This Is the Line of Succession to the British Throne
Updated: May 26, 2021Wondering who will take the crown after Queen Elizabeth? This is who's next (and beyond) in the British royal line of succession.
1. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales
Despite rumors that the royal line of succession would skip Prince Charles—he is the least popular royal after all—he’ll still be next in line for the throne as Queen Elizabeth’s oldest son. Despite his environmentalism and charity work, it seems the public just can’t forgive his role in his relationship with Diana. Already 72 years old, he will be the oldest person in British history to be crowned.
3. Prince George of Cambridge
He might only be seven years old, but Prince George—the firstborn child of Prince William—already has a massive responsibility ahead of him. After his father, George will be taking over the British crown.
4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
Until her big brother has kids of his own, five-year-old Princess Charlotte is next in the royal line of succession.
5. Prince Louis of Cambridge
William and Kate’s third child is next in line after Charlotte. In the past, a son would have gone above Princess Charlotte in the succession, but a new law will let her hold her place in the royal line of succession. We approve of any modernization that gives women equal status, even if the Prince in question is this adorable.
6. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
Even after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the royal family and moved to the United States, he remains sixth in line to the throne. Although he is still a prince by birthright, Harry and Meghan gave up their royal HRH titles, and are now known only as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Succession to the throne is governed by legislation, which means that it would take an Act of Parliament to remove Harry (or his son, Archie) from the line of succession. As the sixth in line, however, it is unlikely that the prince will ever become king, which seems to be his preference anyway.
7. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
Young Archie is seventh in line to the throne, even though he is not a prince. In a recent sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, his parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, revealed that it wasn’t necessarily their decision for Archie to not have a title. Archie will, however, most likely inherit the title of Duke of Sussex from his father.
9. Princess Beatrice of York
Before Princess Charlotte was born, Prince Andrew’s 32-year-old daughter Beatrice was the highest-ranking female in the British line of succession.
12. Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex
Until a few years ago, sons got dibs on the crown before their sisters in the British royal succession, so Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son Prince Edward still ranks higher on the line of succession than his older sister, Princess Anne. Fortunately, that rule won’t apply to Princess Charlotte.
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15. Princess Anne, Princess Royal
Queen Elizabeth II’s second child and only daughter comes after her three brothers and their kids in the line of succession. There’s that sexist tradition again!
16. Peter Phillips
Although Princess Anne’s ex-husband Mark Phillips was a commoner (meaning their children wouldn’t automatically be given titles), Queen Elizabeth offered them to her daughter anyway, but Princess Anne chose to decline: hence, Mr. Peter Phillips. The managing director of Sports and Entertainment Limited UK has been known to stay out of the limelight and reportedly didn’t even tell his future wife he was royalty until she noticed him on TV with the rest of the royal family six weeks after they met. Maybe he doesn’t like the standards of these 14 etiquette rules the British royal family needs to follow.
17. Savannah Phillips
Peter’s ten-year-old daughter (the queen’s eldest great-grandchild) is number 17 in the line of succession. As titles come from the father, Savannah and her little sister Isla don’t have them.
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18. Isla Phillips
Savannah’s nine-year-old little sister, Isla, would get the crown next if the time came.
21. Miss Lena Tindall
Lena Tindall, age two, follows her older sister in the line of succession. Even though she and her siblings don’t have royal titles, they’re still technically in line for the throne (though having heirs in place more than 20 places down does seem a little excessive).
22. Master Lucas Tindall
Lucas Tindall was born in March 2021. (Note the daughters being above the son thanks to the tweaked gender rule!) Since his parents have opted for a life slightly out of the public eye, and since he’s barely two months old, there are no strong public photos of baby Lucas at the moment.
Even though these successors are all prepared should their services be required, these are the 13 reasons Queen Elizabeth will never give up the throne.
Sources:
- Royal.uk: “Succession”
- Legislation.gov.uk: “Succession to the Crown Act, 2013”
- Royalcentral.co.uk: “Will Prince Harry lose his place in the line of succession?”
- Town and Country Magazine: “What Will Prince Harry’s Son Archie’s Title Be When Prince Charles Becomes King?”
- The Telegraph: “Peter Phillips didn’t tell his wife to be, Autumn Kelly, that he was royalty”