changes in October 2011.
The Succession to the Crown Act (2013) amended the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement. It meant that the new rules would apply to any royal baby born after October 28, 2011.
The act also dropped the disqualification applying to those who married Roman Catholics.
The line of succession is regulated by Parliament and sovereigns can be deprived of their title due to misgovernment.
HM King Charles III and Queen Consort state visit to Germany
Who is the next heir to the throne?
After the Queen’s passing, her eldest son Charles became king and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, became Queen Consort.
After Charles, Prince William is next in line to the throne, as he is Charles’s eldest son. When William becomes king, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge will become Queen Consort.
William’s his eldest son, Prince George, is next in line for the throne, as the couple’s first-born child.
Royal family line of succession: full list
The full line of succession is as follows.
1. Prince William, the Prince of Wales
Prince William is the eldest son of King Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. His Royal Highness is married to the present Princess of Wales, Catherine, with whom he has three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family’s official residence is Kensington Palace.
As the Prince of Wales, he undertakes charitable activities and projects, and carries out public and official duties in support of the king in the UK and overseas.
2. Prince George of Wales
Prince George of Wales is the eldest son of Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. He currently attends Lambrook school in Berkshire, alongside his siblings, Charlotte and Louis. He was the youngest heir and first heir to the throne to participate in a coronation.
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales
Princess Charlotte of Wales is the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.
Prince Louis is the third and youngest child of Prince William and Kate. In June 2022, during his great-grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend, Louis and his siblings made their debut in the Trooping the Colour carriage procession. Afterwards, during the noisy flypast, Louis’s cheeky and amusing behaviour was widely commented on, with viral videos shared on social media.
5. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex is the younger son of the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He spent 10 years as a soldier, ending operational duties in 2015. During his service, he conducted two tours of duty to Afghanistan with the British Army. Having taken a step back from royal life, he now lives in Montecito, California with his wife, Meghan, and their children. He published his memoir, Spare, in January 2023.
6. Prince Archie of Sussex
Prince Archie of Sussex is the son of Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. In September and October 2019, Archie accompanied his parents on a southern African tour to Malawi, Angola, South Africa and Botswana. To mark his first birthday in 2020, he appeared in a storytime video with his mother as a part of the Save with Stories campaign, a project aimed at supporting children and families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex
Princess Lilibet of Sussex is the daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan. Her nickname is Lili. Lilibet met her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and grandfather King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, for the first time when the family travelled to London for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II in June 2022.
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8. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Andrew was accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was trafficked by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein but the duke has vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he never met Giuffre. The late Queen decided to remove the Duke of York’s HRH and military titles following his settlement of a lawsuit over the alleged sexual abuse.
9. Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Beatrice is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Charles III and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. She married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a property developer and English-born Italian noble, in 2020. Their daughter, Sienna Elizabeth, was born in September 2021.
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi is the daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Their daughter’s name, Sienna Elizabeth, is a tribute to Beatrice’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. The choice of an Italian name that started with an S is also in honour of Sarah, Duchess of York.
11. Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank
Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah, the Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Charles III and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Eugenie gave birth to her first child, a baby boy named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, on February 9, 2021. Her second child, Ernest, was born on May 30, 2023.
12. Master August Brooksbank
Master August Brooksbank is the son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. He is the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s ninth great-grandchild. He does not have any royal titles. It is understood the couple chose the name August after Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert, who had Augustus as a middle name. Hawke is a Brooksbank family name and Philip is in honour of Eugenie’s grandfather and August’s great-grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.
13. Master Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank
Master Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank is the second son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Princess Eugenie revealed he is named after his “great-great-great-grandfather George, his grandpa George and grandpa Ronald”. Like his brother, he is not entitled to a royal title.
Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank
HRH Princess Eugenie/PA
14. Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is King Charles’s brother and the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He dedicates much of his time as a full-time working member of the royal family to championing young people and promoting the benefits of non-formal education across the world.
James, the Earl of Wessex is the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s son. The youngest of Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren, the Earl of Wessex, 15, was understood to be a particular favourite of the Queen’s. He lives with his parents at the family home in Bagshot Park, Surrey, which is 11 miles from Windsor and thus conveniently close to Windsor Castle.
16. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor is the elder child and only daughter of Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. She is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and the youngest niece of King Charles III. In August 2022, it was confirmed that she would attend St Andrews University, where her cousin Prince William met Kate.
17. Anne, The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal, is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King Charles III. She has a busy schedule of engagements and travels widely across the UK and overseas. Known for her love of horses and an equestrian career that included competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, She is involved with riding for disability organisations across the Commonwealth. Much of her time is spent supporting the work of Save the Children, of which she has been president since 1970.
Peter Phillips is the son of Anne, Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips. He is the eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and a nephew of King Charles III. Peter did not inherit a royal title at birth. In 2008, Peter married Canadian Autumn Kelly at Windsor Castle, although the pair have now separated.
Savannah Phillips is the daughter of Peter Phillips and grand-daughter of Princess Anne. She does not have a royal title. During the Trooping the Colour in 2018, she was pictured laughing and clapping with Princess Charlotte and playfully telling Prince George to stop singing during the national anthem.
Isla is Savannah’s only sister. She is present at certain royal events, including Trooping the Colour most years. She made her debut at the Queen’s annual birthday parade in 2017. She and her sister stood near Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Isla appeared on the balcony again for Trooping the Colour in 2018 and 2019.
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Savannah Phillips, Maud Windsor, Prince George of Cambridge, Isla Phillips, Theodora Williams, and Mia Tindall at Princess Eugenie’s wedding in 2018
Toby Melville/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Zara Tindall is the daughter of Anne, the Princess Royal. She is married to Mike Tindall, a former rugby player.
Mia is Zara and Mike’s first child. She’s also Princess Anne’s third grandchild and the fourth great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth. She loves sport and plays rugby, like her father.
Lena is the younger daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. She is the fourth grandchild of Princess Anne and the seventh of Queen Elizabeth’s 13 great-grandchildren.
Lucas Tindall is the youngest child of Zara and Mike Tindall, and made his first official appearance at his great-grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, when he had just celebrated his second birthday.