Who will succeed King Charles on the British throne?
King Charles III succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II on the British throne after her death on Sept. 8 last year, becoming king of not just the United Kingdom, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand and 11 other countries.
Here are brief details of the rules of succession for the British monarch:
Who is next?
Under the British constitution, a sovereign ascends to the throne immediately upon the death of their predecessor, preceding any public proclamation, thereby eliminating any interregnum.
The rules, most of which have ancient origins, dictate that the crown passes to the monarch's eldest child, with the line of succession determined by birth order and proximity to the reigning sovereign.
Consequently, Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, is the heir to the throne, followed by Prince George, William's eldest son, and subsequently his younger siblings, Charlotte and Louis.
Next in line is Prince Harry, Charles' younger son and William's brother.
Nonetheless, exceptions to these rules are enshrined in the 1689 Bill of Rights and the 1701 Act of Settlement. The latter was enacted to ensure a Protestant line of succession, explicitly excluding Roman Catholics from ascending to the monarchy. It additionally required the sovereign to pledge allegiance to the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.
In 2013, the Succession to the Crown Act brought significant changes to these rules, eliminating gender as a factor and abolishing the male primogeniture system, which previously allowed a younger son to assume the throne ahead of an elder sister.
Furthermore, it revoked the prohibition against a Catholic marriage for anyone aspiring to be king or queen. However, it clarified that among the first six individuals in line to the throne, permission from the monarch is required before marriage.
Queen Camilla, Queen Kate?
The spouse of a British king holds the title of queen consort, a distinction that sets their role apart from that of a reigning female monarch, as exemplified by Queen Elizabeth II.
Consequently, the official title for Charles' wife is queen consort, but after their coronation in May, she is addressed simply as Queen Camilla.
This tradition signifies that when Prince William ascends to the throne, his wife Kate, presently known as the Princess of Wales, will be referred to as Queen Catherine.
It is noteworthy that the husband of a reigning queen is typically recognized as a prince consort.
Who are top 10 in line?
Currently the line of succession is:
1) Prince William, 2) Prince George, 3) Princess Charlotte, 4) Prince Louis, 5) Prince Harry, 6) Prince Archie (Harry's son), 7) Princess Lilibet (Harry's daughter, 8) Prince Andrew (Charles' younger brother), 9) Princess Beatrice (Andrew's eldest daughter), 10) Sienna Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice's daughter).
