The British line of succession is about to get a shakeup with the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s first child.
On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they are expecting their first child together, set to be born in Spring of 2019, and the little one is set to be the seventh in line to the throne, bumping Prince Andrew, the second son of the Queen, into eighth place, according to Us Weekly.
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The little royal will fall behind Prince Charles, his son, Prince William, and his three children with Kate Middelton – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – in the line of succession. He or she will also fall behind his or her father, Prince Harry, who is currently sixth in line.
Should Prince William and Kate Middleton have another child, Prince Harry will be seventh in line to the throne and his unborn child will follow in eighth, once again bumping Prince Andrew down to ninth, and his children – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – down.
The Succession of the Crown Act, passed by the U.K. Parliament in 2013 and having gone into effect in 2015, means that regardless of the little royal’s sex, he or she will not lose their position in the line of succession by a future brother. Prior to the passing of the Crown Act, a female heir to the throne would have been pushed further down the line of succession in the case of a male heir being born.
Should the Duke and Duchess’ child be a baby girl, she will not be the first affected by the Crown Act, as Princess Charlotte, born in 2015, didn’t lose her fourth place following Prince Louis’ April birth.
It remains to be seen if the tiny royal will have a royal title to match, as King George V limited titles within the British royal family in 1917, meaning that Harry and Meghan’s first born, as a great-grandchild of the Queen, is too far down the line of succession to be an HRH.
Should the Duke and Duchess’ firstborn be a son, his name will likely be styled the Earl of Dumbarton, while a daughter’s name would be styled Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
However, it is possible that Queen Elizabeth will overrule the decree and allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children to be HRHs and princes and princesses, just as she did with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
