History UsefulNotes / TheBritishRoyalFamily

* Upon marriage, princes almost always receive a dukedom from the monarch; however, on Edward's wedding day in 1999, he was given the title of "Earl of Wessex".[[note]]Edward was the first prince to be created an earl rather than a duke since the 15th century. Earldoms are more often given to non-royal husbands of princesses on their wedding day. Edward's title is the same as in ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'' -- in fact, the film inspired him to ask for that specific earldom.[[/note]] His father Philip had come to ask Edward and Sophie prior to their marriage whether Edward would eventually like to become Duke of Edinburgh, however, and there was an announcement upon their marriage that the Queen, Philip, Edward, and Charles had all agreed it would happen "in due course" (after the deaths of Philip and the Queen). He was created Duke of Edinburgh on 10 March 2023 by his brother due to a complicated legal process[[note]]Since Prince Philip predeceased the Queen, the dukedom of Edinburgh automatically passed to Charles, the eldest son, by operation of law, and there was nothing that Charles, the Queen, or Edward could do about it. Charles didn't use the title because Prince of Wales is a higher title than a dukedom, but legally, the title was not available to give to his brother. However, when the Queen passed and Charles became King, the title merged into the Crown, making "Duke of Edinburgh" a title that could be granted to anyone eligible for a dukedom. Charles bestowed the title on Edward on his 59th birthday[[/note]]; however, his mother had earlier rectified the fact he had no Scottish title by creating him Earl of Forfar for his 55th birthday in 2019.

* In January 2024, she was diagnosed with an as yet undisclosed form of cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery for a similarly-undisclosed ailment. Her public admission of this in March of that year sent a seismic tremor through British media and society due to her immense popularity, relative youth (42), and a perhaps not-unfounded concern that the privacy-obsessed royals were downplaying the seriousness of her condition. She began a course of chemotherapy in February, and Kensington Palace reports her to be doing well.

* The future King was named Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, after "a bit of an argument", as his father King Charles good-humouredly once revealed. His mother Diana wanted John for her father, despite the fact it's held to be an unlucky royal name[[note]]England and Scotland each have had exactly ''one'' King John, neither of whom coated himself in glory. The [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland English one]] was kind of a huge arsehole and was responsible for angering his nobles so much it resulted in the Magna Carta; his bad reputation led him to become the BigBad of the Myth/RobinHood legends (even though the earliest stories clearly set themselves 2–4 generations later during the reign of one of the Plantagenet Edwards). Meanwhile, the Scottish one, John Baliol, is generally portrayed in Scottish historiography as a craven if not traitorous puppet of the English king [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst Edward I "Longshanks"]] (incidentally, John of England's grandson); his Scots sobriquet "Toom Tabard" translates almost literally to "Empty Suit". Edward I figures more directly into this story, as well, as he named his eldest son "John" after his grandfather... and the young prince died at the age of five. Moreover, two junior princes who more recently held the name died young (most recently Edward VIII and George VI's youngest brother Prince John of the United Kingdom, a sickly boy with epilepsy; his death at just 13 in 1919 was felt deeply by the whole family). So, yeah, "John": Great name for a Spencer boy but decidedly not what you want to be calling the heir to the throne[[/note]] while Charles's "[[Myth/KingArthur equally-problematic for a future British king]]" choice, Arthur, went second. Eventually, they settled on William, after Charles's cousin Prince William of Gloucester, who died in a plane crash in 1972, followed by Philip in honour of Charles's father and Louis for the heir to the throne's beloved great-uncle (Louis Mountbatten), who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.

* He had a twenty-year career in the British Army, serving in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Scots_Greys Royal Scots Greys]] and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He's since been given the honorary rank of Field Marshall. He is also the Royal Colonel of the Scots Guards and can be seen riding on horseback at the annual Trooping of the Colour.

** ''Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales → Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel → Princess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel → Prince Paul of Württemberg[[note]]also an ancestor of Prime Minister UsefulNotes/BorisJohnson, as discovered on ''Series/WhoDoYouThinkYouAre''[[/note]] → Pauline, Duchess of Nassau → Sophia, Queen of Sweden and Norway → Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland → Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians → Albert II of Belgium → Philippe of Belgium''

::: '''''Albert Windsor'''''(b. 2007) ''first son of Lord Nicholas Windsor, barred because he is a Catholic''\\

* Upon marriage, princes almost always receive a dukedom from the monarch; however, on Edward's wedding day in 1999, he was given the title of "Earl of Wessex".[[note]]Edward was the first prince to be created an earl rather than a duke since the 15th century. Earldoms are more often given to non-royal husbands of princesses on their wedding day. Edward's title is the same as in ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'' -- in fact, the film inspired him to ask for that specific earldom.[[/note]] His father Philip had come to ask Edward and Sophie prior to their marriage whether Edward would eventually like to become Duke of Edinburgh, however, and there was an announcement upon their marriage that the Queen, Philip, Edward, and Charles had all agreed it would happen "in due course" (after the deaths of Philip and the Queen). He was created Duke of Edinburgh on 10 March 2023 by his brother due to a complicated legal process[[note]]Since Prince Philip predeceased the Queen, the dukedom of Edinburgh automatically passed to Charles, the eldest son, by operation of law, and there was nothing that Charles, the Queen, or Edward could do about it. Charles didn't use the title because Prince of Wales is a higher title than a dukedom, but legally, the title was not available to give to his brother. However, as soon as the Queen died and Charles became King, the title merged into the Crown, making "Duke of Edinburgh" a title that could be granted to anyone eligible for a dukedom. Charles bestowed the title on Edward on his 59th birthday[[/note]]; however, his mother had earlier rectified the fact he had no Scottish title by creating him Earl of Forfar for his 55th birthday in 2019.

The prince is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary and sits at 27th in line to the throne. A quiet man who isn't that well-known, even to native Brits.

->'''Born:''' 17 July 1947

'''Spouse:''' Sophie, ''Duchess of Edinburgh'' (''née'' Rhys-Jones) (1999–present)

Although a large and sprawling family, the current membership of the House of Windsor is generally considered to refer mainly to:

!!'''Prince Michael of Kent'''

!!'''Princess Michael of Kent'''

!!'''Descendants of UsefulNotes/CharlesIII (b 1948)'''
1. '''William, Prince of Wales''' (b 1982) ''elder son of King Charles III''
->2. '''Prince George of Wales''' (b 2013) ''first child and elder son of William, Prince of Wales''
-> 3. '''Princess Charlotte of Wales''' (b 2015) ''second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales''
-> 4. '''Prince Louis of Wales''' (b 2018) ''third child and younger son of William, Prince of Wales''
5. '''Prince Henry "Harry", Duke of Sussex''' (b 1984) ''younger son of King Charles III''
-> 6. '''Prince Archie of Sussex''' (b 2019) ''first child and only son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex''
-> 7. '''Princess Lilibet "Lili" of Sussex''' (b 2021) ''second child and only daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex''

!!'''Descendants of UsefulNotes/ElizabethII (1926--2022)'''

8. '''Prince Andrew, Duke of York''' (b 1960) ''second son of Queen Elizabeth II''
-> 9. '''Princess Beatrice, Mrs Mapelli Mozzi''' (b 1988) ''elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York''
--> 10. '''Sienna Mapelli Mozzi''' (b 2021) ''only child and only daughter of Princess Beatrice, Mrs Mapelli Mozzi''
-> 11. '''Princess Eugenie, Mrs Brooksbank''' (b 1990) ''younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York''
--> 12. '''August Brooksbank''' (b 2021) ''first child and elder son of Princess Eugenie, Mrs Brooksbank''
--> 13. '''Ernest Brooksbank''' (b 2023) ''second child and younger son of Princess Eugenie, Mrs Brooksbank''

14. '''Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh''' (b 1964) ''third son of Queen Elizabeth II''
-> 15. '''James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex''' (b 2007) ''only son of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh''
-> 16. '''Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor''' (b 2003) ''only daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh''

17. '''Anne, Princess Royal''' (b 1950) ''only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II''
-> 18. '''Peter Phillips''' (b 1977) ''only son of Anne, Princess Royal''
--> 19. '''Savannah Phillips''' (b 2010) ''elder daughter of Peter Phillips''
--> 20. '''Isla Phillips''' (b 2012) ''younger daughter of Peter Phillips''
-> 21. '''Zara Tindall''' (b 1981) ''only daughter of Anne, Princess Royal''
--> 22. '''Mia Tindall''' (b 2014) ''first child and elder daughter of Zara Tindall''
--> 23. '''Lena Tindall''' (b 2018) ''second child and younger daughter of Zara Tindall''
--> 24. '''Lucas Tindall''' (b 2021) ''third child and only son of Zara Tindall''

!!'''Descendants of [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon]] (Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister) (1930--2002)'''

25. '''David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon''' (b 1961) ''only son of Princess Margaret''
-> 26. '''Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley''' (b 1999) ''only son of the 2nd Earl of Snowdon''
-> 27. '''Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones''' (b 2002) ''only daughter of the 2nd Earl of Snowdon''

28. '''Lady Sarah Chatto''' (b 1964) ''only daughter of Princess Margaret''
-> 29. '''Samuel Chatto''' (b 1996) ''elder son of Lady Sarah Chatto''
-> 30. '''Arthur Chatto''' (b 1999) ''younger son of Lady Sarah Chatto''

!!'''Descendants of Prince Henry, (1st) Duke of Gloucester (King George VI's younger brother) (1900--1974)'''

'''''Prince William of Gloucester''''' ''(1941--1972) first son of Prince Henry, died unmarried and with no children before his father''

