Contents:
The succession to the throne is regulated not only through descent, but also by Parliamentary statute.
The order of succession is the sequence of members of the Royal Family in the order in which they stand in line to the throne. The basis for the succession was determined in the constitutional developments of the seventeenth century, which culminated in the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement When James II fled the country in , Parliament held that he had 'abdicated the government' and that the throne was vacant. The throne was then offered, not to James's young son, but to his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, as joint rulers.
The Act of Settlement confirmed that it was for Parliament to determine the title to the throne. The Act laid down that only Protestant descendants of Princess Sophia - the Electress of Hanover and granddaughter of James I - are eligible to succeed. Subsequent Acts have confirmed this.
Parliament, under the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement, also laid down various conditions which the Sovereign must meet. A Roman Catholic is specifically excluded from succession to the throne.
The Sovereign must, in addition, be in communion with the Church of England and must swear to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland. The Sovereign must also promise to uphold the Protestant succession.
The Succession to the Crown Act amended the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement to end the system of male primogeniture, under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession. The Act applies to those born after 28 October The Act also ended the provisions by which those who marry Roman Catholics are disqualified from the line of succession.
At only 4 years old, Prince George of Cambridge is third in line of succession to the British throne. He is the oldest child of Prince William. She is 2 years old.
The child, whose name has not yet been released, is fifth in line for the throne. Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed a baby boy on April 23, making him fifth in line to the throne. He was named after William's grandfather, Prince Charles, and the Duke's mentor -- Louis Mountbatten -- who was killed by a bomb in Britain's Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle announced that they would marry in the spring.
He is sixth in line to the throne. Prince Henry of Wales — also referred to as Harry — is the sixth in line to the throne.
He is the younger son of Charles, the Prince of Wales. The year-old is seventh in line of succession to the British throne. Princes Beatrice, 29, is Prince Andrew's oldest daughter. Prince Eugenie, 28, is Prince Andrew's youngest daughter.
She is ninth in line for the throne. The year-old is her fourth child and 10th in line for the throne. He is the only son of Prince Edward. At 67 years old, she is 13th in line of succession to the throne.