Who is in line to the throne? The royal family's order of succession

Who is in line to the throne? As Archie and Lilibet are officially recognised as prince and princess, graphic shows the royal family’s order of succession

  • King Charles III immediately acceded to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8 last year, and his wife Camilla became Queen Consort
  • MailOnline takes a look at the order of succession to the British throne

With the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recognised Prince and Princess by the King, MailOnline take a look at the royal family’s order of succession.

King Charles III immediately acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September last year.

His wife Camilla joined his change of position as Queen Consort, and William, the Prince of Wales, moved up a notch beneath them to become first in line to the throne. 

Until 9.30am on Thursday morning, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children had been referred to as plain ‘master’ and ‘miss’ Mountbatten-Windsor on the Buckingham Palace website. Now they are ‘Prince Archie of Sussex’ and ‘Princess Lilibet of Sussex’.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at the order of succession to the British throne 

With the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle having been officially recognised as Prince and Princess by the King, the line of succession has changed. Here, MailOnline takes a look at the order of succession to the British throne (pictured)

1. The Prince of Wales

Born on 21 June 1982, William Arthur Philip Louis is King Charles’ first child who he shares with his first wife Princess Diana.

He attended Eton College as a teenager, spent his gap year in Belize, then attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where he met his future wife, Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales.

They married at Westminster Abbey in April 2011 and went on to have three children, Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte.

The family favor using the Wales’ title over their Duke and Duchess of Cambridge titles, making William and Kate known simply the Prince and Princess of Wales.

2. Prince George of Wales

The Prince of Wales’ eldest child, George Alexander Louis, was born in July 2013

Two of his names reference his great-great-grandfather, King George IV and great-great-grand uncle, Louis Mountbatten.

3. Princess Charlotte of Wales

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was born in May 2015. The second child of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, she was named after her grandfather, King Charles; great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and grandmother, Princess Diana. 

4. Prince Louis of Wales

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales’, youngest child, Louis Arthur Charles, was born in April 2018.

He was named for his great-great-great-uncle, Louis Mountbatten, and his grandfather, King Charles. Arthur is one of Prince William’s middle names. 

Pictured: From left to right, first in line to the throne, Prince William, second, Prince George, third, Princess Charlotte and fourth Prince Louis with the Princess of Wales

5. The Duke of Sussex

King Charles and Princess Diana’s second son, Henry Charles Albert David (known as Harry), was born on 15 September 1984 as the third in line to the throne.

Prince Harry began dating American actress Meghan Markle in July 2016. They married at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on 19 May 2018 and have since gone on to have two children, who follow Prince Harry behind in the line of succession.

6. Prince Archie of Sussex

The first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 6 May 2019.

Until 9 March 2023, the children had been referred to as plain ‘master’ and ‘miss’ Mountbatten-Windsor on the Buckingham Palace website. 

Now their titles have been updated on the line of succession on the Royal Family’s website, as ‘Prince Archie of Sussex’ and ‘Princess Lilibet of Sussex’. 

7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor – Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s second child – was born on 4 June 2021.

She was given Queen Elizabeth II’s nickname for her first name and her middle name is in honor of Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle are pictured with their son Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex

8. The Duke of York

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s third child and second son, Prince Andrew – who was born in February 1960 – is eighth in line to the throne.

He became Duke of York when he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986. The couple separated in 1992 and were officially divorced in 1996. The couple have two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Up until 2019, Prince Andrew had been a working member of the Royal Family, but has since been forced to step down from any official duties as part of the fallout from his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, along with legal accusations that he engaged in sex with an underaged girl Epstein had trafficked – claims which Andrew has denied.

9. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York was born in August 1988 and is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She is now 9th in line of succession to the throne.

Princess Beatrice married property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, in July 2020, after the coronavirus pandemic scuttled their original plans to marry in May. The couple have a daughter, Sienna Elizabeth, and Beatrice is stepmother to Mozzi’s son from a previous marriage, Christopher Woolf.

10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi

Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi was born in September 2021 to Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. As with her many female cousins, part of the baby’s name was given in tribute to her great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Sienna –  one of the newest members of the Royal Family Tree – is not eligible for a royal title, despite being the daughter of a princess. Royal rules dictate that only male grandchildren in the royal family automatically receive HRH-style titles.