31. '''Prince Richard, (2nd) Duke of Gloucester''' (b 1944) ''second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester''
-> 32. '''Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster''' (b 1974) ''only son of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester''
--> 33. '''Xan Windsor, Baron Culloden''' (b 2007) ''only son of the Earl of Ulster''
--> 34. '''Lady Cosima Windsor''' (b 2010) ''only daughter of the Earl of Ulster''
-> 35.'''Lady Davina Windsor''' (b 1977) ''elder daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester''
--> 36. '''Senna Lewis''' (b 2010) ''only daughter of Lady Davina Windsor''
--> 37. '''Tāne Lewis''' (b 2012) ''only son of Lady Davina Windsor''
-> 38. '''Lady Rose Gilman''' (b 1980) ''younger daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester''
--> 39. '''Lyla Gilman''' (b 2010) ''only daughter of Lady Rose Gilman''
--> 40. '''Rufus Gilman''' (b 2012) ''only son of Lady Rose Gilman''

!!'''Descendants of Prince George, (1st) Duke of Kent (King George VI's younger brother) (1902--1942)'''

41. '''Prince Edward, (2nd) Duke of Kent''' (b 1935) ''elder son of Prince George, Duke of Kent''
-> 42. '''George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews''' (b 1962) ''elder son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent''
--> '''''Edward Windsor, Baron Downpatrick''''' ''(b 1988) only son of the Earl of St Andrews, barred because he is a Catholic''
--> '''''Lady Marina Windsor''''' ''(b 1992) elder daughter of the Earl of St Andrews, barred because she is a Catholic''
--> 43. '''Lady Amelia Windsor''' (b 1995) ''younger daughter of the Earl of St Andrews''
-> '''''Lord Nicholas Windsor''''' ''(b 1970) younger son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, barred because he is a Catholic''
--> '''''Albert Windsor'''''(b 2007) ''first son of Lord Nicholas Windsor, barred because he is a Catholic''
--> '''''Leopold Windsor''''' (b 2009) ''second son of Lord Nicholas Windsor, barred because he is a Catholic''
--> '''''Louis Windsor'''''(b 2014) ''third son of Lord Nicholas Windsor, barred because he is a Catholic''
-> 44. '''Lady Helen Taylor''' (b 1964) ''only daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent''
--> 45. '''Columbus Taylor ''' (b 1994) ''elder son of Lady Helen Taylor''
--> 46. '''Cassius Taylor''' (b 1996) ''younger son of Lady Helen Taylor''
--> 47. '''Eloise Taylor ''' (b 2003) ''elder daughter of Lady Helen Taylor''
--> 48. '''Estella Taylor''' (b 2004) ''younger daughter of Lady Helen Taylor''

49. '''Prince Michael of Kent''' (b 1942) ''younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent''
-> 50. '''Lord Frederick Windsor''' (b 1979) ''only son of Prince Michael of Kent''
--> 51. '''Maud Windsor''' (b 2013) ''first child and elder daughter of Lord Frederick Windsor''
--> 52. '''Isabella Windsor''' (b 2016) ''second child and younger daughter of Lord Frederick Windsor''
-> 53. '''Lady Gabriella Kingston''' (b 1981) ''only daughter of Prince Michael of Kent''

54. '''Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy ''' (b 1936) ''only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent''
-> 55. '''James Ogilvy''' (b 1964) ''only son of Princess Alexandra''
--> 56. '''Alexander Ogilvy''' (b 1996) ''only son of James Ogilvy''
--> 57. '''Flora Ogilvy''' (b 1994) ''only daughter of James Ogilvy''
-> 58. '''Marina Ogilvy''' (b 1966) ''only daughter of Princess Alexandra''
--> 59. '''Christian Mowatt''' (b 1993) ''only son of Marina Ogilvy''
--> 60. '''Zenouska Mowatt''' (b 1990) ''only daughter of Marina Ogilvy''

!!'''Descendants of Princess Mary, Princess Royal/Countess of Harewood (King George VI's younger sister) (1897--1965)'''

'''''George Lascelles, [[BlueBlood 7th Earl of Harewood]]''''' ''(1923--2011) elder son of Princess Mary''
-> 61. '''David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood''' (b 1950) ''first son of the 7th Earl of Harewood''
--> '''''The Hon. Benjamin Lascelles''''' ''(b 1978) first son of the 8th Earl of Harewood, barred because he was born outside marriage''
---> '''''Mateo Lascelles''''' ''(b 2013) only son of Benjamin Lascelles, barred because his father was born outside marriage''
--> 62. '''Alexander Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles''' (b 1980) ''second son of the 8th Earl of Harewood (first child born when parents married)''
---> '''''Leo Lascelles''''' ''(b 2008) only son of Alexander Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles, barred because he was born outside marriage''
---> 63. '''The Hon. Ivy Lascelles ''' ''(b 2018), only daughter of Alexander Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles''
--> 64. '''The Hon. Edward Lascelles''' (b 1982) ''third son of the 8th Earl of Harewood''
---> 65. '''Sebastian Lascelles ''' ''(b 2020), only child and only son of The Hon. Edward Lascelles''
--> '''''Lady Emily Shard''''' ''(b 1975) only daughter of the 8th Earl of Harewood, barred because she was born outside marriage''
---> '''''Isaac Shard''''' ''(b 2009) first son of Lady Emily Shard, barred because his mother was born outside marriage''
---> '''''Ida Shard''''' ''(b 2009) only daughter of Lady Emily Shard, barred because her mother was born outside marriage''
---> '''''Otis Shard''''' ''(b 2011) second son of Lady Emily Shard, barred because his mother was born outside marriage''
-> 66. '''The Hon. James Lascelles''' (b 1953) ''second son of the 7th Earl of Harewood''
--> 67. '''Rowan Lascelles''' (b 1977) ''elder son of James Lascelles''
--> 68. '''Sophie Pearce''' (b 1973) ''elder daughter of James Lascelles''
---> '''''Lilianda Pearce''''' ''(b 2010) only daughter of Sophie Pearce, barred because she was born outside marriage''
--> 69. '''Tewa Lascelles''' (b 1985) ''younger son of James Lascelles''
---> 70. '''Fran Lascelles''' (b 2014) ''only child and only son of Tewa Lascelles''
--> '''''Tanit Lascelles''''' ''(b 1981) younger daughter of James Lascelles, barred because she was born outside marriage''
-> 71. '''The Hon. Jeremy Lascelles''' (b 1955) ''third son of the 7th Earl of Harewood''
--> 72. '''Thomas Lascelles''' (b 1981) ''only son of Jeremy Lascelles''
---> 73. '''Cleo Lascelles''' (b 2017) ''first child and elder daughter of Thomas Lascelles''
---> 74. '''Celeste Lascelles''' (b 2020) ''first child and younger daughter of Thomas Lascelles''
--> 75. '''Ellen Lascelles''' (b 1984) ''first daughter of Jeremy Lascelles''
---> '''''Jack Hermans''''' ''(b 2016) only son of Ellen Lascelles, barred because he was born outside marriage''
---> '''''Penny Hermans''''' ''(b 2018) only daughter of Ellen Lascelles, barred because she was born outside marriage''
--> 76. '''Amy Lascelles''' (b 1986) ''second daughter of Jeremy Lascelles''
--> 77. '''Tallulah Lascelles''' (b 2005) ''third daughter of Jeremy Lascelles''
-> '''''The Hon. Mark Lascelles''''' ''(b 1964) fourth son of the 7th Earl of Harewood, barred because he was born outside marriage''
--> '''''Charlotte Lascelles''''' ''(b 1996) first daughter of Mark Lascelles, barred because her father was born outside marriage''
--> '''''Imogen Lascelles''''' ''(b 1998) second daughter of Mark Lascelles, barred because her father was born outside marriage''
--> '''''Miranda Lascelles''''' ''(b 2000) third daughter of Mark Lascelles, barred because her father was born outside marriage''

'''''The Hon. Gerald Lascelles ''''' ''(1924--1998) younger son of Princess Mary''
-> 78. '''Henry Lascelles''' (b 1953) ''elder son of Gerald Lascelles''
--> 79. '''Maximilian Lascelles''' (b 1991) ''only son of Henry Lascelles''
-> '''''Martin Lascelles''''' ''(b 1962) younger son of Gerald Lascelles, barred because he was born outside marriage''
--> '''''Alexander Lascelles''''' ''(b 2002) only son of Martin Lascelles, barred because his father was born outside marriage''
--> '''''Georgina Douet-Lascelles''''' ''(b 1988) only daughter of Martin Lascelles, barred because she and her father were born outside marriage''

The line continues with the descendants of King Edward VII and so on, all the way back to King [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfHanover George I]] (the Act of Settlement 1701 specifies that the descendants of Electress Sophia of Hanover are eligible for the throne; however, only two of her children (George I and Sophia Charlotte) had children, and the only son of Sophia Charlotte, Frederick William I of Prussia[[note]]Father of UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat for the curious[[/note]] [[KissingCousins married Sophia Dorothea, his cousin and George I's daughter]], so all those alive today are also descended from George I).

