With the death of Queen Elizabeth II comes a restructuring of the established order of the royal family, bringing with it a level of institutional change to the British monarchy not seen since her own accession to the throne in 1952.
But where does this leave the royals that are left behind and where do they sit now in the line of succession? Newsweek has the answers.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, ascending to the throne aged 25 and dying in September 2022 aged 96. Her 70-year reign was celebrated with a spectacular Platinum Jubilee, which took place in June and saw members of the public and royals gather to honor the royal matriarch.
The late queen was born in 1926, the first child of King George V's second son Prince Albert, Duke of York and his wife, the aristocrat Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. The princess was joined by a sister, Margaret, in 1930.
Upon the abdication of her uncle King Edward VIII in 1936, who renounced his claim to the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Prince Albert became king ruling under the name of King George VI. With this Elizabeth became the first in line to the throne.
The princess married Prince Philip of Greece in 1947 and they had four children, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) b.1948, Princess Anne b.1950, Prince Andrew b.1960 and Prince Edward b.1964.
In 1952, with the death of King George VI, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II, fulfilling a role she would hold for 70 years until her death on Thursday.
King Charles III
The instant that the queen died, her eldest son and heir Charles became Britain's new monarch. Charles had been first in line to the throne for 70 years since the accession of his mother and was the longest-serving Prince of Wales.
Prince of Wales is a title bestowed on the eldest son of the reigning monarch by the monarch themselves. Charles was created Prince of Wales in 1958 and had his investiture at Caernarfon Castle in Wales in 1969.
Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and the couple had two sons; Prince William b.1982 and Prince Harry b.1984.
The king divorced Diana in 1996 having formally separated in 1992. The royal married his second wife, the now Queen Consort (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles) in 2005.
The Line of Succession
The line of succession is the official order that members of the royal family would inherit the throne. The official list is published on the royal family's website to the 23rd place.
The list acts as a quasi-family tree, being simplified to listing the blood relatives of the monarch and how closely related they are.
The line of succession's importance became highlighted in 1936 when King Edward VIII abdicated and the crown was passed to the next in line, King George VI, then Prince Albert, Duke of York.
When she was born, the queen was only third in line to the throne. If Edward VIII had married and had children, those children would have moved Elizabeth down the line. This, however, did not happen and when the king abdicated it became clear that the princess was destined one day to become queen.
The line of succession is updated with each birth and death that occurs within the royal family. This was done in the hours following Queen Elizabeth II's death.
With her passing each member of the royal family on the list moved up one position as Charles left the line of succession having ascended to the throne.
Prince William who had been second in line for the entirety of his life became first in line also acquiring a new dukedom, becoming the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.
Prince Harry and his children also moved closer to the throne. Whereas at the end of Elizabeth's lifetime they had been sixth, seventh and eighth in line, following Charles' accession they became fifth, sixth and seventh after William and his children.
Royal spouses, including Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, are not included in the line of succession because they are not of royal blood and cannot inherit the throne in their own right. Instead they could become queen consorts if their husbands first become king.
Order of Succession
King Charles III
1. Prince William, The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge
2. Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge
3. Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge
4. Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge
5. Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
6. Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
7. Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor
8. Prince Andrew, The Duke of York
9. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
11. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
12. Master August Brooksbank
13. Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
14. Viscount Severn
15. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
16. Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
17. Mr. Peter Phillips
18. Miss Savannah Phillips
19. Miss Isla Phillips
20. Mrs. Michael Tindall
21. Miss Mia Tindall
22. Miss Lena Tindall
23. Master Lucas Tindall
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
