Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died in her 70th year on the throne while staying at her Balmoral Castle estate in Scotland, leaving the prince and Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor one step closer to the throne.
The queen’s death was announced by Buckingham Palace at 6:30 p.m. U.K. time, with her eldest children, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and Princess Anne, reportedly by her side.
With her death, the shape of Britain’s monarchy changed forever. King Charles III began his reign the moment Elizabeth II’s ended, in accordance with the tradition that the throne must never be vacant.
With Charles’ accession to the throne, all members of the royal family in the direct line of succession moved up one position in order.
The line of succession is the official order that members of the royal family would inherit the throne should those who come before them die or abdicate.
The official list is published on the royal family’s website to the 23rd place and is updated with each addition and subtraction to the blood royal family. It was last updated in the hours after the queen’s death to reflect the new positions.
The list acts as a streamlined family tree, only including the blood relatives of the monarch, reflecting how close in proximity they are through birth.
Royal spouses such as Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are not included in the line of succession as they cannot inherit the crown in their own right, not being blood royals. The only way Kate and Meghan could become queen would be for their husbands to become kings.
For Harry, the accession of his father brings about a two-fold change in the lives of his children.
Firstly, they have moved from their positions as seventh and eighth in the line of succession to sixth and seventh, but secondly, as their grandfather is now a king, they by right can both be styled HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) Prince or Princess of Great Britain.
This is in accordance with the King George V convention that states only the children and grandchildren of a ruling sovereign can be styled as a royal highnesses and prince or princess of Great Britain.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, were the great-grandchildren of the monarch, so they did not automatically become prince and princess.
This rule does not apply to the children of Prince William as the queen extended the privilege to the children of the second in line to the throne.
Whether Harry and Meghan will wish for their children to take on the titles (some royals have the right to use them but choose not to) remains to be seen.
Harry and his children’s new positions come, despite there being reported frictions within the royal family, following the Sussexes’ departure from Britain and their senior working royal roles in 2020.
The couple have visited Britain only three times together since moving to America; the first time for an unpublicized meeting with the queen before her 96th birthday in April; the second time for the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June; and the third time in September when they were attending charity events in Europe when news of the queen’s deteriorating health broke.
Meghan did not accompany Harry as he flew Thursday to Balmoral Castle to be with the royal family. The prince’s plane arrived at Aberdeen International Airport minutes after the death of his grandmother was announced. He stayed at the castle overnight and then left again on Friday morning.
As the second son of the king, Harry is now fifth in line to the throne, behind his brother and his nephews and niece, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Prince William, The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge
Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge
Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge
Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor
Prince Andrew, The Duke of York
Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
Master August Brooksbank
Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex
Viscount Severn
The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
Mr. Peter Phillips
Miss Savannah Phillips
Miss Isla Phillips
Mrs. Michael Tindall
Miss Mia Tindall
Miss Lena Tindall
Master Lucas Tindall
