Ahead of Trooping the Colour, we are taking a look at the members of the British Royal Family. If you want to know who’s who of the main players, we have you covered.
King Charles
©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
King Charles was born on 14 November 1948 as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He became the heir to the throne in 1952 and was created the Prince of Wales in 1958. He has three younger siblings. The King was married to Lady Diana Spencer from 1981-1996, and they had two sons: Princes William and Harry. The King faced public scrutiny due to his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles while married to Diana. He married Camilla in 2005. The King is passionate about the environment and has been one of the hardest-working royals throughout his adult life. He became King in September 2022 upon the death of his mother, who had been on the throne for over 70 years. Charles was the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history before he took the throne. He has recently been battling an undisclosed cancer but is slowly attending public-facing royal duties again.
Queen Camilla
Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks
Camilla Shand was born on 17 July 1947 to Major Bruce Shand and Rosalind. She has been an avid reader since childhood and has made the importance of literature one of her main focuses as a royal. Camilla was a debutante and worked as a secretary. She married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and had two children: Tom and Laura. They divorced in 1995. She knew King Charles for decades and the pair had a relationship before their marriages; however, they later reunited and began an affair. The affair led to Camilla being disliked by the public for a long period, but she worked hard to gain the trust of the British people. She married Charles in 2005 and took the lesser title of Duchess of Cornwall to respect the late Diana, who is still beloved by the people. When her husband became King, she became the Queen consort and has continued to work hard on behalf of the Crown.
Prince of Wales
Photo: Kensington Palace / Andy Parsons
Prince William is the elder child of King Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born on 21 June 1982 and his mother made sure that he and his brother experienced as normal an upbringing as they could with trips to McDonald’s and Disney World. Diana died in a car crash in 1997, and William and Harry were forced to face the world during her public funeral. They were able to keep their privacy while under the age of 18 out of respect for Diana, who died during a paparazzi chase in Paris. William has been preparing for his future role as monarch since childhood by undertaking engagements with his parents, training in the military, and having tea with the late Queen Elizabeth on weekends. William married Catherine Middleton in 2011 and they have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. He became the Prince of Wales after his grandmother’s death. His father created him the Prince of Wales the day after her passing, and William has stepped up royal duties in his new role as heir to the throne.
Princess of Wales
Photo by Ian Jones/CC/Foreign Office/Flickr
Catherine Middleton was born on 9 January 1982 to Mike and Carol Middleton. The eldest of three children, she was raised in an upper-middle-class family. Her parents became millionaires after creating the party supply business Party Pieces. She met Prince William while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, and the pair dated for years. They married in 2011 and have three children. Originally titled the Duchess of Cambridge, she is now the Princess of Wales and undertakes engagements on behalf of the Crown. Catherine is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment for an unspecified cancer and has stepped back from royal duties to focus on her health.
Prince George
Prince George was born as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 22 July 2013 in London. As a future monarch, his birthday was celebrated across the Commonwealth. He currently attends the Lambrook independent preparatory school alongside his siblings. He is second in line to the British throne.
Princess Charlotte
Princess Charlotte, born on 2 May 2015, is the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales. She is the first British princess to be born since the change in the laws of succession. As such, she is the first British princess not to be surpassed in the line of succession by a younger brother. Charlotte is third in line to succeed her grandfather.
Prince Louis
Prince Louis is the youngest of William and Catherine’s three children. Born on 23 April 2018, Louis is fourth in the line of succession. He’s gone viral in the past for his antics and faces during events like Trooping the Colour and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.
Duke of Sussex
DoD photo by EJ Hersom
Prince Harry is the younger son of King Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born on 15 September 1984 but faced tragedy when his mother died in a Paris car crash in 1997. At the time, Harry was 12 and later admitted that he struggled with grief. Harry served in the British Army and attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. During his time in the military, he was deployed to Afghanistan. He has been passionate about helping wounded soldiers and created the Invictus Games (an Olympic Games of sorts for wounded service people). He married American Meghan Markle in 2018 and they have two children: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. They now live in California after stepping back as senior working members of the Royal Family. Harry is fifth in the line of succession behind his brother, nephews and niece.