[[folder:Other European Monarchs and pretenders in the Line of succession]]

* '''King Harald V of UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}''' (b 1937), great-grandson of King Edward VII, second cousin once removed of the King -- 87th in line. Descended from:
** ''King Edward VII --> Queen Maud of Norway --> Olav V of Norway --> Harald V of Norway''
* '''Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of UsefulNotes/{{Romania}}''' (b 1947), pretender to the Romanian throne, great-great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria, second cousin once removed of the King[[note]]since her mother, Anne of Bourbon-Parma, was a Catholic, Margareta's father Michael I lost his place in the line of succession under the Act of Settlement 1701 upon their marriage in 1948 and regained it under the Perth Agreement, but she and her sisters were all raised Orthodox, so it never applied to them[[/note]] -- c. 110/120 in line. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha --> Queen Marie of Romania --> Carol II of Romania --> Michael I of Romania --> Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania''
* '''Alexander, Crown Prince of UsefulNotes/{{Yugoslavia}}''' (b 1945), pretender to the Yugoslav Throne, great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, second cousin once removed of the King through the Greek royal family -- c. 110/120 in line. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha --> Queen Marie of Romania --> Queen Maria of Yugoslavia --> Peter II of Yugoslavia --> Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia''
* '''King Carl XVI Gustaf of UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}}''' (b 1946), great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, third cousin once removed of the King -- Questionably, as his parents never received permission to marry under the Royal Marriages Act, but would be c. 200/210 in line. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn''[[note]] he is additionally descended from Victoria's youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, his posthumous son Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the Duke's daughter Princess Sibylla, the one who needed permission under the RMA[[/note]] ''--> Princess Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden --> Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten --> King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden''
* '''King Frederik X of {{UsefulNotes/Denmark}}''' (b. 1968), great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, third cousin once removed of the King via descent of Christian IX of Denmark [[note]]the King is descended from Christian's oldest daughter [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom]] --> George V --> George VI --> Elizabeth II --> Charles III; while Frederik is descended from his oldest child King Frederik VIII of Denmark --> Christian X --> Frederik IX --> Margrethe II --> Frederik X[[/note]] -- c. 230/240 in line, just behind his mother, former '''Queen Margrethe II'''. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn --> Princess Margaret, Crown Princess of Sweden --> Queen Ingrid of Denmark --> Margrethe II of Denmark --> Frederik X of Denmark''
* '''Pavlos, Crown Prince of {{UsefulNotes/Greece}}''' (b 1967), pretender to the Greek Throne, great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria, second cousin once removed of the King -- c. 430/440 in line. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Victoria, German Empress --> Wilhelm II, German Emperor --> Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick --> Queen Frederica of Greece --> Constantine II of Greece [[note]]Constantine's father Paul of Greece was additionally the son of Wilhelm II's sister Queen Sophia of Greece, which is why his relationship to Queen Victoria listed above is one degree shorter than would be indicated through this line[[/note]]--> Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece[[note]]additionally, his mother Queen Anne-Marie is the sister of Margrethe II of Denmark and aunt of Frederik X[[/note]]''
* '''King Willem-Alexander of [[{{UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands}} the Netherlands]]''' (b 1967), descendant of King George II, fifth cousin thrice removed of the King -- c. 800 in line, just behind his mother, former queen '''Princess Beatrix'''. Descended from:
** ''King George II --> Princess Anne, Princess of Orange --> William V, Prince of Orange --> William I of the Netherlands --> William II of the Netherlands --> William III of the Netherlands --> Wilhelmina of the Netherlands --> Juliana of the Netherlands --> Beatrix of the Netherlands --> Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands''

The Act of Settlement 1701 barred anyone who was Catholic or married to a Catholic from taking the British throne. This bar stood until 2013, when the Succession to the Throne Act 2013 deleted the bit about people married to Catholics being barred from the throne. Actual Catholics, though, remain forbidden, for the practical reason that the monarch is also Supreme Governor of the Protestant Church of England and a "protector" of the even more Protestant Church of Scotland. (This notably leads to the strangeness that the monarch seemingly changes religions every time they enter or leave Scotland. Several have preferred the Scottish way, though, including--at least according to some reports--both Victoria and Elizabeth II.) None of this kept the later descendants of British monarchs from marrying Catholic royals (and "recusant" British Catholic nobles), and so quite a few Catholic monarchs ''would'' be in the line were they not Catholic.

* '''King Felipe VI of UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}''' (b 1968) and his father '''King Juan Carlos I''' (b 1938; abdicated 2014, retains "King" as a courtesy title despite no longer being on the throne), Juan Carlos would be somewhere in the 700ish range. Felipe would be higher however through his mother, a sister of the last king of Greece. Felipe is a twice over great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria and second cousin once-removed of the King on the Greek side, as well as a third cousin once-removed through the Battenberg family. Interestingly, the Spanish monarchs are agnatic Bourbons--that is, descendants of [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi the ruling house of France]] during the height of Anglo-French contention in the 18th century. Descended from:
** ''Queen Victoria --> Victoria, German Empress --> Wilhelm II, German Emperor --> Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick --> Queen Frederica of Greece --> Queen Sofia of Spain--> Felipe VI of Spain''
** ''Queen Victoria --> Princess Beatrice --> Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain --> Infante (Prince) Juan, Count of Barcelona --> Juan Carlos I of Spain --> Felipe VI of Spain''
* '''Philippe, [[InsistentTerminology King of the]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} Belgians]]''' (b 1960) and his father the former '''King Albert II''' (b 1934), who are descendants of Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales[[note]]For reference, the eldest son of George II and father of George III; he predeceased his father and so was never King.[[/note]] (and related to Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg through Albert's elder sister, who became Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, Henri's mother) would be somewhere in the 1300/1400 range. Fun fact: the Belgian and British monarchies are even more closely related, as they are both agnatically of the House of [Wettin von] Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (name later changed on account of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI a nasty family squabble]]): the first Belgian king, Leopold I, was {{UsefulNotes/Queen Victoria}}'s maternal uncle ([[KissingCousins as well as her husband Albert's paternal one]]). However, this closer relationship doesn't count, since it's not descent from Sophia. (With the accession of Charles III, Britain has switched to being agnatic Oldenburgs.) Descended from:
** ''Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales --> Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel --> Princess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel --> Prince Paul of Württemberg [[note]]also an ancestor of Prime Minister UsefulNotes/BorisJohnson, as discovered on Series/WhoDoYouThinkYouAre[[/note]] --> Pauline, Duchess of Nassau --> Sophia, Queen of Sweden and Norway --> Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland --> Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians --> Albert II of Belgium --> Philippe of Belgium''
* '''Henri, Grand Duke of {{UsefulNotes/Luxembourg}}''' (b 1955), who is a descendant of Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales (and a first cousin of Philippe of Belgium), would also be somewhere in the 1300/1400 range. Like the Spanish monarchs, an agnatic Bourbon (of the cadet line of Bourbon-Parma). Descended from:
** ''Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales --> Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel --> Princess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel --> Prince Paul of Württemberg --> Pauline, Duchess of Nassau --> Sophia, Queen of Sweden and Norway --> Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland --> Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians --> Joséphine Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg --> Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg''

* Last (4,973rd place as of 2011) -- ''Frau''[[note]]As an unmarried woman, traditionally ''Fraulein'', but this is now considered dated, much as "Miss" has fallen out of favour in English-speaking countries[[/note]] '''Karin Vogel''', a pain therapist from Rostock, [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]], and a female-line great-great-granddaughter of [[{{UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies}} Alexander, Duke of Wurttemberg]] (1771–1833), himself a great-great-grandson of George I through his daughter, Sophia Dorothea. The ''next''-to-last in line is her niece, who is named (appropriately enough) '''Victoria''' Vogel.

!!'''Queen Camilla'''

!!'''Anne, Princess Royal'''

!!'''Prince Andrew, Duke of York'''

!!'''Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh'''

!!'''Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh'''

!!'''William, Prince of Wales'''

!!'''Catherine, Princess of Wales'''

!!'''Prince Henry, Duke of Sussex'''

!!'''[[Creator/MeghanMarkle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex]]'''

!!'''Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi'''

->'''Born''': 8 August 1988
->'''Full Name''': Beatrice Elizabeth Mary [[note]]after her grandmother the Queen, and her great-great grandmother, Queen Mary[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': Prince Andrew, ''Duke of York'' and Sarah Ferguson
->'''Spouse:''' ''Conte'' Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (2020--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''Princess'' Beatrice, ''Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi''

* Probably best known for her penchant for a mad hat, as seen at her cousin Prince William’s wedding, where she wore [[http://www.blogcdn.com/www.mydaily.co.uk/media/2011/04/beatrice-eugenia-wedding-ha.jpg what could be abstractly described as a lobster on her head]].
* Known to be a good laugh and an engaging party guest, the princess and her now-husband are mainstays of the aristocratic social circuit -- no other royal so frequently appears in ''Tatler's'' bystander party-pages. At venerable London clubs like Annabel’s, it’s possible to plonk yourself down only to find yourself sitting next to a princess.

* Always seemingly keen to hold down a “real job” as well as being a Princess, as of April 2017, she works full-time and splits her time between London and New York City. She is known as Beatrice York in her professional life and works as the vice president of partnerships and strategy at Afiniti, a Washington-based software company.
* She married British-Italian property developer Edoardo Mappelli Mozzi in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle in mid July 2020, as their original May wedding plans were scuppered by the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic; the two had known each other since childhood. As his Italian ''Conte'' title isn't recognized by the United Kingdom (or by Italy, really, since it's a republic these days), it is not included in the princess' official style. Beatrice not only wore a vintage, reworked Norman Hartnell dress of her grandmother's for her wedding gown, but the very tiara then-Princess Elizabeth wore for her own 1947 wedding as well. The wedding was the last major event both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen attended.
* She gave birth to her first child, daughter Sienna Elizabeth[[note]]Sienna in honor of her father’s Italian roots, and Elizabeth after her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth[[/note]], in September 2021. In addition to her daughter, Beatrice is one of the few royals of the world to have a stepchild. Her stepson, Christopher Woolf[[note]]His first name honors Edoardo's late stepfather, Christopher Shale[[/note]] (known as 'Wolfie'), was his father’s best man, and Beatrice has talked extensively about how much Wolfie means to her.

