Succession to the British Throne: Rules, Laws and Turning Points
How succession to the British throne works: who can inherit, the laws that set the order, the 2013 change that ended male preference, and the turning points since 1066.
Last updated October 2026
Contents6
Succession to the British throne follows laws made by Parliament, not the monarch's own choice. The heir becomes king or queen at the moment the last monarch dies. This page sets out who can inherit, the four laws that fix the order, and the times since 1066 when the crown changed hands by other means.
TL;DR: The crown goes to the eldest child of the last monarch, then that child's line, and so on. Heirs must be Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover. Since the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, sons no longer come before older daughters for anyone born after 28 October 2011. Today William, Prince of Wales, is first in line.
How succession to the British throne works today
There is never a gap. When a monarch dies, the heir becomes monarch at once. The Accession Council then meets at St James's Palace to proclaim the new reign. For Charles III, that meeting took place on 10 September 2022, two days after Elizabeth II died, and was shown on television for the first time.
The coronation is separate. It is a religious service, held when the new reign has settled. Charles III was crowned on 6 May 2023, eight months after his accession.
| Place | Person | Why they are there | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William, Prince of Wales | The King's elder son | 1: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text). |
| 2 | Prince George of Wales | William's eldest child | 2: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text). |
| 3 | Princess Charlotte of Wales | William's second child; keeps her place ahead of her younger brother under the 2013 Act | 3: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text). |
| 4 | Prince Louis of Wales | William's third child | 4: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text). |
| 5 | Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex | The King's younger son | 5: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text). |
- Place
- 1
- Person
- William, Prince of Wales
- Why they are there
- The King's elder son
1: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text).
- Place
- 2
- Person
- Prince George of Wales
- Why they are there
- William's eldest child
2: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text).
- Place
- 3
- Person
- Princess Charlotte of Wales
- Why they are there
- William's second child; keeps her place ahead of her younger brother under the 2013 Act
3: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text).
- Place
- 4
- Person
- Prince Louis of Wales
- Why they are there
- William's third child
4: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text).
- Place
- 5
- Person
- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
- Why they are there
- The King's younger son
5: Royal Family numbered succession list (place/person; relationship explanation is article text).
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The laws behind succession to the British throne
Four laws do most of the work. Each one answered a crisis of its own time.
| Law | Year | What it fixed | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill of Rights | 1689 | Settled the crown on William III and Mary II after James II fled, and barred Catholics from the throne | Bill of Rights: UK Parliament, Convention and Bill of Rights |
| Act of Settlement | 1701 | Passed the crown to Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and her Protestant heirs; still the root of the line today | Act of Settlement: UK Parliament, Act of Settlement |
| Royal Marriages Act | 1772 | Required descendants of George II to have the monarch's consent to marry; repealed in 2015 | Royal Marriages Act: 2013 Act, section 3(4), repeal (repeal only; 1772 scope has page-level attribution). |
| Succession to the Crown Act | 2013 | Ended male preference, ended the bar on heirs who marry a Catholic, and limited the consent rule to the first six in line | Succession to the Crown Act: 2013 Act, sections 1–3 |
- Law
- Bill of Rights
- Year
- 1689
- What it fixed
- Settled the crown on William III and Mary II after James II fled, and barred Catholics from the throne
Bill of Rights: UK Parliament, Convention and Bill of Rights
- Law
- Act of Settlement
- Year
- 1701
- What it fixed
- Passed the crown to Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and her Protestant heirs; still the root of the line today
- Law
- Royal Marriages Act
- Year
- 1772
- What it fixed
- Required descendants of George II to have the monarch's consent to marry; repealed in 2015
Royal Marriages Act: 2013 Act, section 3(4), repeal (repeal only; 1772 scope has page-level attribution).
- Law
- Succession to the Crown Act
- Year
- 2013
- What it fixed
- Ended male preference, ended the bar on heirs who marry a Catholic, and limited the consent rule to the first six in line
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The 2013 change
Succession to the Crown Act 2013, in force 26 March 2015.
Status: Reviewed.
Note: Section 1 says that for anyone born after 28 October 2011, sex no longer decides the order of succession. Section 2 ends the rule that an heir who marries a Roman Catholic loses their place. Section 3 means only the first six people in line need the Sovereign's consent to marry. The date of 28 October 2011 comes from the Perth meeting, where the leaders of the realms that share the King agreed the change.
Sources: Legislation.gov.uk, Succession to the Crown Act 2013; The Royal Family, "Succession".
The change had to pass in each realm that shares the monarch, so that the same person would inherit everywhere. That is why the Act waited until 2015 to take effect.
Who cannot inherit
Some rules still stand. An heir must be a descendant of Sophia of Hanover. An heir must also be in communion with the Church of England. A Roman Catholic cannot inherit, and the monarch must swear to maintain the Protestant succession.
