As talk turns to King Charles III’s coronation, some are wondering about the order of succession and who else is in line for the throne…and by that, we mean is Prince Harry still eligible to become King now that he’s stepped down from being a senior working member of the Royal Family?
Could Prince ever become King?
It’s a good question! And the answer, possibly surprisingly, is still yes—despite the Duke of Sussex having made it very clear that he’s keen to distance himself from royal protocols and press intrusion (which would likely only ramp up further if he were to become King). At present, Harry is fifth in line to the throne and this is a birthright “privilege” that cannot be revoked without an Act of Parliament being in place.
However, there are a whole myriad of things that would need to happen in order for it to actually reach the stage that Prince Harry was first in line and set to become King, as of course he has an elder brother, Prince William, who is the current heir to the throne—and who is expected to step up as monarch when King Charles III eventually passes.
In the event of Prince William’s death occurring before King Charles’s, Prince Harry would still not be the next choice for King, instead that honor would move on to Prince William’s eldest son, Prince George. Likewise, if Prince George were unable to fulfill the duty of becoming monarch, Princess Charlotte would take the throne—and failing that, Prince Louis also stands ahead of his uncle Harry.
Currently, below Prince Harry in the order of succession is his and Meghan Markle’s son, Prince Archie (yep, he’s a Prince now that his grandfather is the current King), followed by his daughter, Princess Lilibet.
So, the bottom line? Yes, Prince Harry could one day be King…but there’d need to be a lot of unfortunate and premature deaths in order for that to happen. And even if it did happen, there’s no certainty that the present Duke of Sussex would actually want to take on the role (he could very well choose to abdicate).
Would Prince Harry become King if Prince William abdicates the throne?
Okay, so this is a trickier one—if Prince William did decide to abdicate (which seems very unlikely) and Prince George was under the age of 18 at the time, then, yes, technically Prince Harry (or another senior royal…although next in line is technically Prince Andrew, so, err, who knows) would be called upon to act as Regent until Prince George’s time came. As for whether or not Harry—or William, for that matter—would really do that is another matter.
Features Editor
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. Jennifer is also a published author and patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). She’s a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Â