!!'''Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank'''

->'''Born''': 23 March 1990
->'''Full Name''': Eugenie Victoria Helena [[note]]after her ancestor Queen Victoria and Victoria's 3rd daughter.[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': Prince Andrew, ''Duke of York'' and Sarah Ferguson
->'''Spouse:''' Jack Brooksbank (2018--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''Princess'' Eugenie, ''Mrs Jack Brooksbank''

* She and Jack welcomed their first son, August Philip Hawke[[note]]The couple chose the name August after Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert, who had Augustus as a middle name. Philip is in honour of Eugenie's grandfather and August's great-grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh. Hawke comes from his father's side of the family, after Jack's ancestor Rev. Edward Hawke Brooksbank.[[/note]], in February 2021. Their second son, Ernest George Ronnie[[note]]His middle names are in honor of both of his paternal grandfather, George Brooksbank, and maternal great-grandfather Major Ronald Fergeson.[[/note]] was born in May 2023.

!!'''Peter Phillips'''

->'''Born:''' 15 November 1977
->'''Full Name''': Peter Mark Andrew
->'''Parents''': Anne, ''Princess Royal'' and ''Captain'' Mark Phillips
->'''Spouse:''' Autumn Phillips (''née'' Kelly) (2008--2020)
->'''Title:''' ''Mr'' Peter Phillips

!!'''Zara Tindall'''

->'''Born:''' 15 May 1981
->'''Full Name''': Zara Anne Elizabeth (''née'' Phillips)
->'''Parents''': Anne, ''Princess Royal'' and ''Captain'' Mark Phillips
->'''Spouse:''' Mike Tindall (2011--present)
->'''Title:''' ''Mrs Michael Tindall''

!!'''Lady Louise Windsor'''

->'''Born''': 8 November 2003
->'''Full Name''': Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary [[note]]all classically British royal names, including her grandmother and great-great grandmother[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': Prince Edward, ''Duke of Edinburgh'' and Sophie Rhys-Jones
->'''Title:''' The ''Lady'' Louise Mountbatten-Windsor[[note]]her SpellMyNameWithAThe comes from her father currently being the Duke; were she to hypothetically marry someone with no title, or her father die and her brother inherit, she would then be just "Lady Louise"[[/note]]

* Lady Louise and her brother, below, are styled as the children of a peer (taken from their father’s title, Duke of Edinburgh) despite their right to princely status via their father, as per their first cousins Princes William & Harry and Princesses Beatrice & Eugenie. Their parents wanted them to grow up without the burden of ‘HRH’ status, so although Louise is legally entitled to the style 'HRH Princess Louise of Edinburgh', it is (as of her 18th birthday) up to her whether or not she chooses to use it and so far she has not.
* A sweet, rather wholesome girl (she’s a keen [[ScoutOut Guider]]), she’s (perhaps luckily) avoided the press-scrutiny of other royal children and generally remains out of the spotlight, compared to her cousins. Her biggest presence in the headlines -- perhaps fortunately for her given the ravenous nature of British tabloids -- came at her birth, when she was born four weeks prematurely by emergency Caesarean after her mother suffered a placental abruption. Fortunately for all concerned, neither she nor Sophie seem to have suffered any lasting effects.

* As of September 2022 she accepted a place to study English at St. Andrew's University[[note]]alma mater of her cousin/-in law the Prince and Princess of Wales[[/note]] in Scotland.

!!'''James, Earl of Wessex'''

->'''Born''': 17 December 2007
->'''Full Name''': James Alexander Philip Theo
->'''Parents''': Prince Edward, ''Duke of Edinburgh'' and Sophie Rhys-Jones
->'''Title:''' James Mountbatten-Windsor, ''Earl of Wessex''

* Like his sister, he's entitled to the style "HRH Prince James of Edinburgh", but his parents didn't want to burden him with princely status. He's therefore styled with his father's subsidiary title, "Earl of Wessex".[[note]]Prince Edward is also the Earl of Forfar, but that was a newer granting, so James simply uses the senior subsidiary title like all heirs.[[/note]] Legally, he's still a prince of royal blood and at 18 he can decide if he wants to use his princely title.

!!'''Prince George of Wales'''

->'''Born:''' 22 July 2013
->'''Full Name:''' George Alexander Louis [[note]]"George" comes from his many royal ancestors named George (including his great-great-grandfather George VI). "Alexander" comes from three Kings of Scotland who reigned in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries -- his parents met in Scotland, he has Scottish ancestry through the Queen Mum, and Scotland was due to hold a referendum on independence the following year, leading to a gesture of unity. "Louis"--which incidentally is pronounced "Louie" in the French manner--comes from his paternal relatives Prince Louis of Battenburg (his three-times-great-grandfather) and Earl Mountbatten of Burma (his three-times-great-uncle). He got his name just two days after he was born, which is historically very fast for a newborn royal -- Charles went nameless for almost a ''month''.[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': William, ''Prince of Wales'' and Catherine Middleton
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''Prince'' George of Wales [[note]]He'll get an even cooler title eventually. He can already be styled HRH, as a direct heir to the throne.[[/note]]

!!'''Princess Charlotte of Wales'''

->'''Born:''' 2 May 2015
->'''Full Name:''' Charlotte Elizabeth Diana [[note]]"Elizabeth" is obviously for the Queen, and "Diana" is obviously for her grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales. "Charlotte" may come from her grandfather "Charles" or her grandmother Carole; it's otherwise gone unused for two centuries, having been introduced by George III's wife Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ''i.e.'' the lady after whom they named the city in UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina and last used by Princess Charlotte of Wales, only legitimate child of George IV, who tragically died in childbirth.[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': William, ''Prince of Wales'' and Catherine Middleton
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''Princess'' Charlotte of Wales [[note]]likely to be Princess Royal eventually after the passing of her great-aunt Anne. Like her older brother George, was styled HRH during the reign of Elizabeth II, but unlike her brother, the Queen had to sign letters patent authorizing that for her and her younger brother Louis. Now that she is a male-line grandchild of the reigning sovereign, she is automatically entitled to the style HRH and thus would have become one if she hadn't been already.[[/note]]

Only daughter of Prince William, third in line to the throne, and unlike her great-aunt Princess Anne, cannot be displaced by any younger brothers, thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 allowing absolute primogeniture for anyone born after 2011 -- ''i.e.'' now it doesn't ''have'' to be male-line descendents.

* As she's grown older, her resemblance to her father's side of the family is striking, and she sports the classic "Windsor look" shared by HM the Queen, The Princess Royal and most striking of all her older cousin Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, to whom she's a veritable mini-me[[note]]oddly, considering Lady Sarah heavily favours her father the late Lord Snowdon, aka, the unrelated side[[/note]]. More recently, her father himself has been recorded exclaiming at an old picture: "Is that me? Is that Charlotte? Is that me...?"

* She gained quite a bit of notice at the age of 8 at her grandfather's coronation, where her stylish white caped dress, braided updo, and silver headpiece made for rave comparisons to [[Characters/StarWarsLeiaOrgana Princess Leia]].

!!'''Prince Louis of Wales'''

->'''Born:''' 23 April 2018
->'''Full Name:''' Louis Arthur Charles [[note]]"Louis" pronounced the French way, likely in honour of Charles's mentor and father figure Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; "Arthur" likely from the mythological Myth/KingArthur; and "Charles" from his paternal grandfather.[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': William, ''Prince of Wales'' and Catherine Middleton
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''Prince'' Louis of Wales [[note]]possibly likely to be Duke of York once he gets married, but it's complicated. Since the title is held for life, his great-uncle Prince Andrew, the current title holder, could prevent the title from being available if he is still alive when Louis gets married -- if that happens when he's 30, Prince Andrew will be 88. If Andrew is not alive when Louis marries, the King would have to re-create the title for Louis -- it could be Charles, if he's still alive by then, although he'd probably be pushing 100, or it could be his dad William.[[/note]]

* Despite being born on St. George's Day[[note]]patron saint of England and the Order of the Garter[[/note]], it was [[ForegoneConclusion fairly obvious]] he couldn't be called George — although slightly surprising it wasn't one of his middle names. The equally-mythic Arthur seems to have substituted.
* He is the first British royal ''ever'' to have the first name Louis[[note]]it's been used as a middle name for quite some time--including for his older brother--thanks to Louis Mountbatten, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, but never a first name[[/note]], a name associated for centuries with [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi French kings]].[[note]]With one caveat: The French King Louis VIII "the Lion" claimed the English throne in 1216 as Louis I of England, supported by a sizeable contingent of English lords. However, these lords only supported him opportunistically as part of their war against [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland King John]] (who else?); most of these lords promptly abandoned "Louis I" after John died in late 1216, and while he managed to hold a surprisingly large part of England even after this, he quickly realised that his position was untenable and gladly accepted a massive cash payoff to leave in September 1217.[[/note]] His other names not including "Albert" marks the end of a tradition in which the second son in the direct line of succession is given that name (Victoria's second son Prince Alfred, Edward VII's second son George V, George V's second son George VI, Elizabeth II's second son Prince Andrew, and Charles III's second son Prince Harry all have the first or middle name "Albert").

* He became the subject of numerous news highlights and internet conversation and memes during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations for his dramatic facial expressions and general cheeky demeanour. He again stole the show during and after his grandfather's coronation in 2023.

