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Royal family tree: the line of succession to the British throne

 royal family tree who line succession inherit british throne  - FD
royal family tree who line succession inherit british throne - FD

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died, aged 99, with his funeral plans underway.

The Duke married then Princess Elizabeth in 1947, after he renounced his Greek and Danish titles, became a British citizen and adopted the name Mountbatten.

When Queen Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne in 1952, the Duke automatically joined the top of the Royal family tree, but was not included in the line of succession.

As the line changes with birth, it also changes with death. Should any senior royal in line to the throne lose their life, those beneath them move up.

While the Duke’s death has not impacted the line of succession, events, such as the birth of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and arrival of Prince Louis, have changed the order in recent years.

Meghan and Harry - who was once third in line to the throne - are preparing to welcome a sister for their young son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Following the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child Prince Louis in April 2018, most family members moved down a rung on the succession ladder as Louis slotted in as fifth in line, behind the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the line of succession. Historically, Princess Charlotte would have lost her spot to her younger brother, but new legislation introduced in 2013 overhauled the order of succession.

Prince Harry now sits in sixth place, and his first child Archie in seventh.

Prince Andrew will be pushed down to ninth in line following the birth of Meghan and Harry's daughter.

When Prince Louis was born it meant Prince Andrew did not have to ask his mother's permission if he wanted to re-marry. According to the new legislation, the first six people in the line of succession must obtain the Queen's permission to marry. Previously, under a law dating back to 1772, all descendants of George II had to seek the monarch's permission.

As the line changes with birth, it also changes with death. Should any senior royal in line to the throne lose their life, those beneath them move up.

The line of succession

The Queen, who is 94 years old, is Britain's longest reigning monarch and has ruled over us for 69 years.

As the child of a royal "spare," the Queen, was thought unlikely to reign until her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated in favour of her father in 1936, whereupon he became King George VI and she the heir to the throne.

Elizabeth became Queen upon his death on February 6 1952. But what happens when she dies and who will replace her? Here's the line of succession, as it it will look when Harry and Meghan's second child is born:

1. The Prince of Wales

Heir to the throne and the next king of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms. The Prince of Wales, 72, already holds the record for the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, having been in the position since 1952. He will also be the oldest person to be crowned in British history when he eventually succeeds the Queen.

2. The Duke of Cambridge

As the eldest son of the heir, the Duke of Cambridge will one day succeed his father the Prince of Wales. At the age of 38, he may have 30 or so years to wait, if his father enjoys the longevity of other members of the Royal family.

3. Prince George

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first-born son, seven, will one day be King George VII, meaning that anyone alive today is unlikely to see another Queen on the throne in their lifetime once Elizabeth II's reign is over.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, on the balcony of Buckingham Place in 2019 - PA
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, on the balcony of Buckingham Place in 2019 - PA

4. Princess Charlotte

Prince George's five-year-old sister is the "spare to the heir", and will face the same problems as Prince Harry and the Duke of York in trying to find the right role for themselves during a lifetime constrained by their royal title. She would only become queen if Prince George predeceased her without having any living children.

Changes in the laws of succession in 2013 mean the sex of the baby will be irrelevant to his or her place in the succession. Princess Charlotte is the first royal princess to be born within the direct line of succession since the Princess Royal in 1950, and is likely to one day inherit the title, which is traditionally given to the oldest daughter of the monarch.

Your royal appointment newsletter REFERRAL (index)
Your royal appointment newsletter REFERRAL (index)

5. Prince Louis

The birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child changed the line of succession again: Prince George and Princess Charlotte's new baby brother is now fifth in line to the throne, bumping uncle Harry out of the top five and into sixth place.

6. The Duke of Sussex

The all-action Prince Harry, 36, has spent most of his life being the third in line to the throne, behind his brother Prince William, but has now found himself being bumped down to sixth. His first-born child, Archie, became seventh in line to the throne.

7. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

Meghan and Harry's baby boy Archie is seventh in line to the throne. Since the birth of Meghan and Harry's first child, all subsequent royals are now one position lower in the succession.

Archie plays on the beach in the US
Archie plays on the beach in the US

8. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child

Harry and Meghan are preparing to welcome a sister for their young son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The baby, a younger sibling for Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, who turns two in May, will be the Queen’s tenth great-grandchild and the first to be born abroad.

It is thought she is around five months pregnant and is due in early summer.

Harry and Meghan on the announcement expecting their 2nd child
Harry and Meghan on the announcement expecting their 2nd child

9. The Duke of York

Once second in line to the throne, Prince Andrew, 60, is now so far down the list that he is no longer part of the "core" Royal family that will share the burden of official engagements in the future. His daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, are no longer entitled to police bodyguards, which now have to be funded by Prince Andrew.

10. Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice has struggled with the problem of how to combine a royal title with a need to find work. After quitting her £20,000-a-year job with Sony Entertainment Pictures in 2014, she treated herself to four holidays in the space of a little over a month.

The 30 year-old, who was the first member of the Royal Family to run a marathon in 2010, is now pursuing a business career after graduating in history and the history of ideas at Goldsmiths College, London, as well as continuing with charity work. She and her long-term former boyfriend Dave Clark called time on their 10 year relationship in summer 2016.

11. Princess Eugenie

On October 12 2018, the Duke of York's younger daughter, who is 28, married drinks executive Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The second royal wedding of the year featured figures from high society and the worlds of fashion and art. Read more about it here.

12: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son

Princess Eugenie gave birth to her first child, a son, on February 10.

The Princess, 30, gave birth at the private Portland Hospital in Central London, alongside her husband, Jack Brooksbank.

The baby was the Queen’s ninth great-grandchild and the Duke and Duchess of York’s first grandchild.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announce the birth of their son on Instagram
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announce the birth of their son on Instagram

13. The Earl of Wessex

Having failed to complete his Royal Marines commando training, the Earl, 56, became a case study in the pitfalls of trying to earn a living when your mother is the Queen.

He organised the cringe-making Grand Knockout Tournament (better known as It's a Royal Knockout) in 1987, then carried on with his TV production career, but incurred the fury of his brother the Prince of Wales when a camera crew employed by him unwittingly broke the terms of an agreement to leave Prince William alone during his time at university. He is now a full-time working royal.

14. James, Viscount Severn

The birth of Harry and Meghan's child will make Prince Edward's 13 year-old son Viscount Severn 14th in line to the throne.

15. Lady Louise Windsor

Edward's eldest child, 16-year-old daughter Lady Louise Windsor, will become 15th when Harry and Meghan's child is born.

16. The Princess Royal

Because the 2011 law change on the succession did not apply retrospectively, the Princess Royal, 70, remains behind her three brothers in the line of succession despite being the Queen's second-born child.

Often described as the hardest-working member of the Royal family, she carries out hundreds of official engagements each year without receiving much coverage in the national media.

News of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex' pregnancy means her son Peter Phillips, 42, will be 17th in line, with his children Savannah and Isla 18th and 19th. The princess's daughter Zara Tindall, 37, will be 20th in line; her four year-old daughter Mia is 21st and her second daughter Lena - who was born in June last year - will be 22nd.

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