King Charles III and Succession Quiz

The King's Coronation on 6th May 2023, did nothing to alter the line of succession, one based on a centuries old tradition in the British monarchy; the succession line was re-established when Queen Elizabeth II passed away. It must be said that - although Parliament controls succession in the UK, not the monarch - before 2012 succession was largely based on heredity, legitimacy, religion, and male primogeniture (in 2013 it became the eldest child, male or female). In other words, if Elizabeth II had a younger brother when George VI died, she would not have immediately become Queen like she did.

William became the Prince of Wales when his grandmother passed away, a position his father held for a little over 44 years. During Charles III's coronation ceremony, William pledged his loyalty to his father, the King, the only one to do so as "liege man of life and limb". William became the first in line to the throne, as Charles III's oldest child. The line of succession will continue through the Wales family before moving on to other heirs.

Rules for the UK law of succession date back to 1688, when James II left England. Parliament had to step in, and the Act of Settlement in 1701 confirmed its power. It was legislated at the time that the monarch could not be a Roman Catholic, and that Parliament could remove a monarch for misgovernment if necessary. In addition, the monarch had to swear "to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland and uphold the Protestant succession", according to the official website of the Royal Family.

At the time of Queen Elizabeth II's death, Prince George was the oldest child of William, who was the oldest child of the King, and oldest grandson of King Charles. He served as a Page of Honor during his grandfather's coronation, which means that he assisted with the flow of his grandfather's ceremonial robe. It was the first time in modern history that a future King took part of the coronation of the present King. While both Elizabeth II and Charles III were present at the coronations of their parents, they were deemed too young to participate.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 changed a centuries-old tradition in the UK, and placed Princess Charlotte next in the line of succession after her brother, George. It specifically stated that older daughters could no longer be displaced by a younger son in the line of succession.

The new act applied to those Royals who were born after October 28, 2011. Princess Charlotte was born on May 2, 2015, but the Succession to the Crown Act was actually in force at the time of the birth of her older brother, George, on July 22, 2013.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 also repealed the Royal Marriages Act 1772, which forbade the succession of a British monarch who had a spouse who was Roman Catholic. The new law also stated that only the first six people in the line of succession would have to ask permission from the monarch in order to marry.

In view of the changes made by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, Prince Louis became the first prince to be ranked higher in the order by his sister. According to UK practice and tradition, after the Wales family the line of succession went to the second son of the King.

Prince Harry was placed at #5 in the line of succession when Queen Elizabeth II passed away (he retained his place as the second son of the King, even though he was not a working royal when the Queen died).

It may seem to some that such a long line of succession isn't really necessary, based on the fact that the future children of Prince George will take precedence over everyone else in the line. According to the Regency Act of 1937, however, those in the line of succession who are British subjects over 21 years old, live in the UK, and qualify to be the monarch are appointed Counsellors of State. This group typically includes the monarch's spouse, and the next four people in the line of succession who meet the above requirements. More Counsellors, however, may be added.

Counsellors of State perform a necessary service by taking over if the monarch becomes ill or is out of the country when a duty needs to be performed. Prince Harry was one of Queen Elizabeth's Counsellors and continued in that position for Charles III when the Queen died. He could, however, lose the position if he no longer maintains a home in the UK.

As the oldest offspring of the second son, Prince Archie became sixth in the new line of succession that was formed when Queen Elizabeth II passed away. His great great great grandfather, George V, issued letters patent in 1917 that stated that the child of the son of the monarch would be entitled to use the title Prince; after Charles III became king Prince Archie was listed as Prince Archie of Sussex on the official British website of the Royal Family.

Princess Lilibet Diana, named after her famous great grandmother and grandmother, is also entitled to use the title Princess after her grandfather became King. Both of Prince Harry's children have dual citizenship in the USA and the UK.

It may be a bit surprising that the disgraced Prince Andrew, third child of Queen Elizabeth II, was still listed in the line of succession. Long said to be his mother's favorite, Andrew was stripped of military titles and royal patronages by the Queen in 2022. Despite disagreements with his older brother, Charles III, who became King, he retained his position as one of the King's Counsellors of State.

The Queen's second oldest child, Princess Anne, did not benefit from the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. Said to be the hardest working royal for years, she was ranked 17th on the new line of succession, a few spots after her younger brother, Edward, who ranked 14th. Both Anne and Edward, however, were added to the list of Counsellors of State, upon Charles III's request. According to the Counsellors of State Act 2022 they will hold the position for life.

The older daughter of Prince Andrew was ninth in the line of succession. She was the last of the first ten in the line of succession to also serve as one of Charles III's Counsellors of State.

Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, named because of her red hair, is the daughter of Princess Beatrice and was tenth in the line of succession. Interestingly, she was considered to be a member of the British nobility on her mother's side of the family, and a member of Italian nobility on her father's side.