Princess Charlotte; could the birthday Royal, 8 today, become the future Queen of England?

She is third in line to the throne, but Princess Charlotte at an early age already seems to be aware of the traditions of the Royal family as the middle child of Prince William and Princess Catherine turns eight today. The occasion has been celebrated by the Prince and Princess of Wales, with a photo of the birthday girl published on the eve of her birthday. 

We say that she knows the Royal traditions, but that merely stems from her interactions during some of the most important royal engagements she has been involved in from an early age; from the jubilee to the funeral of her great-grandmother, Queen Elizbaeth II, Princess Charlotte as always seemed to realise when to be seen and when to be heard - as opposed to her brother’s Prince George and Prince Louis, who at times had had to be hushed by his sister, his other and even his cousin, Savannah Phillips, who famously put her finger to her lips to hush Prince George during the Trooping of the Colour in 2018. 

Such has been the trials and tribulations Princess Charlotte has endured so early on in her life that many now wonder if talk of her being crowned the new monarch over Prince George could be feasible. Despite her young age, media commentators have always attested to the way the young royal has conducted herself, showing a level of maturity that many parents would hope their eight year old would have in trying circumstances.

Her appearance during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II led users on social media to commend her behaviour throughout the event, with one Twitter user going as far as to write “for everyone who had a negative comment about Prince Louis's behaviour shush now because Princess Charlotte and Prince George's behaviour at their grandmother's funeral was impeccable” while another wrote “I really hope the sad and respectful composure of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Queen's Funeral will convince more people that children can be allowed to attend the funeral of a much-loved family member. It can be just as important for them to say goodbye as for adults.”

That led to queries being raised if Princess Charlotte could usurp Prince George to ascend to the throne as the next Queen of England; and though it is possible, there are certain Royal traditions that make her potential ascension slightly more difficult.

How could Princess Charlotte become Queen of England?

Princess Charlotte is currently third in line behind her older brother Prince George in the line of succession to the throne, but should something happen to Prince George that leaves him unable to take the throne, or in the event that Prince George does not have any next of kin in the future and passes away, that would mean that Princess Charlotte would become the next Queen of England.

As much as there has been discussion about how good of a reigning monarch she could be, even at this early stage, the unfortunate tradition of agnatic primogeniture that means despite potentially being more well equipped for the role, that by birthright and being a male, Prince George ultimately will become King before her, and should he have children, Princess Charlotte will have to contend with the title Princess Royal.

What is the current succession to the throne in the United Kingdom?

The ascension to becoming King or Queen of England sees all three of Prince William’s children in the top five, while the Duke of Sussex is currently firth in line for the throne:

1. The Prince of Wales
2. Prince George of Wales
3. Princess Charlotte of Wales
4. Prince Louis of Wales
5. The Duke of Sussex
6. Prince Archie of Sussex
7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex
8. The Duke of York
9. Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
10. Miss Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
11. Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
12. Master August Brooksbank
13. The Duke of Edinburgh
14. Earl of Wessex
15. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
16. The Princess Royal
17. Mr. Peter Phillips
18. Miss Savannah Phillips
19. Miss Isla Phillips
20. Mrs. Michael Tindall
21. Miss Mia Tindall
22. Miss Lena Tindall
23. Master Lucas Tindall