Get to Know the Royal Family Members in the Line of Succession

From Plantagenets to Tudors, and Stuarts to Mountbatten-Windsors, there have been multiple royal family members to grace the British throne. Although you probably know the Mountbatten-Windsor family, led by Queen Elizabeth II for 70+ years, you might not know each of the royal family members who could inherit the crown. As the country transitions to a new sovereign, learn everything you need to know about the how succession lineup stands today.

Queen Elizabeth II's heralded as the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having been thrust into the position after her father's death in 1952. Thanks to the Netflix series, The Crown, she (and the whole royal family) has gotten an unexpected modern following that've left people salivating over the real people behind the royal facades. When she died in 2022, the crown passed on to her eldest son, Charles, who was next in line for the throne.

King Charles III, born in 1948 to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, set to be crowned in May 2023, is the sitting British monarch to date. Yet, his dubious past with his beloved first wife, Diana Spencer, and his bedroom affairs with his first love (née second wife) Camilla Bowles, has led to internet mockery of his familial triumph. From swollen fingers to small outrages over a pen box, many people aren't taking his ascendency with the same decorum they did his mother's.

Yet, his children and grandchildren, who are next in line to the throne, haven't gotten the same reputation that he has.

Prince William of Wales is King Charles III and the late Princess Diana's first son, born in 1982. He is directly in line for the throne, should anything happen to his father. Since 2011, he's been married to Catherine (Kate) Middleton, whom he had dated off-and-on for several years prior. Together, they have three children who follow their father in the line of succession.

Prince George of Wales is Prince William and Princess Kate's first son. He was born in 2013 and is the second in line to the throne.

Princess Charlotte of Wales is Prince William and Princess Kate's second child and first daughter. She was born in 2015 and is the third in line to the throne. In fact, The Succession of the Crown Act (2013) is the only reason that Princess Charlotte ranks higher on the succession line than her younger brother, Louis. The legislation amended the previous standard male primogeniture, where a younger son could jump ahead of an older daughter to take the crown. But, it only applies to people born after 2011.

Prince Louis of Wales is William and Princess Kate's youngest son, born in 2018, and is the fourth in line to the throne.

The ever-controversial and honorary American, Prince Harry, or as he's publicly admitting 'the spare,' is King Charles III and Princess Diana's second son, born in 1984. He's had just as rousing of a career as his mother, racking up scandals. No one thought he could surpass marrying a divorced American biracial woman (given the crown's colonial and racist legacy) until it was announced that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, were leaving their roles as working members of the royal family.

Today, they live in idyllic California - a far cry from the persistently wet British landscape they once called home. Despite taking a step back from his role in the royal family, he's still in line to the throne at #5.

Prince Archie of Sussex is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first son, born in 2019. He's sixth in line for the British throne.

Princess Lilibet of Sussex is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's second child and only daughter. She was born in 2021 and is seventh in line for the throne.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's second son, but third child (poor Anne didn't get the same treatment as her great-niece Charlotte). Like most of the men in the royal family, he served in the military before marrying Sarah Ferguson in 1986. He too divorced his first wife.

Yet, most people probably know him better for his associations with the criminal sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite being stripped of his military titles and patronages because of his unconfirmed activities, he's still in line for the throne - eighth, to be exact.

Princess Beatrice of York was born in 1988 and is Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's first child. She's ninth in line to the British throne but doesn't spend all day waiting for the call. Instead, she's mothering her young daughter with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and working for a New York AI company.

Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi was born in fall 2021 and is Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's first child. She's currently tenth in the line of succession.

Princess Eugenie was born in 1990 and is Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's second child. She's currently married to long-time partner, Jack Brooksbank, and together they welcomed a son in 2021. As it stands, she's 11th in line for the throne.

Master August Brooksbank is but a wee babe born in 2021 to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. He's currently 12th in line for the British throne.

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's youngest child, born in 1964. After a short military career, he married Sophie Rhys-Jones, and together, they had two children. He's the royal family member who's been shaken up the most by his mother's passing as he inherited his late-father's title, the Duke of Edinburgh, when his brother took the throne. As of right now, he's 13th in line.

Earl James of Wessex is Prince Edward and Countess Sophie Rhys-Jones' only son, born in 2007. He's the late Queen's youngest grandchild, and he too inherited his father's title when the monarchy shifted upwards, now having the title Viscount Severn. He's currently 14th in line for the throne.

Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was born in 2003 and is Prince Edward and Countess Sophie's eldest child. Unlike her cousin, Charlotte, her place in the line of succession is bumped back by her four-years-younger brother, making her 15th in line for the throne.

Anne, Princess Royal, born in 1950, might be the most underrated and coolest of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's children. Not only is she the only daughter, she's an accomplished equestrian (and former Olympian), and thwarted her own kidnapping with retorts to the man cornering her and her husband in their motorcade it'd be "bloody likely" for her to get out of the car with him.

She married fellow equestrian and military man, Mark Phillips, in 1973. She divorced him in 1992 but later remarried to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Yet, another systemic blow to the powerful woman is the fact that she, despite being second eldest, is behind her two younger brothers and only 16th in line for the throne.

Peter Philips was born in 1977 and is Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips' first child (and the Queens' first grandchild). Fascinatingly, he doesn't hold a title because his parents turned the Queen's offer for one down, hoping he'd live a more balanced, normal life. He married Autumn Kelly in 2008 and divorced her in 2021. He's currently 17th in line for the throne.

Savannah Phillips was born in 2010 and is Peter Philips and Autumn Kelly's first child. She's currently 18th in line for the throne. Just like her father, she doesn't (nor do any of her siblings) hold any royal titles.

Isla Phillips is Savannah's younger sister and Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's second child. She was born in 2012 and is 19th in line for the throne.

Zara Tindall was born in 1981 and is Princess Anne and Mark Phillips' second child. Her parents forewent a title for her as well, and she's done quite well for her commoner status. In 2012, she represented the UK at the London Olympics and won a silver medal in the equestrian competition. She married a former rugby player, Mike Tindall, in 2011 and they have three kids together. Currently, she's 20th in the line of succession.

Mia Tindall was born in 2014 and is Zara and Mike Tindall's eldest child. Just like her mother and uncle, she doesn't hold any royal titles (nor do her siblings). She's 21st in line for the British throne.

Lena Tindall was born in 2018 and is Zara and Mike Tindall's second child. She's currently 22nd in line for the throne.

Lucas Tindall is another wee royal babe born in 2021 and is Zara and Mike Tindall's third child. He's the last direct royal family member from Elizabeth's brood in line for the throne at 23rd.

Queen Elizabeth II's death was a massive upset not only for the history books but also for the royal family. When she died, she vacated the coveted British throne, which went to her eldest son, Charles. Yet, there are so many other royal family members that make up the mythic British monarchy, and these are the ones that each have a claim to a piece of the pie- no matter how small it is.