The British line of succession is a dynamic hierarchy, shifting with each royal birth and death. Following Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, King Charles III ascended the throne, moving Prince William to first in line. The order will update again when Princess Eugenie welcomes her third child this year.
Currently, Prince William is next in line, followed by his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Prince Harry, fifth in line, and his children Archie and Lilibet hold sixth and seventh places. Prince Andrew, eighth, is followed by his daughter Princess Beatrice and her daughters, then Princess Eugenie and her sons. Eugenie's new baby will enter the line, shifting Prince Edward from fifteenth to sixteenth.
Succession is governed by the 1701 Act of Settlement and parliamentary statute. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 ended male-preference primogeniture for those born after October 28, 2011, meaning succession is now by birth order regardless of gender. This reform also removed the disqualification for marrying a Roman Catholic.
Princess Anne and Lady Louise Windsor remain behind their younger brothers due to the old rules in place at their births. However, Princess Charlotte made history as the first female royal not displaced by a younger brother, thanks to the 2013 Act. Former Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the changes as reflecting modern attitudes, stating that a younger son should no longer take precedence over an elder daughter.
