Getty
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96 years old, 70 years after she ascended to the throne.
Elizabeth’s death came just a short time after news broke that doctors were concerned for her health and her family rushed to her bedside at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The official Royal Family Twitter account shared, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.
The queen was a unifying figure in the United Kingdom. She ascended to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, and her coronation took place in 1953, according to her official biography. Her Majesty celebrated her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years since her accession — earlier in 2022.
Following the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, many have wondered who will be replacing her and what is the line of succession.
Here’s what you need to know:
Her Son, Charles, the Prince of Wales, Is Next in Line to the Throne & Has Already Been Referred to as the ‘King’ by the Royal Family’s Social Media
The heir is Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, former Duke of Edinburgh. Charles was born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace and was just 3 years old when the queen ascended to the throne and he became the heir apparent, according to his palace biography.
The former Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981, and she became HRH The Princess of Wales. The couple had two sons: William, born on June 21, 1982; and Harry, born on September 15, 1984. However, their marriage did not last and the couple announced their separation in 1992. The marriage was dissolved on August 28, 1996, Prince Charles’ palace biography states.
Charles remarried on April 9, 2005, tying the knot with Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony. She then became known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. In her Accession Day message for her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022, the Queen announced that when Prince Charles becomes king, “it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.”
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, Charles was unanimously voted as the successor to the queen for the next head of commonwealth. The head of the commonwealth is not a hereditary position, unlike the throne, according to Charles’ official website.
Upon news of Elizabeth’s death, the Royal Family’s Twitter account officially referred to as Charles and Camilla as “The King and The Queen Consort.”
Next in Line After Charles Is The Prince William
The Prince William (formerly the Duke of Cambridge and now the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, according to the website Unofficial Royalty), is the second in line to the throne after his father, King Charles. He is the eldest son of Charles and Diana.
On April 29, 2011, William married Catherine Middleton, whom he met at St. Andrews University. She became known as the Duchess of Cambridge, and they have three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.
The Succession to the Crown Act, which passed in the U.K. in 2013, changed the laws of succession to ensure that any male children born after October 28, 2011, would not precede elder sisters in the line of succession.
According to the royal website, the current line of succession is as follows: King Charles; William, the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge; Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge; Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Prince Louis of Cambridge; and sixth in line is Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
READ NEXT: Ronnie McNutt’s Friend Says Facebook Didn’t Do Enough to Stop Suicide Livestream