THE ROYAL FAMILY
The United Kingdom has a new monarch. Following Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022, her eldest son King Charles acceded to the throne. He, along with his wife Queen Camilla, was coronated on May 6, 2023, in front of 2,200 guests — including many members of the British royal family. The U.K.'s modern royal family began when Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947. Throughout her 70-year reign — which was the longest of any British monarch to date — the family endured both happy marriages and heartbreaking divorces, tragic deaths and royal births. Now with King Charles at the helm of the monarchy, a handful of family members carry on royal duties beside him full-time, including Queen Camilla, his older son Prince William and daughter-in-law Kate Middleton. Other members of the Mountbatten-Windsor clan — including the King's younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle — have chosen to pursue life outside of the royal fold. The youngest generation of British royals, which includes Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are also starting to make appearances at public family events — and stealing the spotlight with their adorable antics. In 2022, Prince Louis went viral for making funny faces at his mom Kate Middleton during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Just a few years prior, Queen Elizabeth's great-granddaughter Savannah Phillips (who was 7 at the time) made headlines for shushing a 4-year-old George on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
King Charles acceded to the British throne in September 2022 following his mother Queen Elizabeth's historic 70-year reign. Here's everything to know about the current generation of British royals
Born on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth was the monarch of the United Kingdom from 1952 until she died in 2022. She served in the armed forces, joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service when she was 18 years old to become a vehicle mechanic during World War II. She acceded to the throne when she was just 25 following the death of her father, King George VI. In 1947, she married Prince Philip, and together, they welcomed four children: the future King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The Queen "died peacefully" at 96 years old on Sept. 8, 2022. Reigning over 70 years, she had the longest tenure of any British monarch
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth from their wedding in 1947 until his death in 2021. Born to Greek and Danish royal families, Prince Philip served in the navy and was active in the sport of carriage driving.
King Charles is the oldest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and the current King of the United Kingdom, having acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother on Sept. 8, 2022. Charles married Princess Diana in 1981, welcoming sons Prince William in 1982 and Prince Harry in 1984. The couple separated in 1992, and Charles went on to wed Queen Camilla in 2005. An active humanitarian, Charles founded the Prince's Trust in 1976 and has contributed to over 400 different organizations. King Charles' coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023
Princess Diana was King Charles' first wife and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry. After meeting Charles through her sister, Lady Sarah, the two began courting in 1980 and wed at St. Paul's Cathedral the following year. A prolific philanthropist, Princess Diana advocated for causes like homelessness, cancer and AIDS research. Diana tragically died on Aug. 31, 1997, following a car accident in Paris. She was 36 years old
Queen Camilla is the Queen Consort ( жена правящего короля) of the United Kingdom and the second wife of King Charles. She was previously married to army officer Andrew Parker-Bowles, with whom she shares two children, Tom and Laura, though they divorced in 1995. Camilla and Charles had an affair during both of their marriages and eventually wed in 2005. In October 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Camilla would be crowned alongside her husband at his May 2023 coronation ceremony. She will be the first Queen Consort crowned at Westminster Abbey in nearly 90 years.
The older son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, Prince William was born on June 21, 1982. He is currently next in line for the British throne. After attending St. Andrews in Scotland, where he met his future wife Kate Middleton, Prince William completed officer training and entered the RAF Search and Rescue Force. William and Kate got married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and the two share three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. He holds over 30 charitable patronages, and in 2020 started The Earthshot Prize, awarded each year for winners' contributions to environmentalism. Following the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, William and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales — titles that were previously held by his parents.
Princess Kate was born on Jan. 9, 1982, to parents Michael and Carole Middleton. She met Prince William as a student at St. Andrews in 2001, and the two eventually wed 10 years later. On their wedding day, the couple were given the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, following King Charles' accession in 2022, they became the Prince and Princess of Wales. She shares three young children with her husband — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — and holds over 20 charitable patronages, including organizations that support mental health resources, fight addiction and promote the arts
William and Kate's eldest child is Prince George. He was on born July 22, 2013, and is second in line to the throne behind his father. He's already participated in many royal activities, including the Platinum Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth's state funeral. In 2023, George will make history at his grandfather's coronation by serving as a Page of Honor at the crowning ceremony. In doing so, he will become the youngest future king to have an official role at a coronation
William and Kate's second child and only daughter is Princess Charlotte, who was born on May 2, 2015. She is third in line for the throne. Like her brother, she's already participated in a number of royal activities and even got the attention of royal watchers after she cheekily stopped little brother Louis from waving during a 2022 carriage ride.
William and Kate's youngest child, Prince Louis, was born on April 23, 2018, and currently sits fourth in line for the throne. Though he's still young, the prince has already gone viral for his goofy antics at the 2022 Platinum Jubilee, in which he showed off a series of funny faces while watching the events. In April 2023, the then-4-year-old prince made his Easter debut alongside his parents and siblings.
King Charles and Princess Diana's younger child, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, was born Sept. 15, 1984. After undergoing officer training, Prince Harry served in Afghanistan with the Army Air Corps before resigning from the army in 2015. In 2018, he married former Suits actress Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The couple has since welcomed two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In 2020, the couple stepped back from their roles as working royals and moved to Meghan's home state of California. Three years later, Prince Harry released his memoir Spare, which contained bombshell revelations about his relationship with other members of the family. Ahead of the King's coronation, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry will attend his father's crowning ceremony, though his wife will stay in California.
After meeting through friends, actress Meghan Markle wed Prince Harry in 2018. On their wedding day, they were given the titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the Queen. The couple are parents to two children: son Archie, who was born in 2019, and daughter Lilibet, who was born in 2021. In 2020, the two announced their intentions to step back from their roles as working royals and began living in California. They support a number of charitable causes through their Archewell Foundation. Markle is also the host of her podcast Archetypes, which explores stereotypes women face daily. Meghan will not attend King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation ceremony in May 2023 and will instead remain in California with her children.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's older child, Prince Archie of Sussex, was born on May 6, 2019. Archie gained the title of prince when King Charles acceded the throne, as he's the grandson of a monarch; his sister Lilibet, respectively, gained the title of princess
The second child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Princess Anne was born Aug. 15, 1950. An accomplished equestrian, Anne became the first British royal to compete in the Olympics in 1976. She married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. The couple had two children, Peter and Zara, before their 1992 divorce. That same year, she married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. As a working royal, Anne performs official duties on behalf of the King and is the patron of over 300 charities.
The third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Prince Andrew was born on Feb. 19, 1960, at Buckingham Palace. A career naval officer, Andrew married Sarah " Fergie " Ferguson in 1986. The couple welcomed two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, before their divorce in 1996. In 2019, Prince Andrew was accused of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre and was later sued, though he has denied the allegations. In 2022, he was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages, and a settlement was reached.
The youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, Prince Edward was born on March 10, 1964, at Buckingham Palace. After graduating from the University of Cambridge and completing a brief stint in the Royal Marines, Edward went into theater and formed his own company, Ardent Productions. In 1999, he married Sophie Rhys-Jones; the couple would go on to welcome two children, Lady Louise and James Mountbatten-Windsor. In 2002, he stepped down from Ardent to become a full-time working royal and is now the Duke of Edinburgh.
God save our gracious King (Queen)! Long live our noble King (Queen)! God save the King (Queen)! Send him (her) victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the King (Queen). O Lord, our God, arise, Scatter his (her) enemies, And make them fall: Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix: God save us all. Thy choicest gifts in store, On him (her) be pleased to pour; Long may he (she) reign: May he (she) defend our laws, And ever give us cause To sing with heart and voice God save the King (Queen)!
