A Guide to the Royals in Great Britain

A Guide to the Royals in Great Britain

*Originally published by Molli on September 2019 and Updated by Vanessa in October 2022

As an American, I find myself so interested in the British royal family. We just don’t have kings and queens in our history, unless you count that one time we decided to break free from the Crown in 1776.

I also love a good family tree. As soon as those genealogy websites became popular a few years back, you better believe I was all over that! It was so interesting to trace my family back, generation after generation.

So, my love for the royal family and my love for a good family tree have come together to form this article! Keep reading for a brief guide to the royals in Great Britain!

I say that this will be a brief guide, as I could definitely write multiple articles about all of the different royal families in the history of the United Kingdom! There have been several different families, or “houses” that have been in power over the years, but I’m going to give you an overview of the current royal family, headed by Queen Elizabeth II. Enjoy!

King Alfred the Great

Portrait of King Alfred the Great – WikiCommons

The current queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, is the 32nd great-granddaughter of King Alfred the Great, so I want to give you all a little bit of background on him. He was the first effective King of England, all the way back in 871. I definitely couldn’t trace my own family back this far, so consider me intrigued!

King Alfred the Great ruled England from 871-899. He was a part of the House of Wessex. King Alfred was obsessed with recording every move he made, politically or otherwise, so we actually know the most about him than any other Anglo-Saxon king.

He founded the first ever English navy, and worked hard to get scholarly works translated from Latin to English, so that his subjects could better understand and learn. He also headed the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle project, which recorded the history of Anglo-Saxons.

King Alfred also lead his armies to many victories over the Danes, who were set on invading England at the time. Although some reports state that he sometimes had to pay off the Danes to prevent them from invading his kingdom, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles state that he was all in all a victorious king.

When he wasn’t at war, he focused on building up his military’s strength, which is why he went on to found the Royal Navy, which still exists to this day! A pretty impressive 32nd great-grandfather for Queen Elizabeth II, I’d say!

Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Coronation portrait, June 1953 by
Cecil Beaton – WikiCommons

Flash-forward to June 1953, and Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne after the death of her father, King George VI. She is the oldest reigning British monarch. Her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria originally owned this title, having lived until the age 81. Today, Queen Elizabeth II is 93 years old! She has been queen for over 65 years.

Although King Alfred the Great belonged to the House of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth II belongs to the House of Windsor. The House of Windsor was founded in 1917 with King George V, the Queen’s grandfather. It is the eighth House to exist since the House of Wessex.

If you’ve ever watched the Netflix series, The Crown (which I totally recommend!), you know a bit about the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, her husband. Okay, I know the series is pretty dramatic and the royal family hasn’t been too happy about how they are portrayed, but it is a great series, in my opinion!

I digress! In 1947, a few years before the Queen took the throne, she married Prince Philip. Today, at 98 years old, Prince Philip is the longest living Royal Consort, and the oldest living spouse of a British monarch. I need to get this couples’ secret for living such long and healthy lives.

Queen Elizabeth II served as the British monarch throughout some major historical events. She rules over the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms, which include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and several others. I say that she rules over these countries, but today the Queen is more of a figurehead than a ruler.

Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 by Joel Rouse of the Ministry of Defence – WikiCommons

Queen Elizabeth II is not just the oldest reigning British monarch, she was also the world’s longest serving female head of state, the oldest reigning monarch in the world, and the oldest and longest serving current head of state.

Not only that, Queen Elizabeth II  remained a popular and well-loved monarch throughout the majority of her reign. She has sometimes earned criticism, but it has mostly been towards how her children behave. She was also heavily criticised in 1992, and she herself claimed that the year was annus horribilis (horrible year in Latin). That year, there were many divorces and separations in her family, intimate photos and conversations of the royal family were leaked and then published in the press, and one of the Queen’s residences, Windsor Castle, caught on fire. Despite these difficulties, I give the Queen so much credit for admitting that it had been a horrible year for her family. Honesty is the best policy!

“Promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace.” – the goals of the Commonwealth of Nations

Queen Elizabeth II is also the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, which is made up of 53 member states. The goal of the Commonwealth are the “promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace.”

There will be significant changes to the royal family’s roles following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. Most notably, Prince Charles, the son of the Queen, immediately ascended to the throne.

The change in the line of succession has also resulted in other royal family members receiving new titles. Everything you need to know about the royal titles, from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s new titles to the likelihood that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s future children will be princes and princesses, is provided here.

Prince Charles

Charles, Prince of Wales by The White House from Wikimedia Commons

Prince Charles will be referred to as King Charles III after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.

