Line_of_succession_to_the_British

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The line of succession to the British Throne is a partial list of the people in line to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom. The succession is regulated by the Act of Settlement 1701 and common law.^[1]

The line off succession is restricted to the heirs of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, as determined by male-preference primogeniture, religion, and legitimate birth:

Apart from identifying the next monarch, the line of succession is also used to select the Counsellors of State (and a regent if the need arises) under the provisions of the Regency Act 1937.^[4]

The first seven positions in the line of succession have remained unchanged since the birth of Princess Eugenie in March 1990.

For past versions of the line, see History of the British line of succession.

This list is sectioned roughly every other generation with some exceptions. Boldfaced explanations show how the people in the following block descend from the Electress Sophia of Hanover.

Individuals who are descended from the Electress Sophia, but are excluded from the line of succession for various reasons are marked as skipped.

Superscript letters are placed after a name to indicate the source of the name or the reason for exclusion from the line of succession.

Victoria â†’ Edward VII â†’ George V â†’ Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh â†’ Princess Marie of Edinburgh.

Victoria â†’ Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh â†’ Princess Marie of Edinburgh â†’ King Carol II of Romania

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught â†’ Princess Margaret of Connaught.

Victoria â†’ Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught â†’ Princess Margaret of Connaught

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany â†’ Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Victoria â†’ Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany â†’ Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Victoria, Princess Royal â†’ William II, German Emperor.

Victoria â†’ Victoria, Princess Royal â†’ William II, German Emperor â†’ Wilhelm, German Crown Prince

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Princess Alice â†’ Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven.

Victoria â†’ Princess Alice â†’ Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven

All living descendants of Princess Helena are illegitimate

The bloodline of Princess Louise is extinct.

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Edward Augustus â†’ Victoria â†’ Princess Beatrice â†’ Alexander Mountbatten.

Victoria â†’ Princess Beatrice â†’ Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrookeâ†’ Lady Iris Mountbatten

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Ernest Augustus I of Hanover.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ George III â†’ Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ Princess Augusta Charlotte.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ Princess Augusta Charlotte â†’ Princess Auguste â†’ William I of WÃ¼rttemberg

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I of Great Britain |George I â†’ George II of Great Britain |George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ Caroline Matilda of Wales.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Frederick, Prince of Wales â†’ Caroline Matilda of Wales â†’ Louise Auguste of Denmark

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ William V of Orange.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ William V of Orange â†’ William I of the Netherlands â†’ William II of the Netherlands

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg â†’ Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau â†’ Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg â†’ William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg â†’ Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg â†’ Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg â†’ Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg â†’ Archduke Albrecht of Austria, Duke of Teschen

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Princess Wilhelmine Louise of Nassau-Weilburg.

Princess Wilhelmine Louise of Nassau-Weilburg â†’ Heinrich XIX, Prince Reuss of Greiz â†’ Princess Luise Reuss of Greiz

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Princess Amalie of Nassau-Weilburg

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Anne, Princess Royal â†’ Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau â†’ Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
including Queen Olga of Greece's descendants (excepting Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and his)

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Princess Mary.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Princess Mary - Frederick of Hesse - queen Louise of Denmark - Tsarina Mariya Fyodorovna - Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Princess Louise.

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ George II â†’ Princess Louise - queen Sofia Magdalena of Sweden - king Gustav IV Adolf - Grand Duchess Sophia of Baden - Grand Duchess Olga Fyodorovna - Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich - countess Zia de Torby

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus William of Prussia â†’ Frederick William II of Prussia

Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus William of Prussia â†’ Frederick William II of Prussia â†’ Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III of Prussia â†’ Prince Albert

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus William of Prussia â†’ Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia â†’ Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia â†’ Prince August of Prussia

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia â†’ Princess Luise of Prussia

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia â†’ Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia â†’ Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-WolfenbÃ¼ttel

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia â†’ Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-LÃ¼neburg

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia â†’ Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia â†’ Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt

Descendants in the line of Sophia â†’ George I â†’ Sophia Dorothea of Hanover â†’ Louisa Ulrika of Prussia â†’ Gustav III of Sweden

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ Sophia Charlotte of Hanover

Descendants in the line of Sophia of Hanover â†’ Sophia Charlotte of Hanover â†’ Frederick William I of Prussia.

Several other sovereigns and former sovereigns, and a consort of a former sovereign, are in the line of succession:

Several other sovereigns and former sovereigns, and a consort of a sovereign, are descended from the Electress Sophia of Hanover, but are not in line of succession. They are listed along with the place they would hold were they not excluded:

â€ Not eligible due to Catholic faith.

â€¡ Not eligible since married to a Catholic.

Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, born 31 October 1916 (1916-10-31) (age 92) is the only living great grandchild of Queen Victoria.

All great great grandchildren of Queen Victoria are at least 3rd cousins, by definition. However, the six oldest living great great grandchildren of Queen Victoria are shown with a closer relationship, if one exists. These 6 are distinctive, partly because the 1st and 6th are the monarch and consort of the United Kingdom.

The statistical tables show how the line has grown over the years. In 1701 when the law was passed there were ten living people in the line (including three who later became sovereign). Queen Anne, King George I,and King George II. In 1821 Victoria was 2 years old. In 1901 she died leaving seventy four descendants. The table for 1 January 2001, shows the number of descendants from different generations. George III is the grandfather of Victoria, and George II is the grandfather of George III. There is no estimate on the number of illegitimate descendants, but they could be in the thousands, since George I had three illegitimate children, and only two legitimate ones.

Other sources include:

Newly added names which are not found in the above references should be referenced by a footnote.

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Last updated on Monday September 24, 2007 at 05:23:47 PDT (GMT -0700)
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