By Bryanne Salazar
12:03am PDT, May 15, 2022
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It was a glimpse into the future: On May 10, 2022, Prince Charles — joined by son Prince William and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall — presided over the State Opening of Parliament in London and read the traditional queen's speech as he filled in for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who bowed out due to ongoing mobility issues. It's only the third time the monarch has missed the annual event in her 70-year reign. Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at Britain's line of succession and where 30 royal relatives fall in line for the throne... First up? The eldest of Queen Elizabeth II's children, Charles — the Prince of Wales — is first in line and will become Britain's monarch when the queen passes away.
Keep reading to see the next 29 royals in the line of succession…
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Upon the death of Prince William's father, Prince Charles, William — the Duke of Cambridge — will ascend the throne and be crowned king. His wife, Duchess Kate, will rule as his queen consort. Many surmise that Kate will be known as Queen Catherine upon William's coronation.
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Third in line to the throne is young Prince George, who will be crowned king upon the death of his father, Prince William. While that day is many years in the future, it's interesting to note that the youngest monarch ever crowned in British history was King Henry VI, who ascended to the throne when he was only 8 months and 26 days old.
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Following her brother in the line of succession is Princess Charlotte, who is fourth in line to the British crown. While not completely unlikely, her chance at actually holding the highest seat in the monarchy is low, requiring her brother to die or renounce the throne before he has children. Thanks to a law passed in 2011 by Parliament, the long-held practice of male-heir preference officially ended, meaning that even though Duchess Kate and Prince William's third child is a boy, Charlotte will not be skipped (which is what happened to Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter, Princess Anne).
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Prince William and Duchess Kate's third child — a son born in April 2018 — is fifth in line for the British throne. Prince Louis will only be crowned king in the event that both of his siblings pass away (or renounce the throne) before they start families of their own.
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Sixth in the royal line of succession is Prince Henry of Wales, better known as Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex, who married Meghan Markle in 2018, is not likely to ever be crowned king, as it would take the tragic passing of Prince William and all of his heirs — a horrible thing to even think about — to happen for Harry to succeed. Though Harry and wife Duchess Meghan exited as senior working members of the royal family in 2020, he remains in the line of succession, as do his children…
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Despite being born without a title in America, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's second child, daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, took her place as the eighth royal in the line of succession upon her arrival in June 2021 in Santa Barbara, California. "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales," the couple explained when they announced Lili's birth on their Archewell foundation website. The palace later made headlines when royals reporters pointed out that the royal family took their sweet time adding Lili's name to the official line of succession, which finally happened more than seven weeks after her arrival.
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Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, was bumped down to ninth in line to the throne upon the birth of nephew Prince Harry's daughter, Lili Mountbatten-Windsor. Despite losing permission to use his HRH title in an official capacity in 2022 as a civil sexual assault case against him moved forward — he's denied any wrongdoing but settled with his accuser for a reported $16 million — the Duke of York remains in the line of succession.
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Tenth in line for the throne is Princess Beatrice of York, the daughter of Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York. Before Princess Charlotte's birth in May 2015, Beatrice was the highest ranking female in the royal line of succession.
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In September 2021, Princess Beatrice and her husband, property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, welcomed their first child together — daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi — who's now 11th in line for the throne.
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Coming in 12th is Princess Beatrice's little sister, Princess Eugenie. As one of the queen's granddaughters, Eugenie has experienced all the highs and lows of life as a member of the British monarchy, including her October 2018 royal wedding to commoner Jack Brooksbank and the very public divorce of her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
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Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank's son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank — who was born in February 2021 — is 13th in the line of succession.
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It must feel wildly unfair to be the actual son of the monarch and still be 14th in line for the throne. Such is the case for Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
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Coming in at No. 15 in line for the throne is James, Viscount Severn — the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and son of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, with whom she's seen here. Although he's technically the youngest child in his family, he snagged a higher place on the list than his big sister, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, due to the archaic (and now defunct) rule that favored male over female heirs. Although the rules have changed, they only impact children born after 2011.
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Sixteenth in line for the throne is Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, eldest child of Prince Edward, Earl of Essex, and granddaughter to Queen Elizabeth II. Louise got robbed of her rightful spot because Britain's outdated line of succession rules favored boys over girls (until things changed in 2011), so her place went to her little brother, James, Viscount Severn. She's probably not too mad about it, though, as neither she nor her brother are likely to ever be crowned king or queen.
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As the second-born child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Princess Anne's rightful place in the line of succession should have been ninth, a spot currently held by her younger brother, Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Instead, the Princess Royal is in 17th place due to archaic rules that, until 2011, favored male heirs.
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No. 18 in line for the throne is Peter Phillips, who holds no official royal title, though he is the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and the son of Princess Anne. Peter wasn't afforded a title because of the tradition that only fathers can pass titles to their children, not mothers.
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Coming in right behind her father in the No. 19 spot in line for the crown is young Savannah Phillips (right), the great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, granddaughter of Princess Anne and daughter of Peter Phillips. The 20th royal family member in line for the throne is Savannah's little sister, Isla Phillips (left). Their mother is Peter's ex-wife, Canada-born Autumn Kelly.
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Coming in at No. 21 is Zara Tindall (née Phillips), the younger sister of Peter Phillips and daughter of Princess Anne. Zara is an award-winning Olympic equestrian and a mother of three with her husband, retired rugby player Mike Tindall.
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Zara Tindell's eldest daughter with husband Mike Tindall, a former rugby star, is Mia Tindall (left) — she's 22nd in line for the British throne. Little sister Lena (right) — who was born in 2018 — is 23rd in line.
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Zara Tindall and husband Mike welcomed their third child, son Lucas Philip, in March 2021. Little Lucas is 24th in line to the throne. He bumped a much older relative down a spot…
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David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon (previously known as David Linley), is now 25th in line to the British throne. He is the nephew of Queen Elizabeth II and the son of Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, who passed away in 2002. While he grew up alongside Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, David followed a different path in his adult life. He became a renowned furniture maker and once served as the chairman of Christie's, the elite auction house.
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In the 26th spot is David Armstrong-Jones's son, Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (left). A viscount is a nobleman who is one level below an earl and one above a baron. The 27th person in line for the throne is his younger sister, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones (right). In 2011 when Margarita was 8, she served as one of Duchess Kate's bridesmaids.
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Princess Margaret's daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, is in the 28th spot. As the niece of Queen Elizabeth II and the sister of David Armstrong-Jones, Sarah experienced all the pomp and circumstance that came with growing up in the inner circle of the royal family. However, as an adult, Sarah has chosen to live a more low-key life out of the spotlight. Even though she's a lesser known royal, she is still quite close to her aristocratic family.
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Coming in behind his mother in 29th place is the late Princess Margaret's grandson Samuel Chatto, the son of Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband, Daniel Chatto.
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Right behind big brother Samuel Chatto in the No. 30 spot for the throne is Arthur Chatto, the hunky son of Lady Sarah Chatto and grandson of the queen's late sister, Princess Margaret. Dubbed "the royal family's heartthrob," the college student is known for sharing shirtless workout pictures on Instagram that have earned him a dedicated following of adoring fans.
