Succession to the crown is dictated, first and foremost, by birth order on the royal family tree—but that wasn't always the case
The British Royal Family Tree and Complete Line of Succession
Updated on Apr. 16, 2025
The British royal family has long captivated the world, and with King Charles III now firmly established on the throne, interest in the House of Windsor remains as strong as ever. Since his accession in 2022, King Charles has embraced his role as monarch, ushering in a new chapter for the royal family while upholding its enduring traditions. Why is the British royal family tree so compelling?
For starters, it’s like a real-life soap opera. “I think the public is fascinated by the royal family tree because there is a long history of unexpected circumstances resulting in junior members of the royal family succeeding to the throne,” says Carolyn Harris, PhD, a historian, royal commentator and author of three books about the royal family, including Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting.
Several monarchs—including the infamous King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria, the daughter of King George III’s fourth son—had quite the dramatic path to the throne, she says. Beyond the immediate line of succession, the royal family tree also highlights lesser-known relatives and its deep ties to European monarchies. (Fun fact: The first foreign monarch in the British line of succession is King Harald V of Norway, who ranks 89th.)
Reader’s Digest spoke with Harris to learn more about the British royal family and the line of succession. Read on for all the details of the long, sometimes twisted branches of the House of Windsor family tree.
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Who is first in line for the British throne?
With King Charles III now on the throne, Prince William has assumed the role of heir apparent, or next in line to wear the crown. That means there is a new generation in the royal family tree spotlight, and other royals have moved up the line of succession. But how does the royal hierarchy work, and where does each member stand in the order of succession?
The short answer is that it’s complicated … but with Harris’s help, we’ve broken it down for you, complete with royal rankings and accompanying titles.
The current British royal monarchy line of succession
While the list of royals who could become the monarch is long, “[t]he British Royal Family website only lists the first 25 people in the line of succession, who are all the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II,” Harris says. How far back does Queen Elizabeth’s bloodline go? The unofficial British monarchy genealogy can be traced back hundreds of years, but its accuracy varies. Even more current unofficial genealogies may not be accurate due to privacy reasons, as “commoners” may not want to publicly link their children to the royal family, she adds.
And because we know you’re curious: What about children born from royal affairs? “Children whose parents are not married to one another are not included in the line of succession,” Harris says. There has not been an English monarch with parents who were not married to one another since William the Conqueror in 1066!
These are the royals who might rule the U.K. someday:
King Charles III
King Charles III was born Prince Charles Philip Arthur George on Nov. 14, 1948. The first child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, he stood as heir apparent to the throne for longer than any other British monarch in royal lineage history. In August 1969, the year Charles turned 21, he was invested as the Prince of Wales in a lavish ceremony, and in 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. The couple went on to have two sons, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis and Prince Henry Charles Albert David (aka Prince Harry).
Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, and Diana died in a car accident one year later. In 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who then became the Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla was originally supposed to be titled “Princess Consort” after Charles became king, but Queen Elizabeth II personally intervened in 2022, ensuring that she would be titled “Queen Consort.” Since May 2023, she has been officially styled “Queen Camilla.”
1. The heir apparent: Prince William, Prince of Wales
Taking the reins from his father, Prince William is now Britain’s heir apparent, next in line to be king in the House of Windsor family tree. Born on June 21, 1982, to Prince Charles and his late former wife, Princess Diana, he assumed the title of the Duke of Cambridge in 2011, when he married Kate Middleton, who became the Duchess of Cambridge. Two years later, in 2013, the Cambridges welcomed their first child, Prince George, followed by Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in 2018.
Upon Charles’s accession to the throne, William automatically took over the Duchy of Cornwall from his father. He will remain both the Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Cambridge until he becomes king. The day after the queen’s death, Charles also officially named William as the Prince of Wales—a title bestowed only on the next in line to the throne. That means the Duchess of Cambridge is now the Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.
2. Prince George of Wales
Born July 23, 2013, Prince George stands second in line to the throne after his father, Prince William. When William becomes king, George will become the heir apparent, as well as the Duke of Cornwall and possibly also the Prince of Wales.
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales
On May 2, 2015, the Cambridges welcomed daughter Princess Charlotte. Because the queen ratified the Succession to the Crown Act (more on that below) just two months before Charlotte’s birth, nothing stands to bump Charlotte from her current place at third in the line of succession except the birth of heirs to her brother, Prince George. Since Prince George is at present only 11 years old, that could be a while.
4. Prince Louis of Wales
Prince Louis, born Apr. 23, 2018, is fourth in line to the throne. His position stands to drop when either of his elder siblings, George or Charlotte, have children of their own.
5. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
At the time of his birth in 1984, Prince Harry was third in line to the throne, but he has seen his place in the line of succession drop with the birth of each of Prince William’s three children. Today, Prince Harry is fifth in line to the throne, though he is not currently a working member of the royal family.
