Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign as British monarch means more than 65 years have passed since the last royal succession.
The British royal line of succession has reshuffled since William and Kate expanded their family and there could be future additions if Prince Harry and Meghan have a baby.
Prince Charles is next in line to the throne, but how do the rest of the royal lineage and Prince Louis line up?
NAIJ.com presents the royal succession as outlined by The Sun UK.
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Who will become King after Queen Elizabeth?
The throne will pass to Prince Charles if the Queen abdicates, retires or dies – and according to reports referenced by The Sun UK, abdication could be a real possibility.
Prince Charles (pictured with the Queen) is the next in line to the throne. Photo credit: Sky.com
The Queen is said to have told her inner circle that if she is still on the throne at the age of 95, she will ask for a piece of legislation to grant her eldest son full power to reign while she is alive.
NAIJ.com gathered the royal commentator Robert Jobson said on Sunday, July 1, that he has spoken to a number of high-ranking courtiers who say preparations for the transition of the Crown are gaining pace.
And at this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Queen reportedly said she wished for Charles to succeed her as head of the group of countries.
Next in line after Charles is eldest son Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and then his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and the new baby boy, Prince Louis.
Prince Harry, who was third in line to the throne in 2013, is now sixth in line.
Prince Harry, who was third in line to the throne in 2013, is now sixth in line.
Following his wedding to Meghan Markle, any children that they produce would come after him in the line of succession.
The British royal line of succession. Credit: The Sun UK
How does Royal succession work?
The rules of Royal succession have changed significantly in recent years.
Leaders of 16 British Commonwealth countries (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Jamaica) reportedly voted in 2011 to alter the centuries-old tradition to include daughters as well as sons.
Previously daughters could only inherit the throne if there were no living sons.
This system, which dated back 300 years, is based on the rules of primogeniture which gives preference to the firstborn male heirs of a king or queen.
This change in royal succession means Princess Charlotte, as William and Kate's daughter, is ahead of her younger brother.
Previously if the third child was male he would leap the princess in the line of succession.
This new rule only takes into account children born after 2011, meaning Prince Edward's youngest child, James, born in 2007, is ahead of his older sister, Louise, born in 2003.
The line of succession. Credit: Royal.uk
Can the monarch marry a Catholic?
Commonwealth leaders also decided in 2011 to remove the rule that no heir could assume the throne if he or she married a Roman Catholic.
Then Prime Minister David Cameron said at the time: “The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter, simply because he is a man just isn’t acceptable anymore.
"Nor does it make any sense that a potential monarch can marry someone of any faith other than Catholic.
“The thinking behind these rules is wrong."
The Roman Catholic rule can be traced to the 16th-century reign of Henry VIII.
The King broke with the Roman Catholic Church to divorce his wife, Queen Catherine, and marry Anne Boleyn.
The changes, under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, came into force in March 2015 but apply to people born after October 28, 2011.
It was reported that because one of the duties of the British monarch is to head the Church of England, no Roman Catholic can hold the crown.
The basis for the succession was determined in the 17th century.
When James II fled the country in 1688, Parliament held that he had "abdicated the government" and that the throne was vacant.
The throne was then offered, not to James's young son, but to his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, as joint rulers, following the "Glorious Revolution".
Will Prince Charles step aside and let Prince William become king?
At 69-years-old, Prince Charles is the longest-serving heir in UK history, having been first in line from the age of three, and would become the oldest ever British monarch to take the throne.
Some royalists have allegedly argued that Prince Charles should step aside to allow Prince William to become King because he enjoys better approval ratings with the public based on a poll last year.
Prince Charles has faced controversy over his divorce from Princess Diana and his affair during their marriage with wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
He has also been accused of “meddling” in politics by stating his opinion on issues like the environment and farming, alternative medicine and architecture in private letters to Government ministers.
Why could Prince Philip never become King?
The long-serving royal is stepping back from a public role after 65 years of Royal duties.
His final solo engagement was The Captain General’s Parade in August 2017, when he saluted the Royal Marines at Buckingham Palace.
Due to English common laws, he cannot become king.
The wife of a king is known as a Queen Consort and takes the title of Queen although she doesn’t rule as the monarch.
But if a female royal marries a man with a title below her own, as in the case of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, she will retain the title while her husband will not be entitled to it.
He is known as Prince Consort.
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NAIJ.com previously reported that cabinet ministers in England, United Kingdom, rehearsed for the Queen of England's death for the first time with a secret exercise to prepare for 10 days of national mourning.
The run-through, known as Castle Dove, saw Cabinet ministers and Whitehall officials discuss 'D+1', the day after the monarch's death.
The plan, which is reported to be called London Bridge, came in the week that the 92-year-old Queen pulled out of a service at St Paul's Cathedral because she was feeling ill.
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Source: Naija.ng