The royal family of Great Britain

«The king is dead — long live the king!». Such a motto has always accompanied the monarchy. Although the seemingly eternal Elizabeth II left this world in 2022, the royal family continues to rule the United Kingdom, with her eldest son Charles III taking the throne.

Of course, he is not the only living member of the British royal family. The Queen has 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren (one of whom was born already after her death). Today we want to tell you about how the descendants of the British royal house live and what path they have chosen for themselves.

Elizabeth II

As we pay our respects, we will start with the matriarch of the royal family, Her Majesty Elizabeth II. She was born on 21 April 1926 and at the time no one considered her a real contender for the throne. Not because she was a girl — there was no such prejudice in Britain, where Queen Victoria, who left behind the famous «Victorian era», ruled for more than half a century.

It’s just that Elizabeth was not a direct heir. The throne was meant for her uncle Edward. The crown was to go to his eldest child and then to his eldest grandchild. That’s the way the succession system works — only the first in line can become king. And if only he died or something out of the ordinary happened to him, then the crown would go to the next in line. This has happened many times in the history of the British royal family.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened to Edward VIII. He abdicated because of his love for an American actress who would never be accepted by his subjects. The throne passed to Elizabeth’s father, George VI. This moment was a turning point in her destiny. Instead of prepared for her quiet aristocratic life away from prying eyes, she received the attention of the world. And with honour she stood the test in all circumstances.

On 6 February 1952, when her father passed away, Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom and remained so for 70 years, becoming this country’s longest reigning monarch.

Prince Philip

The Queen was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a man of no less interesting fate and outstanding willpower. He was born in 1921 on the island of Corfu. And he was also a born prince. But, of course, not British, but Greek and Danish. However, because of the revolution, the family had to leave Greece just a year after the birth of his son. The boy studied in France and Germany. And during the Second World War he fought on the side of Great Britain. After the war, Philip continued his career in the navy. But left it after his marriage to Elizabeth II.

Throughout their years together, Prince Philip struck the right balance between being a reliable support for the Queen, but not overshadowing her by delicately remaining in the shadows. He lived a long and very fulfilling life. Elizabeth II and Philip had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Today they have children and grandchildren of their own, making the modern tree of the British royal family quite extensive and branching.

King Charles III and his family

As Crown Prince, Charles was always in the public eye, so his private life was known to the world. His colourful, albeit unhappy, marriage to Princess Diana contributed to this. She was such a popular person that many people considered her the «queen of people’s hearts».

Unfortunately, family life did not work out. The couple divorced, and later Princess Diana died in a car accident.

Charles remarried — to Camilla Parker-Bowles (née Shand). Some call her a divorcee, while others call her a true love, destined for a man from the very beginning. As for heirs, Diana managed to give birth to two children: William and Harry.

Prince William

William is Charles’s eldest son and first in line to the throne. He is to become the next king of Great Britain after his father. It is worth noting that he already has a high level of support among his subjects.

His wife Catherine, with whom they celebrated the 10th anniversary of their marriage in 2021, plays an important role in William’s popularity. And before the wedding, the couple met for 6 years. Because of this in the press, Catherine was called «waiting for Kate». But the wedding still took place. The couple together attend important events and observe the etiquette accepted in the royal family of Great Britain.

After Charles’s coronation, the title of Prince of Wales passed to William by seniority. Accordingly, his wife became the Princess of Wales. Of course, this carries a huge responsibility, as it is obvious that she is being compared to the “benchmark” Princess of Wales — Lady Diana. And it is worth noting that she is doing just fine! Impeccable in her manners, but also cordial and kind in dealing with people, she has long won the love of ordinary Britons.

William and Catherine’s children

The couple has three children. The eldest, George, was born in 2013. According to the rules of succession after William, the throne should pass to him.

His sister Charlotte is next in line for the throne. Her strong character is evident in her despite her young age. And many believe she has inherited her grandmother’s best traits.

William and Catherine’s youngest child to date is son Louis. He is a mischievous boy who gets caught up in all sorts of cute antics.

Prince Harry

The youngest son of Charles and Diana. If something had happened to his older brother William before he had his own offspring, then Harry would have become king himself. Hinting at this, he published a book of memoirs called “The Spare”, in which he voiced the idea that he was only born as a safety net.

Unfortunately, his relationship with his family did not go well. And if before it was a harmonious trio with William and Catherine, then after his own marriage Harry became increasingly distant from his family, and then he broke with them with a scandal.

