What is the Royal Family line of succession?
6 January 2022, 11:35
Who is next in line to the throne, who will become King or Queen next and what is the full line of succession?
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The Royal Family's line of succession is important as it represents who will become the King or Queen of Great Britain when their successor dies.
Currently on the throne is Queen Elizabeth II, who – at the age of 95-years-old – is the longest reigning Monarch in British history with almost 70 years as Head of State.
When the Queen passes away, her eldest son, Prince Charles, will become King.
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From there, the line of succession runs down from Prince William all the way to Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne.
You can find the full line of succession here:
1. Prince Charles
Prince Charles, the Queen's eldest son, will become King when the Queen passes.
2. Prince William
Second in line to the throne is Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.
Due to the fact Charles had two children, these children – William and Prince Harry – automatically join the line of succession higher than the rest of the Queen's children.
3. Prince George
Prince George is the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge's first born child, and therefore is third in line to the throne.
In the same way Charles' children moved to the top of the line of succession, William and Kate's children move above Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and his children.
4. Princess Charlotte
Princess Charlotte is fourth in line to the throne.
However, the young girl is unlikely to become monarch if her older brother, George, has children.
5. Prince Louis
Kate and William's third child, Prince Louis is fifth in line to the throne.
6. Prince Harry
Prince Harry went from third in line to the throne to sixth when his brother welcomed his three children.
7. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first born, Archie, is seventh in line to the throne.
8. Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, Lilibet, currently sits at eighth in line to the throne.
9. Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew is ninth in line to the British throne.
While Princess Anne is the Queen's second born, and older than Andrew, a previous rule which meant males could move above their female siblings in the line of succession stopped Princess Anne from falling into the higher place.
This ruling changed in 2011.
10. Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew's eldest daughter, is tenth in the line of succession.
11. Sienna Elizabeth
Princess Beatrice's first child, Sienna, is 11th in line to the throne.
12. Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie, the second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, sits in 12th place to the throne.
13. August Philip Hawke Brookbank
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank's first child, August, is 13th in the line of succession.
14. Prince Edward
Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, sits in the 14th position.
15. James, Viscount Severn
Prince Edward's second child and first son, James, is in 15th position in the line of succession.
16. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Prince Edward's first born, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, is 16th in line to the throne.
In the same way Princess Anne's siblings moved above her ranking because of her gender, Lady Louise's brother James moved above her in the line of succession as they were both born before 2011 when the rules were changed.
17. Princess Anne
Princess Anne, the second child of the Queen and Philip, is 17th in line.
18. Peter Phillips
As the first born of Princess Anne, Peter Phillips takes 18th place.
19. Savannah Phillips
Savannah Phillips, Peter Phillips' first born, is 19th in line to the throne.
20. Isla Phillips
Isla Phillips follows he older sister, Savannah, in 20th place.
