It's hard to keep the players straight without a program. Now that the birth of Prince William's first child is imminent, Buzzfeed constructed a handy chart to explain the new line of succession to the British throne. One thing you might notice is that even though the world does not know if the royal baby is a boy or girl, his/her place in the line is set. A change in the rules of succession was made in 2011 which made male and female heirs equally eligible for the monarchy. However, the ruling is not retroactive and only applies to heirs born after 2011. That's why Princess Anne is so far down the line, even though she is Queen Elizabeth's second child. It was announced just yesterday that Zara Phillips Tindall, Princess Anne's daughter and Prince William's first cousin, is expecting a baby next year. That baby will be 16th in line to the throne, displacing all of Princess Margaret's descendants in the line of succession. Link
Newest 2 Comments
Now that I think of it, the chart does not make clear that the new royal baby's place in the line of succession is set for life. However, it is. If she were a girl born before 2011 and later had younger brothers, she would be bumped down. But since this is 2013, she will be in the direct line no matter what her sex or how many other siblings follow.
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)
Whenever this subject comes up, I think of V for Vendetta, which is set in a timeline where there's been so much upheaval and destruction the aforementioned Zara is queen of England.
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)