Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gave birth to a boy, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, at 5:25 a.m. BST on May 6, 2019, one week after her due date. Both Meghan and the baby are "doing incredibly well," according to father Prince Harry, who in announcing the birth of his first child said, "As every father and parent would ever say, you know, your baby is absolutely amazing. But this little thing is absolutely to die for, so I'm just over the moon." From the point Meghan and Harry announced their pregnancy in October 2018 following their May wedding earlier that year, fans of the royal family have kept an extra eye on the high-profile couple for hints about names and more.
America's fascination with the British royal family soared to new heights with the introduction of Diana, Princess of Wales, who married into the British royal family in 1981 at age 20—it is estimated that 750 million people tuned in to watch Diana's marriage to Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was known as the "People's Princess": She spent her time frequently interacting with the public, visiting hospitals and schools, and working with charities in the U.K. and around the globe. Many say she broke down some of the longstanding barriers between the royal family and the public they reign over. She made it a point to make sure her two sons, William and Harry, were raised with a sense of normalcy, despite being in line to the throne. Even after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996, Diana held the public's heart. It's been more than two decades since her tragic death in 1997, though her name still graces the pages of today's media with some regularity.
The world has watched William and Harry grow into men; with a particular public interest in the brothers' respective love lives—they were, after all, eligible bachelors until they both found their spouses. While America took a keen interest in William's long-time girlfriend and now wife, Kate Middleton, the marriage of Harry to American actress Meghan Markle has given the country a new connection to the royal family. The baby could be the first royal child to hold dual nationality (American and British); and may very well be the first baby of mixed race to be born into this royal family.
Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch since 1952. It is hard to imagine a different head of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth; but at age 93, it is likely we will see the queen pass down her crown in the next several years. But who will replace her and how far down the line of succession is Baby Sussex?
Stacker researched the official British Royal Line of Succession to find out. Though the line of succession is lengthy, Stacker focused on the current monarch through to the 15th in line. Read on to discover who will take over once the queen steps down and who else may wear the crown in your lifetime.
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