A prestigious part of any society is the Royal Family, which plays vital roles and is given much respect. Growing up, we were taught governance forms, which are Democracy and Monarchy.
Democracy is the freedom to decide governance by voting; it is said to be the Power of the people, by the people, and for the people. This form of government is operated in Nigeria.
While Monarchy is governance by a particular set of individuals who inherit the leadership, Monarchy is an autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority. A Monarch is a nation’s ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right. This is the form of Governance the British operate.
The British Royal Family is a relatively large family with children, grandchildren, cousins, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunties, and many men and women connected to the Royal House of Windsor.
However, there are core members of the royal family who perform royal duties (the high-ranking relatives), The King, Queen Consort, Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales, Princess Royal, Earl of Wessex, and Countess of Wessex.
Other lower relatives who perform minor duties; include Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Duke of Gloucester, and Duchess of Gloucester.
Other members with no duties; Duke of York, Duke of Sussex, Duchess of Sussex, Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess of Kent, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice.
Let’s dive deep into who is who in the Royal Family.
Following the death of the longest reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II, who became Queen at 25 in 1952 until death took her on the 8th of September 2022, living a total of 70 years on the throne as Queen.
This is the list and line of succession of the British throne.
1. King Charles III
The now former Prince of Wales and present King Charles III. King Charles III is the eldest son and first child of Late Queen Elizabeth II; he is the first Charles to sit on the throne since 1685. King Charles became Prince of Wales in 1969 after spending a term at the University College of Wales; he got married to Lady Diana Spencer, who became Princess of Wales; the couple had two sons before their divorce in 1996 and Princess Diana’s death a year later. King Charles later got married to Camilla Parker Bowles, who after the marriage became Duchess of Cornwall and is presently Queen Consort as the wife of the reigning King.
2. Prince of Wales
William, the now Prince of Wales, was born in 1982 and is the eldest son of King Charles III and late Princess of Wales Diana; he was just 15 when his mother Diana died. Prince William studied at St Andrew’s University and married Kate Middleton in 2011; the couple had their first fruit in 2013 (George), Charlotte in 2015, and Louis in 2018. On his 21 birthday, he was appointed Counsellor of State (standing in for the Queen on official occasions). Prince William worked as a part-time co-pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance alongside his royal duties until 2017, where he left to take up complete royal duties. He was formally Duchy of Cornwall after his father and presently Prince of Wales after the same and his wife Katherine Princess of Wales. As heir to the throne, he must support the King in his royal commitments.
3. Prince George
Prince George is the son to Prince William of Wales and was born on the 22nd of July, 2013, at St Mary’s Hospital, London. Prince George is the eldest son of Prince William, and he is second in line to the throne after his grandfather and father.
4. Princess Charlotte
Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is the only daughter of Prince William, born on the 2nd of May, 2015 also at St Mary’s Hospital, London. Princess Charlotte is currently third in line to the throne after her father and elder brother (which is likely to change).
5. Prince Louis
Prince Louis is the third child of Prince William of Wales, born on the 23rd of April, 2018, at St Mary’s Hospital, London, and he is the fourth in line to the throne.
6. Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, was born in 1984 as the second child of King Charles and late. Princess Diana, he trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and later on became a lieutenant in the Army as a helicopter pilot. On his 21st birthday, he assumed the role of Counselor of State and represented the Queen on official duties; Prince Harry served ten years in the armed forces and left to focus on charitable work in 2015, dealing with conservation in Africa and organizing Invictus Games for injured armed men. Prince Harry married Meghan Marklea, a US actress, on 19th of May, 2018. They have two children together. The couple January 2020 stepped back from major royal duties to equally divide their presence between UK and North America, as they announced they intend to “work to become financially independent.” In 2021 Buckingham palace confirmed that the couple won’t be returning to royal duties and would give up their honorary military appointments and royal patronages. He is the supposed 5th in line to the throne.
7. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is the first child of Prince Harry and was born on 6th May 2019. Archie’s parents declined to use any royal title for him; BBC announced this to be the couple’s decision not to raise him as a formal royal.
8. Lilbert Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Lilbert Diana Mountbatten-Windsor born on 4th June, 2021, and bears Lili, a name shared by her and the Queen as the royal family nickname for her the Queen, being the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild. Lilbert was also given Diana after her paternal grandmother, late. Princess Diana of Wales.