!!'''Prince Archie of Sussex'''

->'''Born''': 6 May 2019
->'''Full Name:''' Archie Harrison [[note]]Not even short for Archibald. Per his mother's revelation, his nickname at home is "Bubba".[[/note]]
->'''Parents''': Prince Harry, ''Duke of Sussex'' and Creator/MeghanMarkle
->'''Title:''' ''Prince'' Archie of Sussex [[note]]At birth, his parents announced they would style him Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, even though he was entitled to the style of Earl of Dumbarton as heir to his father's dukedom of Sussex. After his parents left the UK and ceased to be working royals, it was unclear whether he and his sister would receive the princely titles that they would be entitled to after their grandfather's ascension, but on 8 March 2023, his parents and Buckingham Palace announced that he and his sister would use them, and he was titled Prince Archie of Sussex.[[/note]]

** His parents claimed on an interview with Creator/OprahWinfrey, there were concerns from an unnamed member of the Royal Family (that Harry only confirmed ''isn't'' the Queen or Prince Phillip) about the then-unborn Archie's [[ChocolateBaby skin colour]] will affect the family's reputation. Some quickly pointed out the UnfortunateImplications of this train of thought; others pointed out it could easily have been innocent conjecture as to whom he'd take after. The fact his parents refused to say what exactly was said or who said it, and gave differing accounts of when it was said, further added to the controversy,
* He's the first member of the royal family to be entitled to American citizenship by birthright. He could, theoretically, be king of the United Kingdom ''or'' the president of the United States -- but for the latter, he'd have to meet the residency requirement and probably renounce his claim to the throne as well.[[note]]It's not certain that he would ''have'' to, but there's a strong argument that the U.S. Constitution doesn't allow it, and in any event Americans have long been [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution hostile to being run by a monarchy]]. In any event, it's ''very unlikely'' he would ever become king (considering his cousins would all have to die childless).[[/note]]

!!'''Princess Lilibet of Sussex'''

->'''Born:''' 4 June 2021
->'''Full Name:''' Lilibet Diana [[note]]She will apparently be known as "Lili", and was named in honor of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet, and her paternal grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales.[[/note]]
->'''Parents:''' Prince Harry, ''Duke of Sussex'' and Creator/MeghanMarkle
->'''Title:''' ''Princess'' Lilibet of Sussex [[note]]Like her older brother, her parents chose to style her Miss Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. On 8 March 2023, it was officially announced that she and her brother would use the prince(ss)ly titles formally, and she was titled Princess Lilibet of Sussex.[[/note]]

!!'''Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester'''

->'''Born''': 26 August 1944
->'''Full Name:''' Richard Alexander Walter George
->'''Parents''': Prince Henry, ''Duke of Gloucester'' and ''Lady'' Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
->'''Spouse:''' Birgitte, ''Duchess of Gloucester'' (''née'' Henriksen) (1972--present)
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''The Duke of Gloucester''

* Architecture remains his passion, and many of The Duke’s Patronages are related to architecture and conservation. He was elected a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1972 and is President of the Scottish Society of the Architect-Artists.

!!'''Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester'''

->'''Born''': 20 June 1946
->'''Full Name''': Birgitte Eva (''née'' Henriksen)
->'''Parents''': Asger and Vivian (''née'' van Deurs) Henriksen
->'''Spouse:''' Prince Richard, ''Duke of Gloucester'' (1972--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''The Duchess of Gloucester''

The Duke of Gloucester's wife. A Danishwoman, she is the daughter of a high-powered lawyer from Odense. She met her husband while both were in Cambridge in the mid-to-late 1960s--him for his architecture degree, her for finishing school. Undoubtedly one of the unsung heroes of the British Royal Family, she joins her husband in carrying out extensive engagements and charity work in support of the Royal Family without any media fanfare.

!!'''Prince Edward, Duke of Kent'''

->'''Born''': 9 October 1935
->'''Full Name:''' Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick
->'''Parents''': Prince George, ''Duke of Kent'' and ''Princess'' Marina of Greece and Denmark
->'''Spouse:''' Katharine, ''Duchess of Kent'' (''née'' Worsley) (1961--present)
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''The Duke of Kent''

!!'''Katharine, Duchess of Kent'''

->'''Born''': 22 February 1933
->'''Full Name''': Katharine Lucy Mary (''née'' Worsley)
->'''Parents''': Sir William Worsley, ''4th Baronet'' and Joyce Brunner
->'''Spouse:''' Prince Edward, ''Duke of Kent'' (1961--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''The Duchess of Kent''

* She has never forgotten her Yorkshire roots, and in April 1988 the City of York granted her its highest honour by making her a ''Freeman of the City''.

!!'''Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy'''

->'''Born''': 25 December 1936
->'''Full Name:''' Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel
->'''Parents''': Prince George, ''Duke of Kent'' and ''Princess'' Marina of Greece and Denmark
->'''Spouse:''' ''Sir'' Angus Ogilvy (1963--2004)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''Princess'' Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy

->'''Born''': 4 July 1942
->'''Full Name:''' Michael George Charles Franklin
->'''Parents''': Prince George, ''Duke of Kent'' and ''Princess'' Marina of Greece and Denmark
->'''Spouse:''' Princess Michael of Kent (''née'' ''Baroness'' Marie Christine von Reibnitz) (1978--present)
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''Prince Michael of Kent''

* First things first; so why is he styled "Prince" when his older brother Edward is styled with the "lower" rank of Duke? In the British Royal Family, a son or a male-line grandson of a monarch is a prince (technically, also a commmoner) and sons of the sovereign are usually given the title of duke upon marrying. Prince Michael’s father, Prince George, was made Duke of Kent when he married Princess Marina of Greece, Prince Michael’s mother. The title Duke of Kent was inherited by Prince Michael’s older brother. If his parents had more sons they would also have had the title of Prince, with only the eldest inheriting the ducal title.
* Was probably the last person in the BRF to marry a divorcée and have it cause any fuss, however due to Marie Christine also being Catholic, he therefore lost his place in the line of succession from 1978 until 2015.

->'''Born''': 15 January 1945
->'''Full Name''': Marie Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida (''née'' Baroness von Reibnitz)
->'''Parents''': ''Baron'' Günther von Reibnitz and ''Countess'' Maria Szapáry von Muraszombath
->'''Spouses:''' (1) Thomas Troubridge (1971--1977); (2) ''Prince'' Michael of Kent (1978--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''Princess Michael of Kent'' [[note]]as she's not of royal blood and a ''suo jure'' princess, she took the female equivalent of her husband's title[[/note]]

* Additionally awkwardly, her mother discovered that Baron von Reibnitz was only civilly divorced after a prior Catholic marriage, and thus they were not actually married, according to Catholic church law. When she sought pastoral counsel she was advised that because she was innocent her children were legitimate — but she still needed to leave him. She did.
* The issue of titles in the royal family is a slightly complex one, which leads to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent seemingly sharing a name. By marrying a Prince she has the right to style herself as a Princess, but because she wasn't born into the royal family, she's not allowed to simply add the title to her birth name, Marie Christine. Instead, she simply inherits the feminine version of her husband's title and name (think of it as a somewhat more elaborate version of the tradition of women taking their husband's last names).

* Evidently she's not particularly popular within her family given her reputation as part of TheProudElite; the Queen once wryly commented prior to the marriage that her lineage made Marie Christine likely sound "a bit too grand for us." Charles called Prince and Princess Michael "the rent-a-Kents" because of their habit of accepting pretty much any invitation for dinner, even--if not especially--when the host merely wanted to get the cachet of having some royals around for their party without actually knowing the couple personally. Princess Margaret apparently refused to speak to Princess Michael for years.[[note]]Probably not due to being a Catholic, as Margaret apparently toyed with the idea of converting herself at one point, and more due to simple dislike/clash of personalities.[[/note]] Princess Margaret's son, David, Viscount Linley, was once asked what he would wish on his worst enemy, and he replied, "dinner with Princess Michael." It's unsurprising, really, as in the past she has publicly referred to older members of the royal family as "dull," called Diana, Princess of Wales "uneducated," and claimed that she had "more royal blood in her veins than any person to marry into the royal family since Prince Philip."[[note]]All of these are accurate. None of which will make you well-liked.[[/note]]

!'''Line of Succession'''

Under the Acts of Settlement 1701 and 1703, the line of succession to the British throne used to use male-preference primogeniture. In practice, this meant that any male children automatically went before the female children, even if the sister was older. This was changed in 2013 to absolute primogeniture, meaning the oldest child inherits, no matter what gender—but only for royal children born 2011 and later (so Princes Andrew and Edward and their respective children and grandchildren still precede their sister Princess Anne and hers). Another change in the succession laws concerns royal approval of marriages -- before 2013, anyone in the line of succession was (technically) required to receive royal approval before any marriage in order to remain in the line, but now, only the first six individuals in the line of succession[[note]]currently William, George, Charlotte, Louis, Harry, and Archie[[/note]] require such approval.

Additionally, under the Acts of Settlement, Catholics and dynasts who ''married'' Catholics[[note]]to the Protestants of the day, this was an ObviousRulePatch for the then-recent experience with Charles II, whose tolerance toward Catholics was widely suspected to be influenced by his Catholic wife, Catherine of Braganza[[/note]] were also excluded from succession. However, dynasts who married Catholics were restored by the same Perth Agreement of 2013 that adopted absolute primogenture and narrowed the scope of royal approval of marriages. Actual Catholics did stay barred from the succession, but not out of any dislike for Catholics, mind--rather, the monarch is by definition Supreme Governor of the Church of England, so it would be as absurd for the monarch to be Catholic as it would for the Pope to be an Anglican. Add in that the monarch is ''also'' the protector of the (even-more-Protestant) Church of Scotland, and is by law[[note]]And practice; the British royals usually attend Kirk services while in Scotland. It helps that the royals have generally preferred "Low Church" religiosity after the fashion of the Scottish Kirk since the days of Queen Victoria.[[/note]] a member of that church while in Scotland, and you can see why Catholics had to be kept out of the succession: mostly to keep people's heads from exploding in confusion.

