The Royal Family is set to lose two members from its line of succession in 2021 - but who is it?
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The Royal family is set to lose two members of its line of succession in 2021 but who will lose out?
- The Royal family is set to lose two members from its line of succession in 2021.
- There are 100 spots - with the Royals closest to the Queen taking up the top 20 places.
- In other royal news (opens in new tab), The adorable name Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have for Duchess Camilla – and it isn’t Grandma! (opens in new tab)
The Royal Family is set to lose two people from its line of succession (opens in new tab) in 2021.
While its widely known that Prince Charles is heir to the throne at Buckingham Palace should the queen retire (opens in new tab) or pass away, there are alternative options should her Majesty the Queen outlive him, and that's what makes a line of succession very important.
But in order to be considered in line to the throne, you must be a member of the royal family. Other factors such as legitimacy, religion and sex also are considered important factors in whether you make the line up or not.
Currently members of the British Royal Family take up the top 20 places in the line, with slots given to direct and immediate family members. But with a few royal births on the cards for 2021, the line of succession is expected to shift.
READ MORE: Could Kate Middleton become Queen before Camilla Parker Bowles and will Camilla be Queen at all? (opens in new tab)
Who is currently in the top 20 line of succession?
- Prince Charles
- Prince William (opens in new tab)
- Prince George (opens in new tab)
- Princess Charlotte
- Prince Louis
- Prince Harry
- Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
- Prince Andrew
- Princess Beatrice
- Princess Eugenie
- Prince Edward
- James Viscount Severn
- Lady Louise Windsor
- Princess Anne
- Peter Phillips
- Savannah Phillips
- Isla Phillips
- Zara Tindall
- Mia Tindall
- Lena Tindall
The original law stated that younger male heirs would be considered for the throne before their older, female siblings. However, in 2013 this changed and now any older female sibling born after 28 October 2011 can be considered first for the throne.
Princess Eugenie and her husband of two years Jack Brooksbank are expecting their first child in early 2021 as well as the Queen’s eldest granddaughter Zara Tindall revealed she was pregnant with her third child (opens in new tab) earlier this month.
With this in mind it's expected that when these royals are born, they will hold the positions of 11th and 21st on the line of succession respectively.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s direct descendants, her extended family are listed in order of closeness to her beginning with her nephew David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon. The full 100 list is reserved for those closest to the Queen.
So who will be facing the list drop? Stella Ferner and Carl Christian Ferner.
Stella Ferner, the only daughter of Alexander Ferner, is the third child and eldest son of Princess Astrid and Johan Martin Ferner. Princess Astrid of Norway was the second daughter of King Olav V of Norway and the older sister of the current Norwegian King Harald V.
Stella currently holds the 99th position on the line of succession. Meanwhile Carl-Christian Ferner, born in 1972, is the younger son of Princess Astrid of Norway. He worked for 26 years in the clothing industry but the pair will inevitably drop off the royal line of succession once the new royal babies are born.
Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer with more than 15 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently looks after all things Entertainment for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.
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