Duchess of Sussex
By Fuzheado – Own work, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Rachel “Meghan” Markle was born in California to a white father, Thomas Markle, and a black mother, Doria Ragland. Her father worked in Hollywood and served as the director of photography and lighting for General Hospital and Married … With Children. Meghan attended private schools in California before studying at Northwestern University in Illinois where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in theatre and international studies. After a career in Hollywood where she starred in the TV show Suits, she married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan undertook royal duties but faced scrutiny as an American divorcee and for being biracial. Eventually, she and Harry stepped back as working members of the Royal Family and moved to Canada and then settled in her hometown of Los Angeles. They have two children, who are the closest Americans to the throne.
Prince Archie
Prince Archie is the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Born on 6 May 2019, he is the closest American to the British throne. At the time of his birth, he did not hold a title as he was the child of the second son of the Prince of Wales. After his grandfather, King Charles III, became monarch, Archie gained the royal style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince as the grandson of the monarch. Archie has primarily been raised in his mother’s home state of California and is sixth in the line of succession.
Princess Lilibet
Princess Lilibet (Lili) was born in California to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on 4 June 2021. She has been kept out of the limelight most of her life and her parents are very strict about her and her brother’s privacy. Lili gained the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess when her grandfather came to the throne in 2022. She is seventh in line to the throne.
Prince Andrew
By Hanson K Joseph – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was born on 19 February 1960 and served in the Royal Navy – even serving in the Falklands War. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and had two daughters: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. He and Sarah divorced in 1996 but have remained close. He stepped back from royal duties after his affiliation with American paedophile Jeffery Epstein was revealed. Andrew was never convicted of any crime and never admitted to any wrongdoing. He settled out of court with Virginia Giuffre after she accused him of sexual assault. Prince Andrew is eighth in the line of succession.
Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice was born as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York on 8 August 1988. She occasionally undertakes royal duties on behalf of her uncle but mainly remains out of the spotlight. She married Italian noble Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020 amid the pandemic. Due to the restrictions at the time, she only had a few people, including the late Queen Elizabeth, at her wedding. She and Edo share a daughter, Sienna, born in 2021. Beatrice also has a stepson, Christopher, from Edo’s previous relationship. Beatrice is ninth in the line of succession.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie was born on 23 March 1990 as the second child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Educated in the United Kingdom, she has worked with auction houses and charities. She occasionally attends royal events on behalf of her uncle. Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in 2018 and they have two sons, August and Ernest. Eugenie is 11th in the line of succession.
Duke of Edinburgh
By New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General – https://gg.govt.nz/image-galleries/10059/media?page=6, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Prince Edward was born on 10 March 1964 to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. He married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 and they have two children: Lady Louise and James, the Earl of Wessex. Edward was given the title of Earl of Wessex upon his marriage with the promise that he would become Duke of Edinburgh (his father’s title) after the death of his parents. King Charles created Edward the Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday in 2023. Edward carries on the legacy of his father’s Duke of Edinburgh Awards and regularly undertakes events on behalf of the Crown. He’s 14th in the line of succession.
Duchess of Edinburgh
British High Commission, New Delhi via Flickr
Sophie Rhys-Jones was born on 20 January 1965 in the UK to Christopher and Mary Rhys-Jones. Educated in the UK, she had a career in public relations before marrying Prince Edward in 1999. They have two children and Sophie regularly attends royal events to represent the Crown.
Princess Royal
Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street
Princess Anne, or the Princess Royal, is the only daughter and second child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Born on 15 August 1950, she represented Great Britain at the 1976 Olympic Games as an equestrian. She now serves as a member of the International Olympic Committee. She was married to Captain Mark Phillips from 1973 to 1992 and had two children, Peter and Zara. She married for a second time to Sir Timothy Laurence in 1992. She is the hardest-working royal each year and is 17th in the line of succession.
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