Death of queen reorders line of succession as British royals move up a slot

When the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday elevated Charles to the British throne, it also reordered the line of succession, with members of the royal family each moving up one position. Prince William (40), the eldest son of King Charles III, is now next in line to the throne. William’s three children — Prince George (9); Princess Charlotte (7); and Prince Louis (4) — follow him in the succession order. William’s brother, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is now fifth in line, but he has taken a step back from royal duties. Harry (37), and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, moved to the United States two years ago after saying that they wanted to become financially independent.

Their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (3), is now sixth in line to the throne. The couple’s daughter, Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor (1), is seventh in line.

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Prince Andrew (62), the queen’s third child, is eighth in line, but stepped away from royal duties in 2019 after giving an interview to the BBC about his links to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In February, he settled a lawsuit taken in US courts by Virginia Giuffre who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager; an accusation he denied.

The rules of succession were changed in 2013 to prevent younger male siblings from overtaking their elder sisters in line to the throne. The change was made two months before William’s second child, Charlotte, was born, and meant that she retained her position in line to the throne when her younger brother, Louis, was born.

Royal family titles have also changed. Prince William and his wife, Catherine, were named the new Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III. The last Princess of Wales was William’s mother, Diana.

Prince William is now also the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge and Earl of Chester. He was the Duke of Cornwall. He has inherited the Scottish titles the Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

As well as becoming the Princess of Wales, Catherine is also the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. She was the Duchess of Cornwall. She is also the Countess of Chester and the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland.

William and Catherine’s children have become Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge, and Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge. - New York Times/agencies