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The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of all those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom. The line is identical in other Commonwealth realms.^{[n 1]} The Act of Settlement 1701 bestowed succession on the Electress Sophia of Hanover and her descendants while excluding Roman Catholics.^[1]^[2]

In the 2011 Perth Agreement, the heads of government of all 16 Commonwealth realms agreed to take the appropriate steps in their respective countries to adopt absolute primogeniture, end the exclusion of people married to Roman Catholics, and limit the requirement for those in line to seek the permission of the monarch to marry.^[3] The changes came into effect on 26 March 2015.^[4]^[5]^[6] The earliest people in the line of succession to be affected by the changes on that date were the children of Lady Davina Lewis, her son Tāne (born 2012) and her daughter Senna (born 2010), who were reversed in the order of succession, becoming 29th and 28th in line respectively.^[7]^[8]

In the United Kingdom, the line of succession is also used to select Counsellors of State (and a regent if the need arises) under the provisions of the Regency Act 1937.^[9]

Eligibility

The right of succession is regulated by common law, the Act of Settlement 1701, and by legislation subsequent to the Perth Agreement. The succession is ordered by male-preference cognatic primogeniture for people born before 28 October 2011 and absolute primogeniture for those born after 28 October 2011. An individual is in the line of succession if the two following requirements are met:

He or she is a legitimate descendant of legitimate line from the Electress Sophia of Hanover. Legitimised children remain ineligible.^{[n 2]}^[10]
He or she is not a Roman Catholic.

Line of succession

The annotated list below of persons in line of succession to the present Queen is limited to the Queen's descendants (numbered 1 to 17) and others in the nearest collateral lines, namely, the other eligible descendants of the sons of George V (numbered 18 to 55). Persons shown who are not in line to the throne are in italics.

Tree list

King George V (1865–1936)
- King George VI (1895–1952)
  - Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926)
    - (1) The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) ^{B D W}
      - (2) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982) ^{B D W}
        (3) Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013) ^{B D}
        
        (4) Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015) ^B
      - (5) Prince Henry of Wales (b. 1984) ^{B D W}
    - (6) The Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960) ^{B D W}
      - (7) Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988) ^{B D W}
      - (8) Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990) ^{B D W}
    - (9) The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964) ^{B D W}
      - (10) James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (b. 2007) ^{B D W}
      - (11) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 2003) ^{B D W}
    - (12) The Princess Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) ^{B D W}
      - (13) Peter Phillips (b. 1977) ^{B D W}
        (14) Savannah Phillips (b. 2010) ^{B D W}
        
        (15) Isla Phillips (b. 2012) ^{B D W}
      - (16) Zara Tindall (née Phillips; b. 1981) ^{B D W}
        (17) Mia Tindall (b. 2014) ^[11]^[12]
  - The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930–2002) ¹⁹⁵²
    - (18) David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (b. 1961) ^{B D W}
      - (19) Charles Armstrong-Jones (b. 1999) ^{B D W}
      - (20) Margarita Armstrong-Jones (b. 2002) ^{B D W}
    - (21) Lady Sarah Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones; b. 1964) ^{B D W}
      - (22) Samuel Chatto (b. 1996) ^{B D W}
      - (23) Arthur Chatto (b. 1999) ^{B D W}
- The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900–1974) ¹⁹⁵²
  - (24) Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1944) ^{B D W}
    - (25) Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (b. 1974) ^{B D W}
      - (26) Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden (b. 2007) ^{B D W}
      - (27) Lady Cosima Windsor (b. 2010) ^{B D W}
    - (28) Lady Davina Lewis (née Windsor; b. 1977) ^{B D W}
      - (29) Senna Lewis (b. 2010) ^{B D W}
      - (30) Tāne Lewis (b. 2012)^B
    - (31) Lady Rose Gilman (née Windsor; b. 1980) ^{B D W}
      - (32) Lyla Gilman (b. 2010) ^{B D W}
      - (33) Rufus Gilman (b. 2012) ^B
- The Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902–1942)
  - (34) Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (b. 1935) ^{B D W}
    - (35) George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews (b. 1962) ^{MC / D W}
      - Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (b. 1988) ^{XC / D W}
      - Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor (b. 1992) ^{XC / W}
      - (36) Lady Amelia Windsor (b. 1995) ^{B D W}
    - Lord Nicholas Windsor (b. 1970) ^{XC / D W}
      - (37) Albert Windsor (b. 2007) ^{B W}^{[n 3]}
      - (38) Leopold Windsor (b. 2009) ^{B W}
      - (39) Louis Windsor (b. 2014)^[13]
    - (40) Lady Helen Taylor (née Windsor; b. 1964) ^{B D W} ^{[n 4]}
      - (41) Columbus Taylor (b. 1994) ^{B W}
      - (42) Cassius Taylor (b. 1996) ^{B W}
      - (43) Eloise Taylor (b. 2003) ^{B W}
      - (44) Estella Taylor (b. 2004) ^{B W}
  - (45) Prince Michael of Kent (b. 1942) ^{MC / W}
    - (46) Lord Frederick Windsor (b. 1979) ^{B W}
      - (47) Maud Windsor (b. 2013) ^B ^[14]
    - (48) Lady Gabriella Windsor (b. 1981) ^{B W}
  - (49) Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (b. 1936) ^B
    - (50) James Ogilvy (b. 1964) ^B
      - (51) Alexander Ogilvy (b. 1996) ^B
      - (52) Flora Ogilvy (b. 1994) ^B
    - (53) Marina Ogilvy (b. 1966) ^B
      - (54) Christian Mowatt (b. 1993) ^B
      - (55) Zenouska Mowatt (b. 1990) ^B

Notes and sources:

^XC Excluded as Roman Catholics. This exclusion is not affected by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

^MC These people were excluded through marriage to a Roman Catholic. This exclusion was repealed under s. 2(2) of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, restoring them to the line of succession once it came into effect on 26 March 2015.

^B listed by the official website of the British Monarchy, "Succession", retrieved 24 March 2015. ^[15]

^D listed on Debrett's website (as of 9 August 2013): "The Line of Succession to the British Throne"

^W listed by Whitaker's Almanack 2013, London: Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-1-4081-7207-0, p. 21

¹⁹⁵² Succession as published on the accession of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952^[16]

Remoter collateral lines

The line of succession continues with the eligible descendants of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, only daughter of George V, followed by the other eligible descendants of Edward VII and earlier British monarchs, back to George I.

The British government does not publish an official list of all those in line to succeed. Any person's actual position in the line of succession may change as a result of events such as births and deaths. In 2001, a genealogical author, William Addams Reitwiesner, compiled a list of 4,973 legitimate, living descendants of the Electress Sophia in order of succession but disregarding Roman Catholic status.^[17]

An updated list based on Reitweisner's work suggested that the number of Electress Sophia's living descendants, as of 2011, was more than five thousand, though the exact number of those who would be eligible for the throne today is uncertain.^[18]

First persons and others in line

The line is limited to the Electress Sophia's descendants, of whom all alive today are also George I's descendants. The first in line are the seventeen descendants of the Queen, including Princess Charlotte whose birth on 2 May 2015 was the most recent event to increase their number. The first four in line who are twenty-one years of age or older may be appointed Counsellors of State: they are the Prince of Wales, his two sons Prince William and Prince Henry, and his brother Prince Andrew. The first six in line are required to have the sovereign's approval to marry.^[19]

Gallery: first six in line from 2 May 2015

Charles, Prince of Wales, July 2012
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, November 2014
Prince George of Cambridge, April 2014
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
Prince Henry of Wales, November 2012
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, August 2014

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, August 2014

Notes

^ Governments of the Commonwealth realms have acknowledged that a change in the line of succession in respect of any one of the realms is made in accordance with the constitutional law of that realm.
^ The Legitimacy Act 1926, 10 (1) says, "Nothing in this Act shall affect the Succession to any dignity or title of honour or render any person capable of succeeding to or transmitting a right to succeed to any such dignity or title." The Legitimacy Act 1959, 6 (4) says, "It is hereby declared that nothing in this Act affects the Succession to the Throne."
^ Albert and Leopold Windsor were listed on The Official Website of the British Monarchy until 2015 and in the 2013 edition of Whitaker's Almanack as following Estella Taylor (b 2004) and eligible to succeed; MSN News lists them after Lady Amelia Windsor and before Lady Helen Taylor. They were baptised as Catholics, and are not listed in line in Debrett's or editions of Whitaker's earlier than 2012.
^ Lady Helen Taylor is listed on The Official Website of the British Monarchy, Debrett's and Whitaker's as following Lady Amelia Windsor, not following Leopold Windsor.

References

^ van Caenegem, R.C. An historical introduction to western constitutional law. Cambridge University Press, 1995 ISBN 0-521-47693-3 p. 117
^ "Act Of Settlement British Monarchy Site". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
^ "Girls equal in British throne succession", BBC, 28 October 2011.
^ Cosgrove, Peter (24 March 2015), Succession to the Crown Commencement Proclamation 2015, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, retrieved 26 March 2015
^ Governor General of New Zealand=in-Council (25 March 2015), Royal Succession Act Commencement Order 2015, Wellington: Queen's Printer, retrieved 26 March 2015
^ Clegg, Nick (26 March 2015), Commencement of Succession to the Crown Act 2013 :Written statement - HCWS490, London: Queen's Printer, retrieved 26 March 2015
^ "What do the new royal succession changes mean?" at Royal Central website, 26 March 2015 (retrieved 30 March 2015).
^ For the line of succession immediately before the changes of 26 March 2015 click here.
^ The Official Website of the British Monarchy, "Counsellors of State"
^ William Addams Reitwiesner, "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2001"
^ Announcement of the birth of Mr and Mrs Tindall's first baby, 17 January 2014
^ "Zara and Mike Tindall's baby named on Twitter".
^ SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Cheer up, Cressy, it's a drama not a crisis – Miracle birth for Windsors
^ Prince and Princess Michael of Kent welcome first grandchild
^ For the line of succession there as at that date, and before the changes of 26 March 2015 click here.
^ "Line of succession to the throne". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 February 1952. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
^ W.A.Reitwiesner
^ David Lewis (based on previous lists by William Addams Reitwiesner), Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2011, listing Princess Sophia's descendants in order of succession disregarding Roman Catholic status, as of 1 Jan 2011.[1]
^ "Succession to the Crown Act", Acts of the United Kingdom Parliament, vol. 2013, no. 20, Section 3(1), 2013, retrieved 7 April 2014

