With the 'peaceful' demise of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning British monarch (70 years), her eldest son Charles was named as Britain's new King. With this, Prince Charles III is now called King Charles III. Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8, passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral. She 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. Not only this, but the Queen also had eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Her eldest son, Charles, succeeded her after she died peacefully at her Scottish estate.
Now, with Charles III declared as named as the King of Britain- his sons and grandchildren are next in succession for the monarchy. Here are the first 15 people in order of succession-
1) Prince William- The elder son of Charles and the late Princess Diana. He is married to Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Their three children follow him in the line of succession. 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. Notably, William 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.
2) Prince George of Cambridge- Born in July 2013, at St. Mary's Hospital in London 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.
3) Princess Charlotte of Cambridge,- She is third in line to the throne. Charlotte 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.
4) Prince Louis of 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.
5) Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles and Diana- One of the 'media favorites' 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. Later, 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.' After a year, Buckingham Palace declared that the pair would not be returning to royal responsibilities and would relinquish their honorary military postings and royal patronages.
Apart from these top 5 in-line for Britain's crown- below is the list of others in line in the Royal Family-
6. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May 2019.
7. Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, born in June 2021.
8. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s second-eldest son.
9. Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
10. Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born in September 2021.
Princess Eugenie, Andrew and Sarah’s younger daughter.
12. August Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in February 2021.
13. Prince Edward, the queen and Philip’s youngest child.
14. James, Viscount Severn, the younger child of Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
15. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Edward and Sophie’s daughter.