Charles Is Now King — Here's Who Will Follow Him to the Throne

As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, eyes are also turning to her eldest son, now officially King Charles III.

The death of the Queen marks a new order of succession. While Charles has officially taken over as monarch, many are curious who is in-line to the royal throne after him.

For background, for hundreds and hundreds of years, the rules favored males, putting any son ahead of older daughters. That's why to this day Queen Elizabeth's younger sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward come before their older sister Princess Anne.

To get the monarchy with the times, all the prime ministers of the 16 Commonwealth realms (including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) had to agree to change the rules, and thankfully, they did. After the PMs announced their unanimous support for the switch in 2011, the shift from what's called male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture officially took effect with the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

While the new legislation didn't retroactively alter the order (sorry, Princess Anne), one royal in particular experienced an immediate impact: Princess Charlotte. Even though Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed Prince Louis in 2018, three years after Charlotte was born, she stays behind Prince George and asserts her rights as big sis.

The British Line of Succession following King Charles:

1. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge/Cornwall

2. Prince George of Cambridge/Cornwall

3. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge/Cornwall

4. Prince Louis of Cambridge/Cornwall

5. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

6. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

7. Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor

8. Prince Andrew, Duke of York

9. Princess Beatrice of York

10. Sienna Elizabeth

11. Princess Eugenie of York

12. August Philip Hawke Brooksbank

13. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex

14. James, Viscount Severn

15. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor

16. Princess Anne, the Princess Royal

Princess Anne's children and grandchildren then follow. If or when Prince George has kids of his own, then everyone else below him would get bumped down a tier, and so on.

While it might seem like a demotion, getting farther away from the crown can come as a blessing in disguise. The King still has to approve the marriages of anyone within the top six. Plus, belonging to the latter part of the list means you endure much less public scrutiny.

Most of all, the job of ruling comes with just as many — if not more — responsibilities than perks. Prince Harry once opened up about the major stress that comes with the title, candidly telling Newsweek,"Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”

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