Prince Edward heartbreak: Earl of Wessex to drop in rank early next year | Royal | News (Reports)

0
606

The Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 56, is currently 11th in line to the British throne. Edward, who holds the title of Earl of Wessex, has two children with Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James, Viscount Severn, 12. His daughter is 13th in line, while James currently sits in 12th place.

However, the Wessexes are due to drop in the line of succession early next year.

On Friday, September 25, Princess Eugenie, 30, announced she was expecting her first child with husband Jack Brooksbank, 34.

The Princess posted a photo of two tiny, furry slippers on her Instagram, writing: “Jack and I are so excited for early 2021.”

A post from Buckingham Palace’s account on Twitter confirmed the news and added the Queen and Prince Philip are “delighted”.

READ MORE: Prince Charles title: Why Prince Edward could lose title to Charles

However, the law changed on March 26, 2015, so at present, the succession is decided only by age: older children come before younger children.

In addition, when someone who is in line to the throne has a child, that child comes after them and their older children, but before anyone else in the line of succession.

This is why Prince Edward’s place in the line of succession has dropped multiple times over the years.

Prince William, who is the son of heir to the throne and Edward’s older brother, Prince Charles, have had three children with wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

When Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, were born, Edward, along with other lower-ranking members of the Royal Family, dropped down in the line of succession.

The same happened when William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, had his son Archie Harrison with wife Meghan Markle in May 2019.

Princess Eugenie also caused Edward to drop in the line when she was born.

Eugenie’s child, who’s gender has not been revealed, will not hold a title or receive a HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) status unless the Queen intervenes.

LEAVE A REPLY

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.