A person can also leave the line by an Act of Parliament. That happened in 1936. His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act removed Edward VIII and any future children of his from the line.
Turning points in the succession
For most of English history, the crown did not pass as smoothly as it does now. The table shows the main breaks.
| Year | Event | How the crown passed | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1066 | William of Normandy defeats Harold II at Hastings | Conquest | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1135 | Stephen takes the throne over Henry I's daughter Matilda | Seizure; civil war follows | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1327 | Edward II deposed in favour of his son | Deposition | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1399 | Henry IV deposes Richard II | Deposition by a cousin | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1461-1471 | Henry VI and Edward IV each lose and regain the throne | Civil war (Wars of the Roses) | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1483 | Richard III replaces his nephew Edward V | Declared illegitimacy | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1485 | Henry VII defeats Richard III at Bosworth | Conquest | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1553 | Lady Jane Grey proclaimed, then displaced by Mary I | Contested will | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1603 | James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England | Inheritance; union of the crowns | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1649-1660 | Charles I executed; no monarch until Charles II returns | Republic, then restoration | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
| 1689 | William III and Mary II replace James II | Parliamentary settlement | 1689: Royal Family, William and Mary settlement paragraph |
| 1714 | George I, Elector of Hanover, succeeds Anne | Act of Settlement | 1714: UK Parliament, Act of Settlement |
| 1936 | Edward VIII abdicates; George VI succeeds | Abdication by Act of Parliament | Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution. |
- Year
- 1066
- Event
- William of Normandy defeats Harold II at Hastings
- How the crown passed
- Conquest
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1135
- Event
- Stephen takes the throne over Henry I's daughter Matilda
- How the crown passed
- Seizure; civil war follows
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1327
- Event
- Edward II deposed in favour of his son
- How the crown passed
- Deposition
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1399
- Event
- Henry IV deposes Richard II
- How the crown passed
- Deposition by a cousin
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1461-1471
- Event
- Henry VI and Edward IV each lose and regain the throne
- How the crown passed
- Civil war (Wars of the Roses)
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1483
- Event
- Richard III replaces his nephew Edward V
- How the crown passed
- Declared illegitimacy
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1485
- Event
- Henry VII defeats Richard III at Bosworth
- How the crown passed
- Conquest
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1553
- Event
- Lady Jane Grey proclaimed, then displaced by Mary I
- How the crown passed
- Contested will
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1603
- Event
- James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England
- How the crown passed
- Inheritance; union of the crowns
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1649-1660
- Event
- Charles I executed; no monarch until Charles II returns
- How the crown passed
- Republic, then restoration
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
- Year
- 1689
- Event
- William III and Mary II replace James II
- How the crown passed
- Parliamentary settlement
- Year
- 1714
- Event
- George I, Elector of Hanover, succeeds Anne
- How the crown passed
- Act of Settlement
- Year
- 1936
- Event
- Edward VIII abdicates; George VI succeeds
- How the crown passed
- Abdication by Act of Parliament
Page-level references only; this article gives no record-specific attribution.
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The shortest reigns produced by these breaks are compared on the shortest-reigning English monarch page. For the full list of monarchs, see the England royal family hub. Earlier records in the table link to their dynasty pages, such as the House of Tudor.
When a monarch cannot act
The Regency Acts cover a monarch who is too young or too ill to reign. In that case a regent, normally the next adult in line, acts for the monarch. For shorter absences, such as foreign tours, Counsellors of State stand in. They are the monarch's spouse and the next four eligible adults in line. The Counsellors of State Act 2022 added the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh to that group.
The rules make more sense with the people behind them. Our guide to the best books about the royal family covers every era from 1066 to Elizabeth II.
Verdict: succession to the British throne in brief
Succession to the British throne is now automatic and set by statute. The eldest child inherits first, whatever their sex, if they were born after 28 October 2011. Every heir must be a Protestant descendant of Sophia of Hanover. The history shows why the rules are so fixed: from 1066 to 1936, the crown changed hands by conquest, deposition, civil war, a contested will, a republic and an abdication.
Sources checked for this page
Questions people also ask
Who is next in line to the British throne?
William, Prince of Wales, the King's elder son. His three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, follow him, then Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Does a new monarch have to be crowned to reign?
No. The heir becomes monarch the moment the previous monarch dies. The coronation is a later religious ceremony, often held many months afterwards.
Can a Catholic inherit the British throne?
No. The Act of Settlement 1701 still bars Roman Catholics. Since 2015, marrying a Catholic no longer removes an heir from the line.
When did daughters get equal rights to the throne?
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 ended male preference for anyone born after 28 October 2011. It came into force on 26 March 2015.