-> 2. '''Prince George of Wales''' (b 2013) ''first child and elder son of William, Prince of Wales''

!!'''King UsefulNotes/CharlesIII'''

->'''Born:''' 14 November 1948
->'''Reign''': Since 8 September 2022 —
->'''Full Name:''' Charles Philip Arthur George
->'''Parents''': ''Queen'' Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, ''Duke of Edinburgh''
->'''Spouse:''' Diana, ''Princess of Wales'' (''née'' Lady Diana Spencer) (1981--1996)
->'''Consort:''' Camilla Parker Bowles (''née'' Shand) (2005--present)
->'''Title:''' His Majesty ''The King'' [[labelnote:In full]] His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith[[/labelnote]]/ [[note]]He was briefly Prince Charles of Edinburgh, as his mother was not yet queen when he was born -- and technically, he was ''not'' entitled to a "Royal Highness" style or princely title because he was a female-line grandson of the Sovereign, but George VI issued letters of patent circumventing this, as it was very clear by this point that Elizabeth would be queen. He was in fact eligible to be Prince of Wales as soon as his mother became Queen, but she held off on the investiture until his 21st birthday, as a way of ensuring he knew what he was committing to.[[/note]]

->'''Full Name:''' Camilla Rosemary (''née'' Shand)
->'''Parents''': ''Major'' Bruce Shand and ''The Honourable'' Rosalind Cubitt
->'''Spouses:''' (1) Andrew Parker Bowles (1973--1995); (2) ''King'' Charles III (2005--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Majesty ''The Queen'' [[note]]After her marriage to Charles, she was titled the Duchess of Cornwall even though she was legally the Princess of Wales, but chose not to use the title out of respect for Charles' late first wife Diana, who had a strong association with the title. (The backlash it would have caused would have been ''insane''.) On the accession of Charles in 2022, she was titled Her Majesty ''The Queen Consort''. Normally, the wife of a king is styled as just ''The Queen'', but likely because her mother-in-law had long been ''The Queen'' and was still being referred to as such by the media in the immediate wake of her death, Camilla was given a slightly different title to distinguish her since palace communications refer to a person simply by their title without a given name. A title with "consort" isn't unprecedented, UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria gave her husband Albert the title ''The Prince Consort'' in 1857, but usually with queens it was left unsaid. Following the coronation of Charles and Camilla on 6 May 2023, the palace dropped "consort" from her title.[[/note]]

* Upon her marriage to Charles in 2005, it was announced that she would take the title "HRH The Princess Consort" when Charles ascended the throne, likely to remedy apprehensions of a divorced woman and former mistress becoming queen.[[note]]Some royal observers noted that such a change might not have even been possible without Parliament passing legislation to that effect, as per common law a wife is automatically entitled to the rank and style of their husband. Prior to Charles' accession, she was legally the Princess of Wales but opted to be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall, a subsidiary title she also held, as a matter of preference. Regal titles are [[https://www.irishtimes.com/news/camilla-to-be-queen-unless-law-changes-1.425281 more tightly controlled]] by Parliament, and a queen consort doesn't hold any subsidiary titles, so it was a bit murkier of a situation if she could use a title like ''Princess Consort'' that didn't exist and there was no precedent for. There's even precedent that the king does ''not'' have the power to deny his lawful wife the title of queen while they are still married, as was the case with George IV and Caroline of Brunswick (though he did bar her from his coronation).[[/note]] In 2022, Queen Elizabeth released a statement saying it was her "sincere wish" that Camilla become queen consort in recognition of her loyal service, which very much settled the matter. Following the death of her mother-in-law, the palace referred to her as exactly that — "The Queen Consort". The "consort" was dropped the following year after the coronation.

->'''Born:''' 15 August 1950
->'''Full Name:''' Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
->'''Parents''': ''Queen'' Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, ''Duke of Edinburgh''
->'''Spouses:''' (1) ''Captain'' Mark Phillips (1973--1992); (2) ''Vice Admiral Sir'' Timothy Laurence (1992--present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''The Princess Royal'' [[note]]Princess Royal is the title customarily granted to the eldest daughter of the Sovereign. However, the title is held for life, so it wasn't available until the death of her great-aunt Princess Mary in 1965. Anne received it in 1987. She was Princess Anne of Edinburgh when she was born and was third in line for the throne at the time.[[/note]]

* In 1974, she was almost kidnapped by a disturbed, armed man who held up her car when she was with her first husband, shot several people around them, and told her, "I want you to come with me for a day or two, because I want two million. Will you get out of the car?" Her response was "[[SophisticatedAsHell Not bloody likely]] -- and I haven't got two million." Contrary to popular belief (although her dress was ripped in the struggle) she did not punch her attacker in the face, and considers herself lucky that she didn't, reasoning that "I nearly lost my temper with him, but I knew that if I did, I should hit him and he would shoot me." [[https://youtu.be/CXoyjpeEH_o Anne recounted it all several years later]] with what can only be described as NervesOfSteel — or at least seeming far more matter-of-fact remembering than most people would be. (Being Philip, her father naturally remarked that if the kidnapper had actually gotten Anne, [[DamselOutOfDistress the kidnapper would have had to be concerned for his own safety]] — from her alone.)

* She was involved in a moderate scandal when AffairLetters between her and equerry Timothy Laurence were stolen and publicized, however due to her brothers' marriages imploding around the same time and Anne marrying Laurence relatively shortly afterwards and remaining seemingly HappilyMarried to him decades later, it's not well-remembered.

->'''Born:''' 19 February 1960
->'''Full Name:''' Andrew Albert Christian Edward
->'''Parents''': ''Queen'' Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, ''Duke of Edinburgh''
->'''Spouse:''' Sarah, ''Duchess of York'' (''née'' Ferguson) (1986--1996)
->'''Title:''' ''The Duke of York'' [[note]]The title Duke of York is traditionally awarded to the second son of the Sovereign. He agreed to no longer use his "Royal Highness" style in January 2022 on the eve of his sexual assault lawsuit, and surrendered his remaining patronages.[[/note]]

* His marriage to and divorce from Sarah Ferguson were tabloid fodder for many years. However the separation and divorce were amicable, and the two still live in the same house at Royal Lodge. They shared custody of their two daughters Beatrice and Eugenie until they came of age. In all respects, they pulled off an unbelievable transformation from tabloid fodder to [[AmicableExes model divorced couple]] -- and then in 2010, Sarah got caught attempting to sell access to her ex-husband.

* He was [[https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1197213153852977153 forced to step away from public royal duties]] in November 2019 thanks to his friendship with American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who had committed suicide three months prior in prison while facing charges of sex-trafficking of young girls and women. [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections Prince Andrew had long had a general aura of shadiness about him]] and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney his murky dealings with foreign businessmen]], but this blew it wide open, although given Epstein's suicide, it's unlikely that any connection to Andrew (if any) will be discovered. What really did Andrew in, though, was a widely-criticized and rather tone-deaf interview with the BBC programme ''{{Series/Newsnight}}'' about his relationship with Epstein, especially his total lack of remorse and failure to show even the faintest sympathy for Epstein's victims, after which several of his charities and patronages announced they would no longer associate with him, resulting in the official response.
** In January 2022, further steps were taken, with the Palace releasing a statement confirming that his military titles and royal patronages had been returned to the Queen, with her approval, and that he would be facing a civil sexual assault trial against his accuser Virginia Giuffre as a private citizen. The lawsuit was settled prior to the Platinum Jubilee for an undisclosed sum, however Andrew still remains PersonaNonGrata as far anything not strictly family is concerned (he is at the ''very bottom'' of the Royal Family website).[[note]]The stripping of his military titles became more noticeable during his services surrounding his mother's funeral. During the services in Edinburgh and London where Charles, Anne, and Edward were in military uniforms, Andrew stuck out due to being only in a suit (Charles did wear a suit and kilt when the Queen's children mounted a vigil during her lying-in-repose at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, but had been delayed by tributes delivered by the Scottish Parliament earlier in the day, where it would have been inappropriate for him to appear in military uniform). In addition, while Anne, Edward, Beatrice, and Eugenie issued statements after the Queen's death under the auspices of Buckingham Palace, Andrew's was on his personal letterhead.[[/note]] He no longer uses the style "His Royal Highness" in an official capacity.

