With the upcoming royal wedding and the birth of baby Prince Louis, how does this affect the succession? Just who is next in line for the throne and how will all of that change or how has it changed recently? Let's take a look and find out!
Queen Elizabeth has made it clear she doesn't plan on "retiring", that being a Queen means it's a job for life so until she passes away, she will remain the Queen of England.
Her husband, Prince Philip, even if he outlives her cannot become King. Prince Philip does descend from a line of royals from Greece and is currently the closest living relative to Czar Nicholas II of Russia, but as far as the United Kingdom goes, he does not qualify to rule.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had 4 children, Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
From the moment Prince Charles was born he become 2nd in line to the throne, which some refer to as the "crowned prince" or "heir presumptive".
Although Anne, Princess Royal was born second, because she's a female, she got pushed to 4th in line, once her two brothers were born, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
Eventually, the Queen's children would grow up, get married and have their own children, introducing the new generation of royals and changing who was next in line for the throne.
As the first in line to the throne, when Prince Charles married Princess Diana and had children, their children became the priority in the line of succession, pushing all of Prince Charles's siblings back.
Prince William as Prince William's eldest son became second in line to the throne, while his brother Prince Harry took the 3rd spot. That pushed everyone else back but also, as each sibling had their own children, they gained their own rank. So as you can see by the graphic below, everyone got a new rank.
Eventually, the Queen's grandchildren had their own children and that's where we are today. Prince William who is 3rd in line to the throne married Kate Middleton and they had three children. It was at this time the rules of succession changed. Now a female will not be replaced or pushed down in line if a brother is born after her. For the first time in history, when Prince Louis was born, he didn't become 4th in line, making Princess Charlotte 5th. Instead under the new rules, she kept her place as 4th in line to the throne.
It wasn't until April 16, 2018, that the Queen would speak out, for the first time stating that she supports her son Prince Charles to succeed her as the leader of the Commonwealth when the time comes. This comes after some recent debate in the country that supported Prince William, the Queen's grandson and 3rd in line to the throne. It's not really as much because of his age (Prince Charles is already 69 years old), but because of his relationship with Camila Parker-Bowles.
So there you have it and know officially who is next in line to the British throne.