Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exciting baby news doesn’t just mean Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will get their first royal cousin – the current line of succession to the British throne is all about to change too.
Harry and Meghan confirmed they are due to welcomed their first child in Spring 2019 via a statement from Kensington Palace.
It read: ‘Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019.
‘Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.’
The royal baby’s arrival will mean certain royals are bumped down the current British lineage, however, as they will take precedence being the son or daughter of HRH Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
So where will Harry and Meghan’s baby sit in place to the throne?
Harry and Meghan’s child will be seventh in line to the British throne when they are born next year.
After Queen Elizabeth II, the next member of the Royal Family in line to be crowned is her oldest song, Charles, Prince Of Wales.
After Charles, it falls to his oldest son, Prince William, Duke Of Cambridge. And after William, the responsibility of the crown falls to five-year-old Prince George, followed by Princess Charlotte, three, Prince Louis, five months, and Prince Harry, 34.
But as we go further down the hierarchy, things can get a little confusing. With this in mind, here’s a refresher of who sits where in the current line of succession…
What is the current line of succession to the British throne?
The following line of succession accounts for Harry and Meghan's first child, due this spring.
Reigning monarch: Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926)
1st - Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948)
2nd - Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982)
3rd - Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013)
4th - Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015)
5th - Prince Louis of Cambridge (b. 23 April 2018)
6th - Prince Henry of Wales (Prince Harry) (b. 1984)
7th - Prince Henry of Wales and Meghan Markle's unborn child (due spring 2019)
8th - Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960)
9th - Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988)
10th - Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990)
11th - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964)
12th - James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007)
13th - Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003)
14th - Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950)
15th - Peter Phillips (b. 1977)
16th - Savannah Phillips (b. 2010)
17th - Isla Phillips (b. 2012)
18th - Zara Tindall (née Phillips; b. 1981)
19th - Mia Tindall (b. 2014)
20th - Lena Elizabeth Tindall (b. 18 June 2018)
Previously, younger male siblings would have jumped ahead of their older sisters in the line of succession. However, as this is no longer the case, the new baby is fifth in line to the throne and does not overtake Charlotte.
It’s highly unlikely that Louis will ever be a reigning monarch as he is below both George and Charlotte.
If Prince George starts a family when he is older, his children would fall ahead of his two siblings in line to the throne.
According to new legislation brought in 2013, the first six people in the line of succession must obtain the monarch’s permission to marry. Since 1772, all descendants of the monarch had to seek approval.
This meant Harry had to seek permission from the Queen to marry Meghan as he was fifth in line to throne, before Louis’ birth in April pushed him down to sixth.
When the Queen dies and Charles takes over the throne, Harry and Meghan’s first son or daughter will have to seek permission when they eventually wish to marry, unless the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a fourth child or George, Charlotte or Louis have children before Harry’s child weds.
Queen Elizabeth II is now 92 years-old and has been married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for 71 years.
She began her reign on February 6, 1952, and became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee as she marked 65 years on the throne last year.
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