The Queen's Death Bumps Up The Line Of Succession & Here's What It Means For Will & Harry
It's a big shuffle for everyone!
Now that the queen is dead and her son Charles is king, the line of succession is getting a bump and many royal family members will have shiny new titles going forward.
For starters, Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son Charles has officially ascended the British throne and will be called King Charles III, while his wife Camilla is now the queen consort.
So why isn't she simply a queen — and why wasn't Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, a king?
The British crown has very particular guidelines on titles that can be appointed to people in the royal family.
The wives of royal men are granted the title, rank and status of their husbands, but it's not the same for the husbands of female royals, explained Reuters. Unlike the wives, the husbands of female royals have no right to a title.
For this reason, Prince Philip remained a prince his whole life, despite being married to the queen of the U.K.
This changes now that King Charles III has ascended the throne. He's a royal male, so Camilla can be queen consort, although she doesn't have any of the powers that Queen Elizabeth II did as the monarch.
King Charles III confirmed the news by saying "she becomes my queen consort" while he addressed the nation on Friday.
Charles also used that speech to create Prince William and Kate Middleton as the Prince and Princess of Wales. Charles used to be Prince of Wales, but the title doesn't automatically go to the next in line; it has to be given.
Since the announcement, Will and Kate's official social media handles have switched over from the Kensington Royals to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
"Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty," the new king said during his speech.
William also takes over for his father as Duke of Cornwall and is the heir apparent to the throne.
Charles briefly mentioned Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during his speech but didn't appoint them any new titles, which means that they remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
"I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas," King Charles III said during his speech.
However, despite the couple's controversial decision to step back from their royal duties and move to the U.S, they remain members of the royal family. The queen's death also means their children technically become Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, reported The New York Times.
Although some titles are automatically changed when a new monarch ascends the throne, the titles of Harry and Meghan's children are still unclear.
Markle previously told Oprah Winfrey that that the royal family refused to give her son Archie a title and raised questions about the colour of his skin before he was born.
With a new king in place, here's who is up next in the line of succession.
- Prince William (Charles' son)
- Prince George (William's son)
- Princess Charlotte (William's daughter)
- Prince Louis (William's son)
- Prince Harry (Charles' younger son)
- Prince Archie (Harry's son)
- Princess Lilibet (Harry's daughter)
- Prince Andrew (Charles' brother)
- Princess Beatrice (Andrew's daughter)
- Sienna Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice's daughter)