->'''Born:''' 10 March 1964
->'''Full Name:''' Edward Antony Richard Louis
->'''Parents''': ''Queen'' Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, ''Duke of Edinburgh''
->'''Spouse:''' Sophie, ''Duchess of Edinburgh'' (''née'' Rhys-Jones) (1999--present)
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''The Duke of Edinburgh'' [[note]]Edward was created the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023 by his brother King Charles III. This is considered a new creation of the dukedom rather than an inheritance despite Edward's father having held the title. Charles automatically inherited the dukedom upon Prince Phillip's death in 2021 as his eldest son, which then merged into the crown upon his accession to the throne and ceased to exist. Although a spiritual continuation of the creation of the title for his father, it will nonetheless legally be reckoned a new creation of the title Duke of Edinburgh, the fourth in fact. This creation of the dukedom will only exist for Edward's lifetime and won't be inherited by his son, when it will be free to be created again. Clear as mud? Splendid.[[/note]]

* Upon marriage, princes almost always receive a dukedom from the monarch; however, on Edward's wedding day in 1999, he was given the title of "Earl of Wessex".[[note]]Edward was the first prince to be created an earl rather than a duke since the 15th century. Earldoms are more often given to non-royal husbands of princesses on their wedding day. Edward's title is the same as in ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'' -- in fact, the film inspired him to ask for that specific earldom.[[/note]] His father Philip had come to ask Edward and Sophie prior to their marriage whether Edward would eventually like to become Duke of Edinburgh, however, and there was an announcement upon their marriage that the Queen, Philip, Edward, and Charles had all agreed it would happen "in due course" (after the deaths of Philip and the Queen). He was created Duke of Edinburgh on 10 March 2023 by his brother due to a complicated legal process[[note]]Since Prince Philip predeceased the Queen, the dukedom of Edinburgh automatically passed to Charles, the eldest son, by operation of law, and there was nothing that Charles, the Queen, or Edward could do about it. Charles didn't use the title because Prince of Wales is a higher title than a dukedom, but legally, the title was not available to give to his brother. However, as soon as the Queen died and Charles became King, the title merged into the Crown, making "Duke of Edinburgh" a title that could be granted to anyone eligible for a dukedom. Charles bestowed the title on Edward on his 59th birthday[[/note]], however his mother had earlier rectified the fact he had no Scottish title by creating him Earl of Forfar for his 55th birthday in 2019.

* In his youth, he was dogged by rumours of being gay, partly due to being quite good-looking (prior to his hair loss) and horribly and homophobically bullied for that in the Marines. They were then somewhat quieted when he married his longtime girlfriend Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. Somewhat ironically given said rumours, Edward is the only one of his siblings who has ''not'' divorced. He and Sophie married in a relatively private ceremony (by royal standards) in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and by all accounts (and appearances) are still happily married. They have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Earl of Wessex.

* He gave up a career in the Royal Marines before it started so that he could get into the arts, to the disgust of Prince Phillip, and to great controversy elsewhere -- in both cases, not so much because he was going into the arts, but because the Royal Marines had paid for Edward's university education with the understanding that he'd serve at least five years in exchange.
* He's long shown an interest in theatre and television production, founding his own now-shuttered company, Ardent Productions, and going on to host several documentaries. His first foray into TV was ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Royal_Knockout It's a Royal Knockout]]'', generally seen as a bit of a misstep[[note]] to translate from British, a complete failure and ''still'' viewed as a major embarrassment for the Royal Family[[/note]] . Although his documentary work was generally well-received, there was also a feeling Edward was a bit of a limited subject "one-trick pony" with a money-losing business and trading too much on his extraordinary background and access; the complications being part of why he eventually became a working royal after not originally being expected to become one.

->'''Born:''' 20 January 1965
->'''Full Name:''' Sophie Helen (''née'' Rhys-Jones)
->'''Parents''': Christopher and Mary (''née'' O’Sullivan) Rhys-Jones
->'''Spouse:''' Prince Edward, ''Duke of Edinburgh'' (1999–present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''The Duchess of Edinburgh''

* Prince Edward and Sophie's wedding was an understated affair--at least, relative to the marriages of his brothers. They insisted on it not being a state event, and asked attendees to wear less formal evening dresses and avoid wearing hats.[[note]]The Queen Mother, known for always wearing hats, still wore one. But who was going to tell ''her'' not to?[[/note]] Sophie and her father were driven to the chapel in a Rolls-Royce owned by the Queen. The happy couple would take their honeymoon at Balmoral Castle. There were still a few European royals (many relatives of the Crown, like [[UsefulNotes/TheKingdomOfSpain the then-Prince of Asturias, currently King Felipe VI of Spain]]), and several famous people, including Creator/JohnCleese, Creator/AndrewLloydWebber, Creator/StephenFry, Creator/HarryConnickJr, and Creator/JohnTravolta.

* She's reportedly something of a mentor figure to Catherine, Princess of Wales, particularly early in the latter's marriage as she adjusted to royal life -- understandably so given Sophie's reputation as a model working royal.
* She and Edward have two children, who as male-line grandchildren of a monarch are entitled to be titled as an [=HRH=] and British prince and princess; but like his sister Anne, Edward chose not to burden them with royal titles, instead styling them like the children of an earl and later a duke. This makes them Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, the latter of whom was (until 2019) the highest-ranking person in the line of succession who did not have princely status.
* The patron of over 70 charities, many of which support avoidable blindness — a cause close to her heart, as her daughter Lady Louise was born with an eye condition known as strabismus, which has since been corrected.

->'''Born:''' 21 June 1982
->'''Full Name:''' William Arthur Philip Louis
->'''Parents''': ''King'' Charles III and ''Lady'' Diana Spencer
->'''Spouse:''' Catherine, ''Princess of Wales'' (''née'' Middleton) (2011--present)
->'''Title:''' His Royal Highness ''The Prince of Wales'' [[note]]Previously styled as Prince William of Wales (through his father), he was created Duke of Cambridge (and Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus) when he got married. On the death of his grandmother and accession of his father, he automatically became Duke of Cornwall (and Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew and Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Stewart of Scotland) and, the day after the Queen’s death, the new King announced his intention to create him Prince of Wales (and Earl of Chester), and he was styled as such thenceforth, though technically the letters patent creating him such were not issued until 13 February 2023.[[/note]]

* The future King was named Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, after "a bit of an argument", as his father King Charles good-humouredly once revealed. His mother Diana wanted John for her father, despite the fact it's held to be an unlucky royal name[[note]]England and Scotland each have had exactly ''one'' King John, neither of whom coated himself in glory. The [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland English one]] was kind of a huge arsehole and was responsible for angering his nobles so much it resulted in the Magna Carta; his bad reputation led him to become the BigBad of the Myth/RobinHood legends (even though the earliest stories clearly set themselves 2-4 generations later during the reign of one of the Plantagenet Edwards). Meanwhile, the Scottish one, John Baliol, is generally portrayed in Scottish historiography as a craven if not traitorous puppet of the English king [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst Edward I "Longshanks"]] (incidentally, John of England's grandson); his Scots sobriquet "Toom Tabard" translates almost literally to "Empty Suit". Edward I figures more directly into this story, as well, as he named his eldest son "John" after his grandfather...and the young prince died at the age of five. Moreover, two junior princes who more recently held the name died young (most recently Edward VIII and George VI's youngest brother Prince John of the United Kingdom, a sickly boy with epilepsy; his death at just 13 in 1919 was felt deeply by the whole family.) So, yeah, "John": Great name for a Spencer boy but decidedly not what you want to be calling the heir to the throne.[[/note]] while Charles's [[Myth/KingArthur "equally-problematic for a future British king"]] choice, Arthur, went second. Eventually, they settled on William, after Charles's cousin Prince William of Gloucester, who died in a plane crash in 1972, followed by Philip in honour of Charles's father and Louis for the heir to the throne's beloved great-uncle (Louis Mountbatten), who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.

* In spite of people really liking him ''now'', they're also hoping he might kick off a British trend of abdicating in favour of a younger heir as seen elsewhere in Europe.[[note]]Of the ten reigning hereditary monarchs of Europe as of early 2024, five--King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of Belgium, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, and King Frederik X of Denmark--took their thrones after their predecessors abdicated/retired due to old age. However, the likelihood of a crowned and anointed British monarch abdicating is virtually nonexistent because their vows are taken for life, and if Charles abdicated he would lose all of his titles, being designated only as "HRH The Prince Charles".[[/note]] On the other hand, there are people who relish the propriety of his reigning until age 84, when he would make it to 2066, the millennial anniversary of the Norman Conquest, given that he shares a name with [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy William the Conqueror]].

->'''Born:''' 9 January 1982
->'''Full Name''': Catherine Elizabeth (''née'' Middleton)
->'''Parents''': Michael and Carole (''née'' Goldsmith) Middleton
->'''Spouse:''' William, ''Prince of Wales'' (2011–present)
->'''Title:''' Her Royal Highness ''The Princess of Wales'' [[note]]She automatically became the Princess of Wales after her husband William was created Prince of Wales by King Charles the day after Queen Elizabeth's passing. The title was last used by the Charles' first wife and William's mother, Diana, as Camilla decided (perhaps wisely) not to use it. Catherine is technically not "Princess Kate", nor even "Princess Catherine", because princely titles are reserved for princesses by birth. The only princely title she can technically use is "Princess William". The media will no doubt still refer to her by her maiden name, "Kate Middleton".[[/note]]

* She met her future husband at the University of St Andrews where she also earned her degree in History of Art. They dated off and on (but mostly on) for eight years before he popped the question and they had a massive royal wedding. Their relationship has been so positively received that observers have noted the "Will and Kate effect", which has rehabilitated the image of the Royal Family as a whole and even led to people being more willing to put up with Charles as King for a while knowing that William and Kate are waiting in the wings. They're particularly well-loved in Canada (a place perhaps desperate for a national symbol who doesn't remind them of [[{{Eagleland}} their neighbours]]).

