Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailAfter Prince Andrew sensationally announced he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honours,The Independent has taken a look at the current line of succession to the British throne.King Charles’s brother has been dogged by his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and was set for further controversy due to the release of a memoir by Andrew’s late alleged victim, Virginia Giuffre, to whom he paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case.In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Andrew said that in discussion with the King and his immediate and wider family, they decided “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family”.King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother. He was crowned in May 2023. The royal line of succession has decided who will be the next king or queen of Great Britain for hundreds of years, and now with a new generation of royals, there is a long list of people who could be our next monarch – some of whom are relatively unfamiliar to the general public. So, from Prince William to Princess Eugenie and everyone in between, here is everyone who is closest in line for the British throne.Prince William, Prince of WalesPrince William, 43, is first in line to the British throne after his father became king. open image in galleryPrince William and his three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, are next in line for the throne (Getty Images)Formerly the Duke of Cambridge, William is now known as the Prince of Wales after the Queen’s death. He is the first child of King Charles III and when he becomes king his wife, Kate, 43, the Princess of Wales, will be known as Queen Consort.Prince GeorgePrince William and Princess Kate’s first son, Prince George, is second in line to the throne after his father. The twelve-year-old will be known as King George VII when he becomes monarch one day, but until then, his parents want him to have as normal an upbringing as possible.open image in galleryCharles has been receiving treatment in hospital (AFP via Getty Images)Princess CharlotteAfter an amendment made to the Succession to the Crown Act in 2013 (which means eldest children, regardless of sex, will succeed the throne first), Princess Charlotte, 10, is third in line to the throne after her big brother.Before the Act’s amendment, her younger brother, Louis, would have been ahead of her in the line of succession simply because of his gender. But if Prince George has children one day, they will slot in behind him in the line of succession.Prince LouisSeven-year-old Prince Louis, the third child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is currently fourth in line to the throne after his older siblings.Prince Harryopen image in galleryPrince Harry and his two children, Archie and Lilibet, are fifth, sixth and seventh in line for the throne (Getty Images)As the second child of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, Prince Harry, 41, is fifth in line for the throne after his brother, nephews and niece. His wife, Meghan Markle, is not in line for the throne – much like the Duchess of Cambridge – but their two children are.Prince Archie Mountbatten-WindsorSix-year-old Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first child, is sixth in line to the throne after his father, uncle and cousins.Princess Lilibet Mountbatten-WindsorThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second child, Lilibet, four, is seventh in line to the throne. The toddler’s name is a nod to the Royal Family’s nickname for the late Queen Elizabeth II, and her middle name is Diana, after Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.Prince Andrew, the Duke of Yorkopen image in galleryPrincess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew, Duke of York (L-R) are also in the royal line of succession (Getty)Prince Andrew, 64, Queen Elizabeth II’s third child and King Charles III’s younger brother, is eighth in line to the throne. The royal relinquished his Duke of York title – the highest rank in the British peerage – amid the long-running fallout of the Epstein scandal.However, Andrew still remains a prince. When he was born in 1960, he was automatically a prince as the son of a monarch, and this could only be changed if a Letters Patent was issued by the King.He has two children with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. His children are also in the line of succession, as well as his grandchildren.Princess Beatrice of YorkPrincess Beatrice, 37, is ninth in line to the throne. Miss Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli MozziHer daughter, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, four, who she shares with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, is 10th in line.Princess Eugenie of YorkPrincess Eugenie, 35, Princess Beatrice’s younger sister and daughter to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, is 11th in line to the throne. Master August BrooksbankEugenie’s son with husband Jack Brooksbank, August Brooksbank, four, is 12th in line.Master Ernest BrooksbankAugust is followed in the line of succession by his younger brother, Ernest, born May 2023, who is 13th in line to the throne. Prince Edward, the Duke of EdinburghFollowing the Princesses of York and their children in succession is Prince Edward, 61, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is now 14th in line to the throne. James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of WessexThe 15th in line to the throne is Prince Edward’s youngest son, James, 17, who is also the Queen’s youngest grandchild. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-WindsorThe Earl of Wessex is followed in the line of succession by his older sister, Louise, 21, who is 16th in line to the throne.The Princess RoyalThe Princess Royal, 75, also known as Princess Anne, is the 17th in line to the throne. Mr Peter PhillipsPrincess Anne is followed in the line of succession by her eldest son, Peter Philips, 47, who is 18th in line to the throne.Miss Savannah Phillips Savannah Phillips, 13, Peter’s eldest daughter, is 19th in line to the throne. Miss Isla Phillips The position of 20th in line to the throne is held by Princess Anne’s youngest granddaughter, Isla Philips, 13. Zara TindallThe Queen’s eldest grandchild, Zara Tindall, 44, is 21st in line to the throne.
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British line of succession: Who is next heir to the throne
