On Sunday, 6 February, The Queen will reach 70 years on the throne. While she has had the same heir to the throne for her entire reign, Prince Charles, the second in line to the throne has changed several times. We will be looking at the different people who have been second in line for the throne throughout Her Majesty’s reign.
Princess Anne- 6 February 1952 to 19 February 1960
Princess Anne, The Queen’s second child and only daughter, was second in line to the throne from her mother’s accession to the birth of her younger brother, Prince Andrew. While the line of succession changed in 2012 to allow females to hold their place in the line rather than be supplanted by younger brothers, this was not in effect in 1960 and was not applied retroactively. The Princess Royal remains a hard working member of the Royal Family and regularly holds the records for the most engagements in a year.
As of February 2022, Princess Anne is 17th in the line of succession.
Prince Andrew- 19 February 1960 to 21 June 1982
Prince Andrew is widely known to be The Queen’s favourite child, but he was also second in line to the throne from his birth in 1960 until the birth of his nephew in 1982. He overtook his elder sister, Princess Anne, in the line of succession as primogeniture was in place at the time.
As of February 2022, Prince Andrew is 9th in the line of succession. In January 2022, it was announced that he would be relinquishing all remaining royal patronages and honorary military appointments as he faces growing legal battles.
Prince William- 21 June 1982 to Present
Since his birth in June of 1982, Prince William has been second in line to the throne after his father. The Duke of Cambridge has been taking on more responsibility in the last ten years and has been working with his father to learn more about the Duchy of Cornwall. While he was attending Eton, William also had weekly meetings with his grandmother to learn more about being sovereign.
As of February 2022, Prince William is still 2nd in the line of succession, with his oldest son, Prince George, in the 3rd position, and his daughter, Princess Charlotte, is in the 4th.
