List of heirs to the British throne facts for kids

Have you ever wondered who would become the next King or Queen of the United Kingdom? This article lists the people who were next in line to the British throne, ready to take over if the current monarch passed away or stepped down. This list starts from 1707, when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland joined together to form Great Britain.

Before 1707, England and Scotland were separate countries with their own laws, even though they sometimes shared the same ruler. The Acts of Union changed this, creating one big country called the Kingdom of Great Britain. Queen Anne was already Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. After the Union, she became Queen of Great Britain.

A very important law, the Act of Settlement from 1701, decided who would inherit the throne. It said that Electress Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant descendants would be the next in line. This rule was then extended to Scotland as part of the Union agreement.

Understanding Heirs to the Throne

When we talk about who is next in line for the throne, there are two main types of heirs:

What is an Heir Apparent?

An heir apparent is someone who is definitely going to inherit the throne, unless they pass away before the current monarch. Their position cannot be taken by someone else being born later. For example, the eldest child of the monarch is usually the heir apparent.

What is an Heir Presumptive?

An heir presumptive is someone who is currently next in line, but their position could change if someone else is born who has a stronger claim. This usually happens if the monarch has no children, and then later has a child. That new child would then become the heir apparent, and the heir presumptive would move down the line of succession.

British Heirs Through History

Here is a list of the people who were next in line to the British throne since 1707. You can see who they were, how they were related to the monarch, and when their time as heir began and ended.

Heir	Type of Heir	Relationship to Monarch	Became Heir		Stopped Being Heir		Next in Line After Them	Monarch
			Date	Reason	Date	Reason
Electress Sophia of Hanover Electress Sophia of Hanover	Heir presumptive	First cousin, once removed	1 May 1707	Great Britain formed	8 June 1714	Died	George Louis, Elector of Hanover Her son	Queen Anne
George I as Prince of Hanover George Louis, Elector of Hanover	Heir presumptive	Second cousin	8 June 1714	His mother died	1 August 1714	Became king	George Augustus of Hanover His son
George II when Prince of Wales George, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	1 August 1714	Father became king	11 June 1727	Became king	Prince Frederick, Duke of Edinburgh His son	King George I
Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	11 June 1727	Father became king	31 March 1751	Died	Prince William, Duke of Cumberland 1727–1737 His younger brother	King George II
							Princess Augusta 1737–1738 His daughter
							Prince George 1738–1751 His son
George, Prince of Wales George, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Grandson	31 March 1751	His father died	25 October 1760	Became king	Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany His younger brother
Edward, Duke of York Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	25 October 1760	Brother became king without children	12 August 1762	Replaced: King had a son	Prince William Henry His younger brother	King George III
George, Prince of Wales George, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	12 August 1762	Born	29 January 1820	Became king	Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany 1762–1763 His uncle
							Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany 1763–1796 His younger brother
							Princess Charlotte of Wales 1796–1817 His daughter
							Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany 1817–1820 His younger brother
Frederick, Duke of York Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	29 January 1820	Brother became king without children	5 January 1827	Died	Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews His younger brother	King George IV
William IV Prince William, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	5 January 1827	Older brother died without children	26 June 1830	Became king	Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent His niece
Princess Victoria and Dash Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent	Heir presumptive	Niece	26 June 1830	Uncle became king	20 June 1837	Became queen	Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland Her uncle	King William IV
Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover	Heir presumptive	Uncle	20 June 1837	Niece became queen	21 November 1840	Replaced: Queen had a daughter	George, Crown Prince of Hanover His son	Queen Victoria
Victoria, Princess Royal Princess Victoria	Heir presumptive	Eldest daughter	21 November 1840	Born	9 November 1841	Replaced: Brother born	Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Her great-uncle
Edward VII Albert Edward, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	9 November 1841	Born	22 January 1901	Became king	Princess Victoria, Princess Royal 1841–1844 His elder sister
							Prince Alfred 1844–1864 His younger brother
							Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale 1864–1892 His son
							Prince George, Duke of York 1892–1901 His son
George V of the United Kingdom George, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Second son	22 January 1901	Father became king	6 May 1910	Became king	Prince Edward of Wales His son	King Edward VII
Edward, Prince of Wales Edward, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	6 May 1910	Father became king	20 January 1936	Became king	Prince Albert, Duke of York His younger brother	King George V
King George VI Prince Albert, Duke of York	Heir presumptive	Younger brother	20 January 1936	Brother became king without children	11 December 1936	Became king	Princess Elizabeth of York His daughter	King Edward VIII
Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh	Heir presumptive	Elder daughter	11 December 1936	Father became king	6 February 1952	Became queen	Princess Margaret 1936–1948 Her younger sister	King George VI
							Prince Charles of Edinburgh 1948–1952 Her son
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Eldest son	6 February 1952	Mother became queen	8 September 2022	Became king	Princess Anne 1952–1960 His younger sister	Queen Elizabeth II
							Prince Andrew 1960–1982 His younger brother
							Prince William, Duke of Cambridge 1982–2022 His son
William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales	Heir apparent	Elder son	8 September 2022	Father became king	Still the heir		Prince George of Wales His son	King Charles III