Who is next in line to the throne? What does the British line of succession look like and is Prince Harry in it?

Recently, it became known that King Charles III of Great Britain was diagnosed with cancer, so for the period of his treatment, most of the royal duties were taken over by the monarch's eldest son, Prince William. Due to the diagnosis of the current sovereign, the royal family will have to adapt to a new schedule, and meanwhile, more and more questions arise in society, including: "Can the king abdicate prematurely and, if so, what will the official succession procedure look like?"

It's no secret that the first name on the list is the aforementioned Prince William. His wife, Kate Middleton, will obviously become Queen Consort. Hello! magazine has published a list of heirs to the throne from the first to the ninth and explained the status of the current Queen Camilla if her husband dies or abdicates.

Prince William is the first in line to the throne

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III, the Prince of Wales officially became the first in line to the throne. The eldest son of the current king was born on June 21, 1982, at St. Mary's Hospital in London, and immediately broke the tradition by becoming the first direct heir to the throne to be born outside the palace.

William has three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. He is raising them with his wife Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, whom he met while studying at the University of St. Andrews.

Prince George is second in line to the throne

Named after the father and grandfather of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George was born in London on July 22, 2013, amid fanfare and celebration: the bells of Westminster Abbey rang for three hours, and gun salutes were fired in Green Park and the Tower of London to welcome him.

The young prince inherited a love of tennis from both parents, taking part in Wimbledon for the first time in 2022, and has accompanied his father and mother to other major sporting events, including the Euro 2020 final. Rumor has it that George is already being prepared for the fact that sooner or later he will have to take his place on the throne.

Third in line to the throne is Princess Charlotte

The second child of Prince William and Kate Middleton was born on May 2, 2015, in the same hospital as her father and brother. Despite being George's younger sister, Charlotte is known to keep him, as well as the younger Louis, "in good shape." She shares a love of soccer with her brothers and parents.

Global parenting expert Jo Frost notes Charlotte's calm and collected nature, which she uses to keep both of her brothers under control. "Charlotte knows the rules. She knows how to keep everyone at a distance. There are moments when I watch George and he looks at his sister, and maybe one minute he's annoyed with her, and then he's grateful that she's there to remind him how to behave."

Prince Louis is fourth in line to the throne

The youngest Cambridge brother, Prince Louis, was born on April 27, 2018, at the same St. Mary's Hospital. The five-year-old prince is known for his playfulness and mischievousness, like most other children his age. He is a public favorite who, thanks to his charisma and emotionality, has repeatedly become the star of public royal events.

After analyzing Prince Louis' behavior, Jo Frost concluded that he is a "very sensitive" child. Such official events and public appearances are very stressful for the five-year-old heir to the royal family. The expert commented: "He is excited by strong energetic experiences and can sometimes get excited to the point where his behavior can be unpredictable. Sometimes it can be cute, like blowing out candles, or defiant, when he doesn't want to do what his parents ask him to do."

Prince Harry is fifth in line to the throne

The Duke of Sussex is the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. He was born on September 15, 1984. In 2018, Harry married American actress Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Their first child, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, was born in 2019, and their daughter, Lilibeth Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2021.

After Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties in March 2020 and moved to Montecito, USA, the public had a very obvious question: "Is Prince Harry still in line for the throne?" As you can imagine, the answer is yes. These and other scandalous stories have not affected his participation in the British royal line of succession.

Sixth in line to the throne - Archie

Harry and Meghan's eldest son, Archie, was born on May 6, 2019, at Portland Hospital in London, and a few days later was introduced to the world at a photo shoot at Windsor Castle.

The four-year-old boy has not only inherited his father's red hair - he has also taken on Harry's mischievous personality and shares his zodiac sign (Taurus) with his great-grandmother, the late Queen. The grandson of Charles III lives in Montecito, California, with his parents and younger sister.

Seventh in line to the throne - Lilibeth

The youngest in the Sussex family, she became the first royal of such high rank to be born in the United States on June 4, 2021.

Lilibet's name comes from Elizabeth II's childhood nickname, and her middle name is Diana, in honor of her late grandmother.

Prince Andrew is eighth in line to the throne

The Duke of York, the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was born on February 19, 1960, at Buckingham Palace, the same place as his older brother Charles. A veteran of the Falklands War with a 20-year career in the Royal Navy, he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and they had two children: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The couple divorced in 1996.

In 2019, there was a high-profile scandal that forced Andrew to step down from his royal duties. It all started with an interview with BBC Newsnight, which discussed the Duke's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In February 2022, Elizabeth II's son reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre after she filed a lawsuit against Andrew for allegedly sexually assaulting her three times when she was 17 and a minor. The Duke strongly denied the allegations.

As of January 2024, Prince Andrew has come under further scrutiny following the publication of never-before-seen documents relating to sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Princess Beatrice is ninth in line to the throne

The daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson was born on August 8, 1988, at Portland Hospital in London. She was originally fifth in line to the throne, but now ranks ninth after the birth of children William and Harry.

While not a member of the royal family, Beatrice works full-time as the vice president of partnerships and strategy at technology company Afiniti and is known for her eclectic taste in hats. She married real estate developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020, after their wedding was postponed due to the pandemic, and gave birth to a daughter, Siena Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, last year.

Will Camilla remain queen after Charles' death?

No, if the king dies before his wife, Queen Camilla will not become the next monarch. This is because she is not a member of the royal family born in the direct line of succession. After the end of King Charles III's reign, the current Prince William of Wales will become the monarch. It is still unknown what title Camilla would have received if she had outlived her husband.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, on February 5, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer. The type of disease was not reported, it is only clear that it is related to a recent surgery and is not prostate cancer. Doctors noticed it when he was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

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