Fans of the British royal family blame it all on his wife, Meghan Markle. Many were critical of her from the very beginning. The fact that she is not English, but an American, unfamiliar with local traditions and etiquette, played a significant role in this. Besides, she was divorced. Meghan herself believed that many people were annoyed by her mother’s African-American origin and hinted at racism at the royal court.

Nevertheless, no one prevented this marriage. At first, the couple, like other members of the royal family, performed representative functions, were patrons of several cultural and sports organisations, made secular outings. However, after two years, they refused to do this and left the family, going to live in the United States. Since then, relations between Harry and his relatives began to deteriorate rapidly.

Harry and Meghan’s children

Prince Harry’s eldest son is named Archie. He came into the world in 2019. At that time, the couple was still living in the UK. Initially, it was announced that the parents wanted to drop the titles for the newborn so that he could lead the life of an ordinary child. However, they later reconsidered their decision and the boy became known as a prince.

In 2021, already in the United States, the couple had a daughter Lilibeth. This name was given to her in honour of her grandmother. This cute pet nickname was used when Elizabeth II was still a child. The baby also received the title of princess, approved by her grandfather Charles.

Princess Anne

Anne is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She is separated from her older brother Charles by two years. Although she is quite far down the line of succession and can hardly hope to ever take the throne, she does a lot for the royal family of Great Britain.

Princess Anne constantly holds meetings, organises social events, goes on diplomatic missions and tries to be as useful as possible for her people. This explains her high rating among the British people, who respect her for her hard work and believe that she is worthy of her mother.

She devotes her free time to horses. Princess Anne is a good rider and has even represented Great Britain several times at various international competitions.

Princess Anne has been married twice. The first time she married Captain Mark Phillips. She lived with him for 18 years and bore him two children. Since 1992, her husband has been Vice Admiral Timothy Lawrence.

Peter Phillips

Although Princess Anne is younger than her brother Charles, she had children earlier. Therefore, Peter is the Queen’s first grandchild. Initially it was decided that he would not represent the royal family of Great Britain, but would choose his own path. Having received a good education, he worked in the car business — including co-operation with one of the Formula 1 teams. He then joined the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Peter’s wife was Canadian Otham Kelly. The couple separated in 2021, but maintained a warm relationship and continues to jointly engage in the upbringing of children. There are two of them in the family – daughters Savannah and Ayla.

Zara Phillips

Zara is Princess Anne’s daughter and Peter’s younger sister. Like her mother, she is passionate about horses and has fully connected her life with them. Zara has won for Great Britain an Olympic silver medal in equestrian sport and a gold medal at the European Equestrian Championships.

Her husband, Mike Tindall, is also a sportsman. He is a player of the England national rugby team. Despite an active and busy life, the couple finds time to raise their three children — daughters Mia and Lena, and son Lucas. They can often be seen with the whole family as fans at various competitions.

Prince Andrew

He is the third child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the younger brother of Charles and Anne. Unlike them, he was born when his mother had already become queen. As a young man, like his father, Andrew pursued a military career. However, he left it to devote himself to the financial and investment market.

He was married to Sarah Ferguson, a close friend of Lady Diana. The marriage lasted 10 years.

Prince Andrew once found himself at the epicentre of a sex scandal that completely destroyed his reputation. In 2019, he was accused of intimacy with an underage girl, allegedly happened back in the 90s. Andrew himself denied everything, but the British royal family stripped him of all honours and patronage. In this difficult time, Sarah supported him.

Eugenia and Beatrice

Andrew and Sarah have two daughters. Although they are both princesses by blood, they do not perform royal duties, appearing officially in public only at family celebrations — such as weddings, birthdays and services at Christmas.

Before their marriage, the sisters were seen together almost everywhere. But having found a personal life, they began to appear more often in the company of their husbands. Eugenia is raising two sons — Augustus and Ernest, and Beatrice — a daughter Sienna. Beatrice’s husband also has a son from his first marriage, whom they gladly take with them on family outings.

Prince Edward

The youngest of the four children of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Like all the others, he received a good education. For quite a long time Edward worked in the theatre and television industry, but later fully concentrated on royal duties.

The only one of the Queen’s children who never divorced. And his wife Sophie was considered the Queen’s favourite daughter-in-law. The marriage produced two children — daughter Louise and son James. They are still very young and have no families of their own. But they have already started to go out into the world.

This is where the tree of the British royal family ends for now. But it will undoubtedly grow and expand with the birth of new heirs.