* She’s JustForFun/{{One of Us}} when it comes to ''Series/{{Homeland}}'', as well as ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' — perhaps relating to the court intrigue and country house drama. She’s also a Mary Berry FanGirl and big ''[[Series/{{TheGreatBritishBakeOff}} Bake Off]]'' fan.
* The media seems to think her main role is [[BabyFactory royal babymaker]]. She's tried to ensure that her children can have as normal lives as possible, but it's not easy. In fact, all three of her pregnancies were leaked early because of complications[[note]]It turns out she's susceptible to the condition "hyperemesis gravidarum", essentially a more severe form of morning sickness. She was hospitalized for it during her pregnancy with George, and also felt its effects (although not serious enough to be hospitalized) during her other two pregnancies. Fortunately for her and her children (and Prince William, obviously), it never became a critical issue.[[/note]], which the media picked up on, so she never got to make a formal announcement of any of them, poor thing.

->'''Born:''' 15 September 1984
->'''Full Name:''' Henry Charles Albert David
->'''Parents''': ''King'' Charles III and ''Lady'' Diana Spencer
->'''Spouse:''' [[Creator/MeghanMarkle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex]] (''née'' Markle) (2018--present)
->'''Title:''' ''The Duke of Sussex''[[note]]Harry is officially a "Royal Highness" but agreed not to use the style after he stepped down as a working royal. Traditionally, the second son of a monarch is styled the Duke of York, but Harry already has one dukedom and is not likely to acquire a second.[[/note]]

* [[IHaveManyNames He has many names.]] According to his memoir, he's known as "Harold" to his father and brother, while he calls his brother "Willy". Friends in Africa call him "Spike", while Meghan calls him "Haz" and "H". This was lampshaded during his appearance on ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert''.
* In his youth, he had a reputation as a party animal, a drug user, a womanizer, and a bit of an idiot, which made for some great tabloid fodder. Among his more embarrassing stunts were being caught partying naked in [[VivaLasVegas Las Vegas]][[note]]Well, the public didn't mind it that much, because that's what you do if you're a soldier in Las Vegas about to be deployed to Afghanistan -- his father and grandmother, however, were not pleased at all.[[/note]] and showing up to a costume party dressed in a Nazi Afrika Korps uniform (complete with swastika armband). For the latter incident, his father was reportedly ''incandescent'' with rage, sending him to then-Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks for greater understanding and penitence.[[note]]Harry says [[BritsLoveTea after a cup of tea]] and a lengthy explanation of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust from the "holy man," on fully comprehending what he'd done, he went from embarrassment to "self-loathing," and that Rabbi Sacks offered him forgiveness and said because he understood what he'd done so wrong, he could try and do better. He has not done anything that cruelly stupid since.[[/note]] He had high-profile relationships with wealthy Zimbabwean Chelsy Davy and socialite Cressida Bonas which were also tabloid fodder. He had to work hard to rehabilitate his image, which was helped in part by his marriage and his devotion to charitable works. He was ''immensely'' popular with the ladies prior to his marriage, and that might be in part because of his former reputation as a [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy]].
* He's also done a lot of charity work, in particular working with fellow royal Prince Seeiso of UsefulNotes/{{Lesotho}} to help AIDS sufferers in southern Africa and championing causes for military veterans as well. Even the late Queen herself, once disenchanted with his youthful exploits, was reported to have called him her favourite grandchild because of his devotion to this cause.[[note]]And no wonder--it combined her deeply-held sense of Christian charity with her equally deeply-held sense of devotion to the peoples of the Commonwealth without regard to race, class, or creed, and built strong relations with another monarchy to boot.[[/note]]

->'''Born:''' 4 August 1981
->'''Full Name''': Rachel Meghan [[note]]uses her middle name[[/note]] (''née'' Markle)
->'''Parents''': Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland
->'''Spouse:''' Prince Harry, ''Duke of Sussex'' (2018--present)
->'''Title:''' ''The Duchess of Sussex'' [[note]]Like her husband, she's a "Royal Highness" but does not use the style publicly after stepping down as a working member of the royal family. Again, it's technically incorrect to call her "Princess Meghan" or even "Duchess Meghan" even though she's married to a prince and royal duke — the only technically correct princely title would be "Princess Henry, Duchess of Sussex". In fact, it turned out marrying a British prince didn't even qualify her automatically for British citizenship. She started the application process in late 2017, but because she left the UK before finishing the mandatory three year residency, her application expired.[[/note]]

Prince Harry's wife, an American actress best known for her role as Rachel Zane in ''Series/{{Suits}}'', so unlike her husband, she's got [[Creator/MeghanMarkle her own page.]]

* UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (besides the maverick province UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}) is in no apparent hurry to lose the monarchy, which exists as the Royal Family of Canada in that nation-- technically a separate monarchy to the UK, but made up of exactly the same individuals. In fact, this is the case with all of the Commonwealth realms, but the Canadians were the first to develop the theory and consequently have both the most traditional and most developed theory of monarchy. Canada is still the most monarchist Commonwealth Realm, partly because it is the oldest Commonwealth realm besides the UK, and partly because it has a [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates large, friendly-but-overbearing, culturally-similar republic]] right next door, making the monarchy a good way to distinguish itself from its neighbour. Canada is one of the few places where being both a leftist intellectual and a fervent monarchist is so commonplace as to be unremarkable--to many English-speaking Canadians, the monarchy is just part of being Canadian. (Doesn't mean the governor-general is treated with any more respect, though.) Even UsefulNotes/PierreTrudeau (who, significantly, was a francophone Québecois, albeit a devotedly federalist one), noted to to have regarded the monarchy with "bemused contempt",[[note]]To give you an idea of his irreverance for the monarchy, he famously slid down the balustrades at Buckingham Palace while in London to finalise the patriation of the Canadian Constitution, and at one point did a pirouette behind the Queen on national television[[/note]] put down any talk of a Canadian republic as idle nonsense. There's also support for the monarchy from Canada's First Nations, as the treaties and agreements that protect their sovereignty and rights are with the Crown rather than the Canadian government. It also helps that the Canadian Constitution requires unanimous consent of all the Canadian provinces´ legislatures and a majority of the House of Commons to amend the Constitution to abolish the monarchy. Any debate over significantly changing the Constitution [[WeAREStrugglingTogether almost invariably ends up devolving into petty bickering between the provinces]], so no one can be bothered to start that process.

* It may cost the UK more money to ditch them than to keep them. The monarchy is a huge employer in the UK and draws an immense amount of tourism to the country. And there is an argument that if the UK were to ditch the monarchy, it may have to honour an agreement made between George III and the government of the day, in which the King deeded the revenues earned by "Crown lands" to the public treasury in return for an income from the Civil List -- but only for as long as his successors reigned. Those annual revenues, every penny of which would be lost if the Royals were kicked out, are currently at least ''twenty times'' the annual cost of the monarchy[[note]]it's probably a lot more than even that, because much of the cost of the monarchy is for building maintenance and similar expenses which would still have to be paid by a republican government.[[/note]]-- and even that pales in comparison to the estimated tourist revenue just from people who want to gawk at the Royal Family. Monarchy, if nothing else, might just be a good investment. WebVideo/CGPGrey [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyYgnhhKFw explains in detail]]-- though some people [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiE2DLqJB8U think otherwise]].

* As a counterpoint to those who argue that they're just scrounging off public money, their net worth is only around £600 million, most of which comes from stuff like paintings, palaces, estates, and other non-liquid assets (as opposed to actual cash). If the monarchy were abolished, that stuff would go to the National Trust and have no real benefit to the public other than there being more boring museums to which to drag your kids-- many of which already exist and are probably even ''more'' of a tourist draw because of their affiliation with the monarchy.

See also: UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor, UsefulNotes/ElizabethII, UsefulNotes/CharlesIII

Head of State of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland (and certain members of UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealth, known as Commonwealth Realms) King Charles III presides over a family that can, quite charitably, be described as a mix of competent, respected individuals and tabloid fodder. In 1649, it was determined whether true power should rest with the monarchy or an elected parliament when Charles I [[OffWithHisHead abruptly lost about 12 inches in height.]] This rather emphatic statement officially authorized the trend in which the king (or queen) gradually lost to Parliament and the head of government, the prime minister. This trend was finally accepted as pretty much fact in 1688, when Parliament ''invited'' William III of Orange and his wife Mary to invade England and seize the throne from the rather unpopular (and Catholic, pretty much the same thing at the time) James II.

For centuries, the British Royal Family has captivated minds, hearts, and countless newspaper headlines around the world in its capacity as the world's most famous monarchy. While [[UsefulNotes/{{OtherRoyalFamilies}} other]] European nations still retain a monarchy, they tend to be far more low-key, and lack the global hype and interest of the British monarchy.[[note]]The [[UsefulNotes/TheMonegasqueRoyalFamily Grimaldis of Monaco]] are probably the distant second, undoubtedly due to Creator/GraceKelly marrying into the family in 1956.[[/note]] Living life in the spotlight and under scrutiny, the British royals continue to feed the global public's fascination with coronations, royal weddings, birth announcements-- and a few scandals.

* '''King Frederik X of {{UsefulNotes/Denmark}}''' (b. 1968), great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, third cousin once removed of the King via descent of Christian IX of Denmark -- c. 230/240 in line, just behind his mother, former '''Queen Margrethe II'''. Descended from:

* '''King Felipe VI of UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}''' (b 1968) and his father '''King Juan Carlos I''' (b 1938; abdicated 2014, retains "King" as a courtesy title despite no longer being on the throne), Juan Carlos would be somewhere in the 700ish range. Felipe would be higher however through his mother, a sister of the last king of Greece. Felipe is a twice over great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria and second cousin once-removed of the King on the Greek side. Interestingly, the Spanish monarchs are agnatic Bourbons--that is, descendants of [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi the ruling house of France]] during the height of Anglo-French contention in the 18th century. Descended from: