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British RoyalsFeatures

How the British line of succession will look in 2021

Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen will welcome two great grandchildren in 2021 which means that the line of succession is about to be shaken up again.

Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, are expecting their first child in the coming year while Zara and Mike Tindall also have another baby on the way, a sibling for their two girls, Mia and Lena. Neither couple has confirmed an exact due date but by next Christmas, both will have new additions to their families.

Eugenie’s baby will be eleventh in line to the throne from birth. The princess, younger daughter of the Duke of York, is currently number 10 on the list and her child will follow her. Zara’s baby will be much further down. If she or he arrives before baby Brooksbank, they will be 21st in line. However, the arrival of Eugenie’s child will mean that the third little Tindall will end up 22nd in the succession. And they will hold that position regardless of gender – rule changes brought in almost a decade ago mean that if Mike and Zara welcome a son, he can’t overtake his sisters in the succession.

Here’s how the line to the throne of Elizabeth II will look after the new arrivals.

  1. The Prince of Wales (born 1948)
  2. The Duke of Cambridge (born 1982)
  3. Prince George of Cambridge (born 2013)
  4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (born 2015)
  5. Prince Louis of Cambridge (born 2018)
  6. The Duke of Sussex (born 1984)
  7. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (born 2019)
  8. The Duke of York (born 1960)
  9. Princess Beatrice (born 1988)
  10. Princess Eugenie (born 1990)
  11. Baby Brooksbank (due 2021)
  12. The Earl of Wessex (born 1964)
  13. James, Viscount Severn (born 2007)
  14. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (born 2004)
  15. The Princess Royal (born 1950)
  16. Peter Phillips (born 1977)
  17. Savannah Phillips (born 2010)
  18. Isla Phillips (born 2012)
  19. Zara Tindall (born 1981)
  20. Mia Tindall (born 2014)
  21. Lena Tindall (born 2018)
  22. Baby Tindall (due 2021)

The succession then passes to the descendants of King George VI with the Queen’s nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, next followed by his two children, Charles and Margarita. His sister, Lady Sarah Chatto, and her two sons, Samuel and Arthur, follow. The line then moves to the descendants of King George V. By this time next year, the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, will be 29th in line to the throne – at the time of his birth, in 1944, he was fifth. Following the new arrivals, the first 60 people in line to the throne will all be descended from George V who renamed his royal dynasty the House of Windsor in 1917.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.