Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting a baby in Spring 2019, Kensington Palace announced Monday morning. It will be the couple’s first child.
Harry and Meghan married in May, becoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Now, the question is where the new arrival will fit into the line of succession of the British royal family.
The answer is seventh in line. The new baby will bump Prince Andrew, the second son of the Queen, into eighth place.
But the youngster will still be behind his cousins Prince George and Princess Charlotte, by virtue of their father – Prince William – being older than Harry and second in line to the throne.
The good news for the unborn child is that its gender won’t come into consideration in the line of succession, unlike in times gone by.
In 2013, the U.K. Parliament passed a law allowing succession of siblings to be decided by age, rather than gender. The previous rules meant that an older sister would come further down the pecking order than her younger brother.
The new baby will also bump Princess Eugenie, who was married on Friday, into tenth in line to the throne.
The new line of succession will be as follows:
- Prince Charles
- Prince William
- Prince George
- Princess Charlotte
- Prince Louis
- Prince Harry
- Harry and Meghan’s unborn child
- Prince Andrew
- Princess Beatrice
- Princess Eugenie
