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With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, there is a new line of succession to the British throne.
The queen’s oldest son, Charles, has become king. And with his ascension to the throne, members of his direct family, including his sons Princes William and Harry, are now higher in the line of succession.
In general, succession falls to the first-born child of the heir and their children, followed by the next oldest sibling of the heir and their offspring and so on. That’s why, for instance, Prince Charles’ children and grandchildren are ahead in line of Charles’ oldest brother, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Other rules make the order more complicated.
Under British laws established in the late 1600s and early 1700s, the succession to the throne can be regulated by Parliament, which can remove monarchs for “misgovernment,” according to the royal family’s website.
In order to be king or queen, the sovereign must be in communion with the Church of England and must promise to uphold the Protestant succession.