After their marriage in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal titles became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry has said he felt marginalized as the “spare” to Prince William’s “heir,” which may have contributed to his stepping down from his duties as a senior member of the royal family. Other factors—including the discomfort that the Duchess of Sussex expressed in regard to the royal family and its rules, along with the intense scrutiny by the British press—also played a role. After the transition, Harry is no longer styled with his HRH (His Royal Highness) title, but he is still referred to as the Duke of Sussex.
6. Prince Archie of Sussex
Born in 2019, the first Sussex child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was not given a royal title when he was born. At the time, Queen Elizabeth was adhering to rules regarding royal stylings and titles created by George V in 1917, which hold that the child of any son of the monarch is entitled to be styled as an “HRH” and with the title of Prince or Princess. Though Harry himself was the child of the son of the monarch, Archie did not fall into that category.
However, that changed with Queen Elizabeth’s death and Charles’s accession. Now sixth on the House of Windsor family tree, young Archie is technically a prince and no longer a “commoner.” Archie and his sister Lilibet are officially recognized as “Prince” and “Princess” since King Charles III’s accession. However, the Sussexes have chosen not to actively use “HRH” styling for their children.
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex
Born on June 4, 2021, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second child, is named for her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose childhood nickname had been Lilibet, and for her grandmother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Lili, as she is known, got to meet Elizabeth II just weeks before the queen’s death. Now promoted to princess status, Lili stands seventh in line to the throne.
8. Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Elizabeth II’s third child, Prince Andrew, a younger brother of King Charles, was born a full decade after his older sister, Princess Anne. However, Andrew’s place in the order of succession is ahead of Anne’s. Although the male primogeniture (first born) rule was abolished in 2013, it was not retroactive, meaning Anne remains behind Andrew and Edward in the succession order despite being the second-born child of Queen Elizabeth II. Until Andrew’s older brother, Charles, began having children of his own, Andrew was next in line behind Charles, like Harry was to William.
Despite Prince Andrew’s apparent “firing” in the wake of recent scandals, he still factors into the British line of succession and currently stands at eighth in line to the throne. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, have two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
9. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Born four years after Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice of York, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, was once the highest-ranking female royal family member. At the time of her birth, Princess Beatrice was fifth in line for the throne (after Charles, William, Harry and Andrew). That, of course, changed when Princess Charlotte was born in 2015. Today, Princess Beatrice stands at ninth in the order of succession.
10. Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Beatrice married property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in February 2020. On Sept. 18, 2021, the newlyweds welcomed their first child, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi. Sienna has no royal title, but she stands at 10th in the line of succession.
11. Athena Mapelli Mozzi
Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi was born January 22, 2025, to Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. As the granddaughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, she is a member of the extended British royal family but, like her sister, does not hold a royal title.
12. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
In 1990, Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah Ferguson, welcomed a second daughter, Princess Eugenie of York. Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in 2018. She currently stands at 12th in the British royal line of succession.
13. Master August Brooksbank
On Feb. 9, 2021, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first child, a son named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. Though he doesn’t have a royal title, August is 13th in line for the throne.
14. Master Ernest Brooksbank
Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank was born May 30, 2023, the second son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. He is a member of the royal family but does not hold an official title.
15. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Born in 1964, Prince Edward, former Earl of Wessex and now the Duke of Edinburgh, is the youngest sibling of King Charles. He was born before male primogeniture was abolished, and his place in the royal order of succession is after both of his older male siblings and their progeny. However, for the same reason, Edward, like his older brother, Prince Andrew, appears in the royal order of succession before his older sister, Princess Anne.
Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Countess of Wessex, in 1999. Interesting fact about Prince Edward: He is the only sibling of King Charles who has not been divorced.
16. James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex
Next up in the British royal family tree: Prince Edward’s children. The second-born, James, came along in 2007. Although James is several years younger than his sister, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, he is higher in the order of succession because he was born prior to the elimination of male primogeniture. James’s title makes him a peer of the king, rather than a commoner like the children of Prince Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. It is also within James’s prerogative to take on the title of prince and the HRH styling when he reaches age 18 in 2025.
Born eighth in line to the throne, James now stands at 16th because he has younger cousins who leapfrogged over him, thanks to the rules guiding the order of succession.
17. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
At the time of Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth in 2003, her parents, Prince Edward and Countess Sophie, announced that Louise would not be styled as a princess, although she was entitled to be one by virtue of being the child of a son of the queen. Instead, Louise became the first granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth to carry the surname Mountbatten-Windsor from birth.
Like James, Louise had the option of adopting the style HRH Princess Louise upon turning 18. Though she was eligible in 2021, her title remains the same. Like her younger brother, James, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was eighth in line to the throne at birth. But the subsequent birth of a male sibling dropped her down to ninth. Today, Lady Louise stands at 17th.
18. Princess Anne, Princess Royal
When Princess Anne was born in 1950, her place in the royal family tree was just behind her older brother, Charles. However, Anne’s ranking was immediately usurped by her younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, upon their respective births. Anne has been further displaced with each birth of a child or grandchild of Charles, Andrew and Edward. She is currently 18th in line for the throne.
19. Peter Phillips
Born in 1977, Peter Phillips is the first born of all of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren. Nevertheless, King Charles’s eldest nephew now stands at 19th in line to the throne because his connection to the king is through the king’s younger sister, Princess Anne. Plus, because Princess Anne is the daughter of a monarch, as opposed to a son, her children were not entitled by birth to be styled as HRH princes or princesses. When Peter was born in 1977, Queen Elizabeth offered to bestow these royal stylings anyway, but Anne and her then-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, declined.
Peter Phillips, who has embraced his life as a commoner, tends to stay out of the limelight. The managing director of Sports and Entertainment Limited UK, he reportedly didn’t even tell his future wife, Autumn Kelly, of his place in the royal family tree for the first six weeks that the two were becoming acquainted.
20. Savannah Phillips
The first child of Peter and Autumn Phillips is Savannah Phillips, born in 2010. Elizabeth II’s first-born great-grandchild, Savannah is currently number 20 in the British order of succession, immediately after her father, Peter Phillips.
21. Isla Phillips
Born in 2012, Isla Phillips is the second child of Peter and Autumn Phillips. Isla is 21st in line to the throne.
22. Zara Tindall (née Phillips)
Princess Anne’s second child is her daughter, Zara, born in 1981. Zara, like her mother and her grandmother, is an avid equestrian, competing in the 2012 Olympics and taking home the silver medal. Zara married rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011, and they have three children: Mia (born in 2014), Lena (born in 2018) and Lucas (born in 2021).
23. Mia Tindall
As grandchildren of the Princess Royal, Zara and Mike’s children are in the British line of succession, though much further down on the list. Born in 2014, Mia Tindall is 23rd in line to the throne.
24. Lena Tindall
The Tindalls’ second child, daughter Lena, was born in 2018. Like her sister, Mia, she did not lose her place in the order of succession when her brother, Lucas, was born in 2021.
25. Lucas Tindall
Born in March 2021, Lucas Tindall is the third child of Zara and Mike Tindall. The grand-nephew of King Charles is currently 25th in line to the throne.
Who is the oldest living member of the British royal family?
At 92 years young, Katharine, Duchess of Kent and wife of Prince Edward (a grandson of King George V), is the oldest surviving royal. She was born in 1933. She is not in the line of succession to the British throne, but her son, George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, is 43rd in line.
How is the British royal line of succession determined?
The order of succession is determined first and foremost by position in the British royal family tree. But where does the royal family bloodline come from?
“The line of succession is based on the Act of Settlement (1701), which limits the throne to Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover, the mother of King George I,” Harris says. While this may sound oddly specific, it had a broad impact. “This law made it clear that succession isn’t just about royal blood—it’s also decided by Parliament,” she adds.
From the late 17th century until 2015, the “next in line” after the monarch was the always the monarch’s eldest son, then that son’s eldest son and so on. Daughters were also in the line of succession, but stood to lose their place if a son was born. For example, Elizabeth’s II’s second child was a daughter, Anne, but Anne lost her place as next in line upon the birth of her two younger brothers. The same thing happened to Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, who was bumped from her place in the order of succession when her younger brother, James, was born.
This all changed with the Succession to the Crown Act.
What is the Succession to the Crown Act?
The Succession to the Crown Act, codified by Parliament in 2013, modernized the rules for royal succession. Harris explains that the Act ended the tradition of male primogeniture, allowing older sisters to keep their place over younger brothers. It also allowed royals married to Catholics to stay in the line of succession.
The Act came into force in 2015, when Princess Charlotte of Cambridge was born to Prince William and Princess Kate, and became fourth in line to the throne. Three years later in 2018, when Prince Louis of Cambridge was born, Charlotte retained her place in the line of succession. This marked the first time that a female member of the British royal family tree didn’t lose her ranking after the birth of a male sibling.
How do the royals get their titles?
Royal titles may seem arbitrary, but they’re actually part of a long tradition that has evolved over time. Many of the rules revolve around heredity, but monarchs can and do change the rules.
In 1917, King George V introduced a rule limiting “Prince” or “Princess” titles to the monarch’s children, male-line grandchildren and the eldest son of the heir’s heir, Harris explains. Later monarchs made exceptions—King George VI gave the titles to Prince Charles and Princess Anne (his daughter’s children), even though their mother, Elizabeth II, wasn’t yet queen. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II updated the rule again, ensuring that all of Prince William and Catherine’s children would be Prince or Princess from birth, not just their eldest son.
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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the royal family tree, Lauren Cahn tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who often covers knowledge, history and the British royal family for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Carolyn Harris, PhD, author and instructor in history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies; email interview, Mar. 18, 2025
- Royal.uk: “Succession”