Camilla

Camilla by The Big Lunch from Wikimedia Commons

Camilla will now be addressed as Queen Consort because she is the King’s wife, an honour Queen Elizabeth explicitly requested in February.

“In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage seventeen years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort,” King Charles III said of Camilla in his speech on Sept. 9. “I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.”

Prince William

Prince William by Prince William from Wikimedia Commons

Since being given the title of Duke of Cambridge on his wedding day to Kate Middleton in April 2011, Prince William has been referred to as the Duke of Cambridge.

As the Duke of Cornwall is traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, with his wife taking the Duchess title, the official @KensingtonRoyal Twitter and Instagram accounts were updated to belong to the “Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge” following the passing of Queen Elizabeth. King Charles III said in his speech on September 9 that William will also succeed to the title of Prince of Wales, which Charles had previously held.

Kate Middleton

Duchess Catherine by File:Obama and Duke Duchess of Cambridge from Wikimedia Commons

On her wedding day in April 2011, Kate Middleton received the title of Duchess of Cambridge, just like her husband. She most recently received the title of Duchess of Cornwall after Queen Elizabeth passed away.

Kate will assume the title of Princess of Wales, originally held by William’s late mother Princess Diana, King Charles III said in his speech. Although Kate’s children’s birth certificates refer to her as the “Princess of the United Kingdom,” this is the first time she has used the princess title formally.

Prince George

Although it has been suggested that George may change his name now that Charles is king, William and Kate’s first child’s official title is His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

Princess Charlotte

Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is her formal name; however, now that Charles is king, it has been suggested that she may one day be known as Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge.

Prince Louis

His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge is the third child of William and Kate; however, now that Charles is king, it has been speculated that he would also take the name Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge.

Prince Harry

Prior to his nuptials to Meghan Markle in 2018, Prince Harry was appointed Duke of Sussex. Meghan and Harry kept their His/Her Highness titles but no longer use them despite leaving their positions as senior members of the royal family.

What is the role of the British royal family?

The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour, June 2012 by Carfax2 – WikiCommons

I’ve already mentioned that today, the Queen is more of a figurehead than a ruler. The United Kingdom is considered to be a Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, which means that the Queen and the Prime Minister are the parties that are in charge. However, the Queen’s role is fairly small. She has “the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn,” as states the British “uncodified” Constitution (the United Kingdom actually does not have a written constitution! Their laws are based on historical English law. But, this is another topic for another blog!), but she is not responsible for making laws, passing bills or anything of that sort.

Today, the royal family is responsible for performing ceremonies and other social duties throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realm. They are required to help Queen Elizabeth II in her duties to the state and abroad. According to the official royal family website, the family attends over 2,000 official engagements in the United Kingdom and worldwide. This could include state funerals, national festivals, and visits to the military and other Armed Forces.

Additionally, many members of the royal family have started their own charities in order to use their positions to give back to the community.

Who are the current members of the British royal family?

The Badge of the House of Windsor, as approved by King George VI in 1938. In the style used from 1952 to the present – WikiCommons

The current members of the British royal family are as follows:

• The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip)

• The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (the Queen’s son, Charles, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles)

• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (the Queen’s grandson, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton)

• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children and the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge

• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle)

• The Princess Royal (the Queen’s only daughter, Anne)

• The Duke of York (the Queen’s second son, Andrew)

• Princess Beatrice of York (the Queen’s granddaughter, and the daughter of the Duke of York)

• Princess Eugenie (the Queen’s granddaughter, and the second daughter of the Duke of York)

• The Earl and Countess of Wessex (the Queen’s third son, Edward, and his wife Sophie)

• The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (the Queen’s cousin, Prince Richard and his wife Birgitte)

• The Duke and Duchess of Kent (the Queen’s cousin, Prince Edward and his wife Katharine)

• Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (The Queen’s cousin)

• Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (The Queen’s cousin Prince Michael and his wife who was born as Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz before marrying Prince Michael)

The Queen has other close relatives that are technically a part of the royal family but do not carry the title of prince, princess, duke or duchess.

The Prince of Wales (Charles, the Queen’s eldest son), is the next in line for the throne.

Conclusion

I hope you all have enjoyed this brief explanation of the British royal family! If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you have. I hope that this has helped to explain how the royal family works, and what their duties are as well. I know that I found it difficult to understand before a British friend explained it all to me!

If you want to learn even more about the royal family, why not join one of our walking tours in London? Our local guides are sure to know even more than I do, so they can help fill in any blanks I may have missed!

Click here to learn more about our tours and to make a booking. Until then…Long Live the Queen!