On September 8, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral. Princess Elizabeth was born in 1926 and became Queen after her father, King George VI, died in 1952. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and they had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
The Queen also had eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Her eldest son, Charles, succeeded her after she died peacefully at her Scottish estate. Continue reading to learn more about the Royal Family and the order of succession.
King Charles III is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. On July 29, 1981, the now-ex-Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, who later became the Princess of Wales. The couple had two sons, William and Harry. They later divorced in 1996 after their separation. An year later, the princess was killed in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005.
The current heir apparent is Prince William, the eldest son of the current King Charles III and Princess Diana of Wales. He continued his education at St Andrews University, where he met Kate Middleton, his future wife. In 2011, the couple tied the knot. The couple's first child, George, was born in July 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018.
He holds the highest educational degree of any royal family member, the Master of Arts. From 2006 to 2013, he was a military member and took part in more than 150 helicopter search and rescue missions. His principal obligations as the successor to the throne are to assist the King in carrying out his royal duties.
At St. Mary's Hospital in London, Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge was born on July 22, 2013. After his father, Prince George is next in line for the crown. George, who is currently second in line, will become the 43rd king since William the Conqueror if he succeeds his grandfather Prince Charles and father Prince William as king.
Princess Charlotte, who is third in line to the throne, was born at a time when the British monarchy removed a law that gave precedence to male heirs over their sisters in the succession in 2011. Her given name was Charlotte Elizabeth Diana by the Duke and Duchess. She is referred to as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge.
Fourth in line to the throne, Prince Louis was born just before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 nuptials. As is customary, that afternoon a golden easel with a framed announcement announcing the birth was set up in front of Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, has military experience. The British Ministry of Defense revealed in 2008 that Harry had been quietly serving with his Army unit on a four-month assignment in Afghanistan since December 2007. On May 19, 2018, he married US actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. The royal couple announced in January 2020 that they will retire as "senior" royals and split their time between the UK and North America. They stated that they planned to "work to become financially independent." Buckingham Palace declared just over a year later that the pair would not be returning to royal responsibilities and would relinquish their honorary military postings and royal patronages.
The Sussexes' first child, was born on May 6, 2019. Baby Archie made history as the first multiracial British child in the royal family, marking a momentous milestone across the Commonwealth and inside British society. When he was born, he did not immediately qualify for the title of prince, and Buckingham Palace stated at the time that his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had opted not to use any title at all for their son. Prince Harry's kid, who is now sixth in line, will be entitled to become His Royal Highness Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor now that Charles has become King.
Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in June 2021 in Santa Barbara, California, following her parents' choice to leave royal life in the UK and relocate to the United States. Her name pays homage to her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II; Lilibet was her family nickname. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement that Baby Lili's second name, Diana, was "chosen to honour her loving late grandmother, The Princess of Wales." The Queen's 11th great-grandchild is the most senior royal in the line of succession to be born outside the United Kingdom.
Prince Andrew, the eighth in line to the throne, was the Queen's third child and the first to be born to a reigning monarch in 103 years. In 1986, he was created Duke of York upon his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, who later became Duchess of York. Beatrice was born in 1988, while Eugenie was born in 1990. The duke and duchess announced their separation in March 1992. In 1996, they divorced. After a contentious interview in which he denied having sex with an adolescent woman who said she was trafficked by sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, the Prince announced in 2019 that he will stand down from public duties.
Princess Beatrice is Prince Andrew's and Sarah, Duchess of York's elder daughter. Her full name is Princess Beatrice of York, and she was born in the United Kingdom. She has no formal surname but goes by the name York. In July 2020, she married property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor. The pair had planned to marry in May, but coronavirus caused a delay.
In September 2021, Princess Beatrice gave birth to a daughter, Sienna Elizabeth, who is 10th in line to the throne and the Queen's 12th great-grandchild. Princess Beatrice is also the stepmother of Mr Mapelli Mozzi's prior relationship with Dara Huang's son Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie.
Princess Eugenie is Prince Andrew's and Sarah, Duchess of York's youngest daughter. Her full name is Princess Eugenie of York, and she is the 11th in line to the throne. She, like her sister Princess Beatrice, has no official surname and goes by York. On October 12, 2018, she married her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle.
August Brooksbank, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, was born on February 9, 2021. He is the Queen's ninth great-grandchild and 12th in line to the throne.
When Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, he was given the titles Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. Lady Louise, born in 2003, and James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007, are the couple's two children. Following a brief stint with the Royal Marines, the prince established his own television production firm. He is the 13th in line to the throne.
Viscount Severn is the Earl and Countess of Wessex's younger son. Despite being younger than his sister Lady Louise Windsor, the Viscount Severn is ahead of her in the line of succession due to a historical rule under which the British monarchs preferred male successors over female heirs. He is the fourteenth in line to the throne.
Lady Louise Windsor, the Earl and Countess of Wessex's oldest child, was born in 2003. She is, however, lower in the line of succession than her younger brother because she was born before a legislation was passed that abolished the arrangement that allowed a younger son to replace an older daughter.
The Queen's second child and only daughter is Anne, Princess Royal. She was third in line to the throne when she was born, but she is currently 16th. In June 1987, she was given the title Princess Royal. Anne married twice: Captain Mark Phillips, the father of her two children, Peter and Zara, and Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence.
Peter Phillips is the Queen's eldest grandchild. In 2008, he married Canadian Autumn Kelly, and they had two daughters, Savannah, born in 2010, and Isla, born in 2012. Because they are descended from the female line, the Princess Royal's offspring do not hold royal titles. When Mark Phillips married, he declined an earldom, therefore their children do not receive courtesy titles.
Savannah Phillips, the Queen's first great-grandchild, was born in 2010 as the eldest daughter of Peter and Autumn Phillips.
Isla Phillips, born in 2012, is Peter and Autumn Phillips' second child.