As a boy, the new baby of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a unique position in Britain’s Royal pecking order.
Until recently, the royal line of succession in Britain’s best known family, has followed a system of male preference primogeniture.
This was where princes took precedence over their older sisters. No matter what order the children came into the world the boys were always placed ahead of their sisters in who was next in line to inherit the throne.
However, the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act amended the system so that males no longer take precedence over their older sisters.
This is why the Royal couple’s second child Princess Charlotte remains fourth in line to the throne and won’t be bumped down to fifth place by the new baby boy.
The new Royal baby will slot in as fifth-in-line, behind Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
None of this comes into play, however while The Queen remains on the throne.
The Queen is the world’s longest reigning monarch and has been on the throne for 66 years boasting four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren — with another two on the way.
The Queen’s husband Prince Philip (also known as the Duke of Edinburgh) married into the royal family, therefore he’s next to Queen Elizabeth at the top of the royal family tree but not included in the royal line of succession.
Prince Charles, who turns 70 this year, will inherit the crown when The Queen passes away.
Charles, whose official title is the Prince of Wales, is the first child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip on the royal family tree, and an older brother to Princess Anne (known as the Princess Royal), Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
He is also the father of Princes William and Harry, who he had with his first wife, the late Princess Diana.
Thirty-five-year-old Prince William is second in line to the throne, under his father, Prince Charles.
Cheeky Prince George is third in line to the throne, just under his father, Prince William. Despite being only four years old, the young prince has already accompanied his parents on various royal duties including a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia in 2014 and an official visit to Canada in 2016.
George, known as Prince George of Cambridge, made headlines around the world when he began kindergarten in 2016. He’s also expected to be part of his uncle Prince Harry’s royal wedding to Meghan Markle this May.
It’s very unlikely that Prince Harry, 33, will ever be king, given his lowly sixth position in the line of succession behind George, Charlotte and the new royal baby.
Prince Andrew, better known as the Duke of York, sits under Queen Elizabeth on the royal family tree as her second-eldest son. At the time of his birth, Andrew was second in line to the throne, but he’s since moved to seventh place.
The birth of a new baby for the Cambridge’s means the Duke of York can technically marry without the express permission of his mother.
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