ET breaks down how the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child affects the 33-year-old royal's succession to the British throne.
With the birth of another royal baby, the line of succession to the British throne changes yet again!
Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their third child, a baby boy, in London, England, on Monday, and now, ET's breaking down how the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's newborn affects Prince Harry's chances of becoming king.
Queen Elizabeth II is the current head of the Commonwealth, and at 92 years old, she's the longest-living and longest-reigning monarch Britain has ever had. Her Royal Majesty has also made history as the world's longest-reigning queen and female head of state, rising to power after the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952.
Last week, leaders from the British organization announced that Queen Elizabeth's eldest son, 69-year-old Prince Charles, will eventually succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth when the time comes.
After Prince Charles, next in line is his eldest son, 35-year-old Prince William, followed by his children, Prince George, 4, Princess Charlotte, 2, and his newborn son, whose name has yet to be revealed.
While the old succession law stated that the heir to the throne would be the firstborn son of the king or queen, and the title would only pass to a daughter if there were no other sons, the new law, which was put into place back in 2011, notes that girls will not be overtaken by any future younger brothers.
This means that Kate and William's third child will be the first-ever male heir in line to the throne not to overtake his female sibling in the line of succession. And that officially puts Harry sixth in the line of succession.
While his chances of actually becoming king are even lower now, it appears that Harry, who is gearing up for his royal wedding with Meghan Markle on May 19, has always been OK with it.
"The monarchy is a force for good," he said in an interview with Newsweek last June. "We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people…. Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time."
Hear more in the video below.
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