External links

David Lewis, "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2011". A list of 5753 descendants of Princess Sophia, in order of succession but disregarding Roman Catholic status and taking no account of possible exclusion because their parents married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act.
Full text of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013

[1] Governments of the Commonwealth realms have acknowledged that a change in the line of succession in respect of any one of the realms is made in accordance with the constitutional law of that realm.

[11] The Legitimacy Act 1926, 10 (1) says, "Nothing in this Act shall affect the Succession to any dignity or title of honour or render any person capable of succeeding to or transmitting a right to succeed to any such dignity or title." The Legitimacy Act 1959, 6 (4) says, "It is hereby declared that nothing in this Act affects the Succession to the Throne."

[15] Albert and Leopold Windsor were listed on The Official Website of the British Monarchy until 2015 and in the 2013 edition of Whitaker's Almanack as following Estella Taylor (b 2004) and eligible to succeed; MSN News lists them after Lady Amelia Windsor and before Lady Helen Taylor. They were baptised as Catholics, and are not listed in line in Debrett's or editions of Whitaker's earlier than 2012.

[17] Lady Helen Taylor is listed on The Official Website of the British Monarchy, Debrett's and Whitaker's as following Lady Amelia Windsor, not following Leopold Windsor.

[2] van Caenegem, R.C. An historical introduction to western constitutional law. Cambridge University Press, 1995 ISBN 0-521-47693-3 p. 117

[UkMon-3] "Act Of Settlement British Monarchy Site". Retrieved 5 February 2012.

[4] "Girls equal in British throne succession", BBC, 28 October 2011.

[5] Cosgrove, Peter (24 March 2015), Succession to the Crown Commencement Proclamation 2015, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, retrieved 26 March 2015

[6] Governor General of New Zealand=in-Council (25 March 2015), Royal Succession Act Commencement Order 2015, Wellington: Queen's Printer, retrieved 26 March 2015

[7] Clegg, Nick (26 March 2015), Commencement of Succession to the Crown Act 2013 :Written statement - HCWS490, London: Queen's Printer, retrieved 26 March 2015

[royalcentral-8] "What do the new royal succession changes mean?" at Royal Central website, 26 March 2015 (retrieved 30 March 2015).

[9] For the line of succession immediately before the changes of 26 March 2015 click here.

[10] The Official Website of the British Monarchy, "Counsellors of State"

[wargs-12] William Addams Reitwiesner, "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2001"

[13] Announcement of the birth of Mr and Mrs Tindall's first baby, 17 January 2014

[14] "Zara and Mike Tindall's baby named on Twitter".

[16] SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Cheer up, Cressy, it's a drama not a crisis – Miracle birth for Windsors

[18] Prince and Princess Michael of Kent welcome first grandchild

[19] For the line of succession there as at that date, and before the changes of 26 March 2015 click here.

[20] "Line of succession to the throne". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 February 1952. Retrieved 24 June 2012.

[21] W.A.Reitwiesner

[22] David Lewis (based on previous lists by William Addams Reitwiesner), Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2011, listing Princess Sophia's descendants in order of succession disregarding Roman Catholic status, as of 1 Jan 2011.[1]

[23] "Succession to the Crown Act", Acts of the United Kingdom Parliament, vol. 2013, no. 20, Section 3(1), 2013, retrieved 7 April 2014

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@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 : ''{{sup|XC}} Excluded as Roman Catholics. This exclusion is not affected by the [[Succession to the Crown Act 2013]].''
 : ''{{sup|MC}} These people were excluded through marriage to a Roman Catholic.  This exclusion was repealed under s. 2(2) of the [[Succession to the Crown Act 2013]], restoring them to the line of succession once it came into effect on 26 March 2015.''
-: ''{{sup|B}} listed by the official website of the British Monarchy, [http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/Successionandprecedence/Succession/Overview.aspx "Succession"], retrieved 24 March 2015
+: ''{{sup|B}} listed by the official website of the British Monarchy, [http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/Successionandprecedence/Succession/Overview.aspx "Succession"], retrieved 24 March 2015. <ref>For the line of succession there as at that date, and before the changes of 26 March 2015
+[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Line_of_succession_to_the_British_throne&oldid=650638299 click here.]</ref>
 : ''{{sup|D}} listed on [[Debrett's]] website (as of 9 August 2013): [http://www.debretts.com/people/royal-family/line-succession-0 "The Line of Succession to the British Throne"]
 : ''{{sup|W}} listed by [[Whitaker's Almanack]] 2013, London: Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-1-4081-7207-0, p. 21''

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