The Duke of York is pictured with his two daughters, Princess Beatrice, left, their mother, Sarah, the Duchess of York, centre, and Princess Eugenie, right

11. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s second child, Princess Eugenie, is now 11th in line for the throne. She was born in March 1990.

Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in a grand wedding celebration at Windsor Castle in October 2018. The couple has a son, August Brooksbank, who follows his mother in the line of succession.

12. Master August Brooksbank

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, was born at London’s Portland hospital in February 2021.

13: Baby Brooksbank 

On 24 January 2023 Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced that they are pregnant with their second child, which will become the 13th in line to the British throne once born.

She posted a snap on Instagram showing two-year-old August kissing her stomach, writing: ‘We’re so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.’

On 24 January 2023 Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced that they are pregnant with their second child, which will become the 13th in line to the British throne once born (pictured, with her son August) 

14. The Earl of Wessex

Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s youngest child was born in March 1964. He received his Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn title when he married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The couple have two children, Louise and James.

Prince Edward is now a working Royal, and he and wife Sophie devote their time to various patronages as well as the Earl and Countess of Wessex Trust.

15. Viscount Severn

James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, is the youngest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. He was born in December 2007. 

16. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor is the eldest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Despite being born in November 2003 – four years before her brother.

Her lower position in the line of succession is due to the fact that she was born before the 2013 Crown Act changed the succession rules, removing the rule that had allowed men born before October 2011 to precede elder sisters in the succession line.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex is pictured left, next to his children Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn with wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex in March 2022

17. The Princess Royal

Princess Anne is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s second child. When she was born in August 1950, she was third in the line of succession.

In 2021, she carried out a reported 387 Royal engagements, just edging out King Charles’s 385 official activities. She was named Princess Royal in June 1987.

Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey in November 1973, during a televised ceremony that was watched by 100 million people.

The couple had two children – Peter and Zara Phillips – before they announced their separation in 1989 and officially divorced in April 1992. The Princess Royal married Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence in a private ceremony in Scotland in December 1992.

18. Mr. Peter Phillips

Peter Phillips is Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips’ first child and also Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild.

He does not carry a Royal title because his father declined the offer of an earldom when he married into the family, so his children don’t have courtesy titles.

Businessman Peter met Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2003 and they married in May 2008 – after Kelly converted from Catholicism to the Church of England, so that Peter wouldn’t be kicked out of the succession line due to a law that was repealed in 2013.

They had two children – Savannah and Isla – and announced their divorce in February 2020, which was finalized in June 2021.  

Princess Anne is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s second child. When she was born in August 1950, she was third in the line of succession but she is now 16th. She is pictured with her second husband, Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence

19. Miss Savannah Phillips

Savannah Philips was born in December 2010 and is the first child of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly. She is Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest great-great-grandchild.

20. Miss Isla Phillips

Isla Phillips is Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s second and youngest daughter. She was born in March 2012 – Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee year.

Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips’ son, Peter Phillips, is Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild. He is 17th in line for the throne. Peter (back right) is pictured with his ex-wife, Autumn Kelly (back left) and their two daughters, Savannah (front left) and Isla (front right) in June 2019

21. Zara Tindall, Mrs. Michael Tindall

Zara Tindall, born Zara Phillips, is Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips’ second child. She was born in May 1981.

Zara met former England Rugby Union player Mike Tindall in 2003, when he won the Rugby World Cup in Australia. They married in July 2011 in Scotland and they have two daughters, Mia Grace and Lena Elizabeth, and a son, Lucas Philip. 

22. Miss Mia Tindall

Mia Grace Tindall is the eldest child of Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, and former rugby star Mike Tindall. Born in January 2014.

Zara Tindall, born Zara Phillips, is Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips’ second child. She was born in May 1981 and is 20th in line to the throne. She is pictured with her husband Mike Tindall, who she shares three children with

23. Miss Lena Tindall

Lena Elizabeth Tindall is the second child of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall. She was born in June 2018, after Zara suffered two miscarriages. Upon the birth of her little brother in March 2021, Mike Tindall said that little Lena, age three, had taken to calling the boy ‘my baby!’ and then trying to pick him up, leaving him and Zara to have to tell her ‘no Lena, it’s not your baby!’ 

Zara’s cousin, Prince Harry, is Lena’s godfather. 

24. Master Lucas Tindall

Lucas Philip Tindall was born in March 2021. He is the third child of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall.

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