A new dawn awakened over the British Commonwealth when the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s death broke. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest serving monarch, passed away peacefully on September 8th 2022 at the age of 96. She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren at Balmoral Castle, Scotland at the time of her death.
Her funeral was held on 19th September 2022, with over 5.2 billion people watching. Following her death, her eldest son, Charles III was sworn in as King, while his wife Camilla, became his Queen Consort. The succession to the British throne is determined by descent, gender, legitimacy and religion. The current sovereign’s children and further descendents are eligible to ascend the throne upon the sovereign’s passing.
For heirs to the throne born before 28th October 2011, the male bloodline was placed before the female heirs to the throne. This is why Princess Anne, the Queen’s second-born and only daughter, is placed in the line of succession after the families of her three brothers. However, following the Perth Agreement, this no longer applies, and the line of succession to the throne is determined on birth order alone.
The following six are currently directly in line for succession to the British throne:
William, Prince of Wales:
William Arthur Phillip Louis was born to King Charles III and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales on 21st June 1982. Upon birth, he was second-in-line to the throne behind his father, the then-Prince of Wales. He was educated in Eton College, Berkshire in geography, biology and art, and further gained a Master of Arts degree from the University of St. Andrews. He married his longtime girlfriend Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011 and the couple, beloved by the British public, have three children together.
George, Prince of Wales:
George Alexander Louis was born on 22 July 2013 to William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. His birth was announced through a press release and gun salutes in several Commonwealth realms, like Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. His birth marked the first time in a century that three generations in line of succession to the throne had been alive at the same time.
Charlotte, Princess of Wales:
Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was born on 2 May 2015 to William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Several landmarks in London were illuminated pink to celebrate her birth, such as the Tower Bridge, the London Eye and Trafalgar Square fountains. She was named after her late great-grandmother the Queen and her late grandmother Princess Diana.
Louis, Prince Of Wales:
Louis Arthur Charles was born on 23 April 2018 to William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Gun salutes from the Tower of London and Hyde Park commemorated his birth. Following the Perth Agreement, he is the first British prince to be placed behind a princess in line for succession.
Harry, Duke Of Sussex:
Henry Charles Albert David was born on 15th September 1984 to King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. Upon birth, he was third-in-line to the throne behind his father and older brother, now he is fifth-in-line behind his nephews and niece. Like his brother, he was educated in Eton College. He served in the British military for over 10 years, the longest for anyone in half a century. He married American actress Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 and the couple have two children together. In 2020, following numerous controversies related to the pair, they stepped down as senior members of the royal family and currently reside in California, USA.
Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor:
Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana were born to Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Archie was born on 6th May 2019 and Lilibet was born on 4th June 2021. They both have mixed race African-American and European ancestry. As their parents are no longer working members of the royal family, they are not given the royal titles their cousins have.
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