The Queen became the sixth female to ascend to the British throne in February 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, serving for over 70 years.
Prince Charles, the Queen’s oldest son, immediately ascends to the throne as King, putting his eldest son, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, first in line for the throne.
Here’s what we know about the British royal family’s line of succession.
Born: April 21, 1926, Died: September 8, 2022
The Queen is the sixth female to ascend to the British throne and the longest-reigning monarch. In September 2015, she surpassed the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years, seven months.
Prince Philip died at the age of 99 in April 2021.
Charles, Prince of Wales
Born: November 14, 1948
President of The Prince’s Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and president or patron of more than 400 charitable organizations, the Prince of Wales is the first royal heir to earn a university degree.
Diana died in 1997 following a car accident in Paris, along with boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Born: June 21, 1982
More key relatives: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, whom he married in 2011. The couple have three children together: Prince George, 9; Princess Charlotte, 7; and Prince Louis, 4.
Prince George of Cambridge
Born: July 22, 2013
What to know: When Prince George arrived, he became third in line to inherit the throne. If all goes as planned and he becomes king after the reigns of his grandfather Prince Charles and his father Prince William, George will be the 43rd monarch since William the Conqueror.
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
Born: May 2, 2015
Prince Louis of Cambridge
Born: April 23, 2018
What to know: Prince Louis, fifth in line to the throne, arrived during a busy season for the royal family; he was born just weeks before the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan.
As is tradition, a golden easel bearing a framed notice announcing the birth was placed on display in front of Buckingham Palace that afternoon. The practice of posting a bulletin on the occasion of a royal birth goes back to at least 1837, when Buckingham Palace became the British monarch’s official residence.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Born: September 15, 1984
What to know: Sixth in line to the throne, Prince Harry also trained in the military. In 2008, the British Ministry of Defense announced that Harry had secretly been serving in Afghanistan with his Army unit on a four-month mission since December 2007.
He was quickly withdrawn for security reasons, but later returned as an Apache helicopter pilot in 2012. In 2015, after nearly a decade of service, he announced he was leaving the armed forces.
The Duke of Sussex is also the founder of the Invictus Games, an international sporting competition for injured servicemen and women. The first games were held in London in 2014.
More key relatives: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, whom he married in 2018. The couple welcomed their first child, son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in May 2019. Their daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in June 2021.
In early 2020, the pair announced that they were stepping back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family. They now live in the US.
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Born: May 6, 2019
What to know: In a significant milestone across the Commonwealth and within British society, baby Archie made history by becoming the first biracial British child in the royal family.
When Prince Charles becomes King, Prince Harry’s son will be eligible to become His Royal Highness Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Born: June 4, 2021
What to know: Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in Santa Barbara, California, in June 2021 following the decision of her parents, Harry and Meghan, to step back from royal life in the UK and move to the US.
Her unusual name is a tribute to her great-grandmother, the Queen — Lilibet is her family nickname. Baby Lili’s middle name, Diana, “was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in a statement.
Eighth in line to the throne, the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild is the most senior royal in the line of succession to have been born overseas.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Born: February 19, 1960
What to know: Prince Andrew is the third of the Queen’s four children, and ninth in line to the British throne. He served in the British Royal Navy for 22 years and was a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.
Andrew, who has been under intense scrutiny for his decades-long friendship with Epstein, said in a statement announcing his decision that the association became “a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support.”
More key relatives: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, whom Andrew married in 1986.
Sarah and Andrew had two children together — Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — before a high-profile divorce in 1996.
Princess Beatrice
Born: August 8, 1988
In September 2021, she gave birth to daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, who became the 11th in line to the throne.
Princess Eugenie
Born: March 23, 1990
She wed Jack Brooksbank, a brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila, which was founded by George Clooney and Rande Gerber, husband of supermodel Cindy Crawford. Like her sister, Princess Eugenie has a fairly everyday job: She works as the director of the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in London.
In February, she gave birth to her son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who is the 13th in line to the throne.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Born: March 10, 1964
What to know: The youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Prince Edward is 14th in line to the British throne. He’s currently a full-time working member of the royal family. Prince Edward previously trained as a cadet in the Royal Marines and worked as a theater and TV producer.
More key relatives: Sophie, Countess of Wessex, whom Prince Edward married in 1999. The couple have two children together, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
James, Viscount Severn
Born: December 17, 2007
Lady Louise Windsor
Born: November 8, 2003
Anne, the Princess Royal
Born: August 15, 1950
What to know: The second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Anne was third in the line of succession at birth — but today she’s No. 17, behind her brothers and their children and grandchildren.