9. Duke of York
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and eighth in line to the British throne, is the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.
He was pronounced the Duke of York on his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, who also became Duchess of York, in 1986. The couple had two daughters together, and it was announced they got divorced in 1996.
The Duke of York was in service for 22 years in the Royal Navy; in addition to royal engagements, he served as the special trade representative for the government until 2011.
Prince Andrew, however withdrew from royal duties in 2019 after an interview about his relationship with US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
In February, The Prince agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to settle a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by one of Epstein’s victims; he made no admission of liability and had repeatedly denied all allegations.
10. Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice, born 1988 is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York; she uses the name York. Princess Beatrice married property tycoon EdoardoMapelli Mozzi at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, in July 2020. She is 9th in the succession line to the British throne after her father. Princess Beatrice has a child with her husband. She is stepmother to Mapelli Mozzi’s son Christopher Woolf (Wolfie) from his relationship with Dara Huang before his marriage with the royal.
11. Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi
Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, daughter to Princess Beatrice, born in September 2021, is 10th in line to the throne and is Queen Elizabeth 11 12th great-grandchild.
12. Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, born in 1990 and is 11th in line to the throne. Princess Eugenie married her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank and wedded at Windsor Castle on 12 October 2018. She uses York as her surname, like her sister Princess Beatrice.
13. August Philip Hawke Brooksbank
August Philip Hawke Brooksbank was born to Princess Eugenie and her husband on the 9th day of February 2021 and he is the ninth great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II.
14. The Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth 11 and 13th in line to the British throne; he was born in the year 1964, he was given the title Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn after his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, the union has produced two children. Prince Edward spent some time in service with the Royal Marines before he moved to form his own TV production company. Prince Edward also did subsequently support his mother, the Queen, in her official duties and carried out public engagements for charities in her place.
15. James, Viscount Severn
Viscount Severn James is the younger child of the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, decided to give their children “courtesy” titles as sons or daughters of an earl, rather than prince or princess style.
16. Lady Louise
Lady Louise Windsor is the eldest child of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and was born in 2003. However, she is next in the line of succession to her younger brother because she was born before the law came to abolish the system that meant a younger son should displace an older daughter.
17. The Princess Royal
Anne the Princess Royal, the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth 11, was born in 1950, as at birth she was initially third in line to the throne but is now 16th in the succession line. Princess Anne was pronounced Princess Royal in June 1987. Princess Anne initially got married to Captain Mark Phillips, who is the father of her two children, and later after divorce got married to Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence.
Princess Anne was the first to use the royal surname Mountbatten-Windsor in an official document in the marriage register after her wedding to Capt Phillips. Princess Anne competed in equestrian events for Great Britain in 1976 in the Montreal Olympics and is involved with several charities, such as Save the Children, of which since 1970, she has been president.
18. Peter Phillips
Peter Phillips, born in 1977, is the eldest of Queen Elizabeth 11 grandchildren. Peter was married to Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2008, and the union has two daughters.
Peter Phillip has no royal title as they are descended from the female royal line (Princess Anne), and their father, Mark Phillips declined the offer of an earldom when he married, so the children have no courtesy titles. Peter Phillips and his wife 2020 announced they were getting a divorce.
19. Savannah Phillips
Savannah Phillips, born in 2010, is the eldest child and daughter of Peter and Autumn Phillips and is Queen Elizabeth 11 first great-grandchild.
20. Isla Phillips
Isla Phillips was born in 2012 and she is the second daughter of Peter and Autumn Phillips.
21. Zara Tindall
Zara Tindall born in 1981 is the second daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, she followed her mother and father with a highly successful riding career, having won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics. Zara got married to former England rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011 and the couple has three lovely children. Zara like her brother Peter has no royal title.
22. Mia Grace Tindall
Zara Tindall gave birth to her first child, Mia Grace Tindall, in January 2014.
23. Lena Elizabeth Tindall
Lena Elizabeth Tindall is the fourth grand daughter of Princess Anne and Zara Tindall’s second daughter and child who was born on 18 June 2018 at Stroud Maternity Unit, Gloucestershire. Lena has her middle name after her great grandmother. She also has no royal title as her mother and siblings.
24. Lucas Philip Tindall
Lucas Philip is the third child and only son of Zara and Mike Tindall born on the 21st of March 2021.
Irrespective of their number in the succession line or even their decision not to bear royal titles, they all still remain royalties till their last breath on earth.
