Following the tragic passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022, her eldest son and heir apparent Prince Charles, immediately became King.
And whilst his official coronation was marked for eight months later on May 6th, 2023, upon the moment of the monarch’s death the line of succession was altered, with a few surprising additions.
After news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis was made public by Buckingham Palace in February 2024, many have been left wondering what will happen if he abdicates from the throne or tragically passes away.
Find out below.
How is the British line of succession formed?
The succession to the throne is regulated not only through birth descent but also by Parliamentary statute and religion. This was determined in the constitutional crisis of the 17th century which ended up forming the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701).
For centuries, legislation decreed that only Protestant descendants of a granddaughter of James I of England could take the throne, meaning that being married to a Roman Catholic would bar an individual from a place in the line of succession.
However, in 2013, a new law was passed which reversed this. The legislation also allowed female heirs equal rights in their claim to the throne. Historically, younger male heirs displaced elder daughters.
What is the current line of succession?
The line of succession will now begin with Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, followed by his three children he shares with his wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
Interestingly, despite quitting as a senior working royal in 2020, Prince Harry still remains fifth in line to the throne and has retained his succession rights.
His son whom he shares with his wife Meghan Markle, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, 5, is thus sixth in line to the throne, whilst his younger sister Lilibet Diana, 3, is seventh.
Following the death of their great-grandmother, both children were officially given royal titles as prince and princess in March 2023.
In their highly controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, the couple confirmed that they had no control over the titles given to their children, the decision instead being made by the royal institution.
One would think that Princess Anne, the late Queens second oldest child, would be eighth in line to the throne, but due to an old law that allowed men to skip over the women in the succession line, both her younger brothers, Andrew, 64, and Edward, 61, and their children, and children’s children are ahead of her.
This law was only annulled in 2013, with a new one – The Succession To The Crown Act 2013 – removing gender from the order of precedence, making Princess Charlotte to first to benefit from the change.
Despite being stripped of his royal highness title and honorary patronages by the Queen in January 2022, Andrew, the Duke of York, has moved up into the eighth position in the line of succession.
It’s a controversial move after Andrew settled a lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in February 2023, after she said she was forced to have sexual encounters with him as a teen after being trafficked by deceased US financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Given Princess Beatrice, 36, is the eldest daughter of Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, she is ninth in line to the throne. She is followed by her three-year-old daughter, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi whom she shares with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Their newest addition Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, who was born on January 22, 2025, is eleventh in line.
In the 12th spot is Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie, 34. Her son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, 3, whom she shares with husband Jack Brooksbank is then 13th in line whilst her son Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, 2, is 14th in line, bumping the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh to 15th.
His 17-year-old son James Severn, Earl of Wessex, is the 16th whilst his older sister Lady Louise Windsor, 21, is 17th in line.
We then reach 74-year-old Princess Anne who despite starting life as second in line, now comes in at 18th, with her son Peter Phillips, 47, following her at 19th, with his daughters Savannah, 14, and Isla, 12, coming in at 20 and 21 respectively.
Finally, Zara Tindall (nee Phillips), Princess Anne’s 43-year-old daughter, enters the line of succession in 22nd place, with her children Mia, 11, Lena, 6, and Lucas, 3, rounding out the immediate family of the late Queen in the line of succession at numbers 23, 24 and 25 respectively.
