Every leader must be succeeded after their rule ends whether it’s a democratic state that settles terms or a monarchy that ends when the ruler dies or abdicates. Throughout history, some monarchies have had long-lasting dynasties while others have vanished inheriting power to distant relatives. Other monarchies just simply don’t follow blood lineages and name successors based on skills and merits. As we know in the case of the British monarchy, the most popular of them all, the succession goes as simple as a bloodline of heirs that dates back to Queen Victoria’s times.
How does the line of succession works?
The rules to the line of succession were simple; the first in line was the firstborn male of the monarch and so on. If a monarch failed to produce a male son, the crown would pass on to the monarch’s brother or the closest male in the family tree. This changed a little bit when Queen Victoria was crowned, her predecessor, King William IV had no legitimate heir, so the throne was passed on to her. However, the idea of a male heir being first in line remained, until quite recently, to be precise, until the birth of Princess Charlotte.
Until then, women were simply relegated down the line of succession whenever a male royal was born, regardless of their closeness to the monarch. For instance, at the moment of her birth, Princess Anne was second in line right after her eldest brother Charles. When Prince Andrew was born, she went to be third in line, and so on following Prince Edward’s birth, and her siblings’ sons. When Prince Louis (Prince William’s third child) was born in 2018, Princess Charlotte didn’t lose her spot in the line of succession thanks to a modification in the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, that stated that no royal woman could be surpassed in the line by a younger brother.
Can anyone be removed from the line?
Now, can the order of the line be changed? That is, given the Duke of York’s current status could he be taken out of the equation? At the moment, Prince Andrew is eight in line right after Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle’s second child. As for now, although the Queen stripped him from his title of HRH and can’t use it in any official capacity, and although he lost his military titles and royal patronages, his spot in the line of succession remains the same (we’ll have to see if King Charles III decides to change this matter). The thing is, that it’s very unlikely that something would happen for him to get to the throne, I mean, it’s very unlikely that even Prince Louis would ever get to that point, so making such a strong statement, though bold on behalf of the monarchy, is pretty much unnecessary. In the same thought, he won’t likely lose his title of Duke of York since it was gifted to him directly by the Queen at his wedding, just like Harry and Meghan still possess the dukedom of Sussex.
The line of succession to the British throne
So, let’s go directly to the line of succession, which with new royal babies having been born in the past couple of years, and after Queen Elizabeth’s death, has now over 20 royal members listed.
Obligations
Though a lot has changed in the past decades, there are some laws and obligations that apply to some of those listed in the line of succession. For instance, the first four royals in the line who are over 21 years old are named Counsellors of State. At the moment, that title belongs to Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew, though it’s said that the last two might be stripped of this title as well. Also, the first six in line have to abide by the Law of Marriages, which states that the monarch has to agree to their marriage, a law that basically ruined Princess Margaret’s life; but that’s another story.
All in all, though only the first spots are likely to inherit the throne, being included in the list is some sort of an honor granted by the Crown recognizing their place as members of the Royal family.
Photos from: @dukeandduchessofcambridge / @alexilubomirski / @princesseugenie