The Royal Family comes with several privileges. Direct descendants of Queen Elizabeth II are high on the British line of succession, with Prince Charles holding the highest position as the heir apparent to the throne. Express.co.uk has compiled a guide to show you which member of the Royal Family who is not directly related to the Queen holds the highest position in the line of succession.
Which member of the extended Royal Family is highest on the line of succession?
In the line of succession, the first 20 individuals are currently immediate family members of the Queen including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
However, the individual who is 21st on the line of succession is not her direct descendant.
David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon is 21st in the line of British succession.
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The line of succession includes the following non-direct descendants of the Queen:
- Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto and her children
- The Queen’s first cousins and their families including Prince Richard Duke of Gloucester, Prince Edward Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
- The Queen’s more distant cousins including David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood, the Honourable Jeremy Lascelles and David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife.
- Members of the Norwegian Royal Family including King Harald V of Norway and his children and grandchildren.
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Why does David Linley have a title?
David Linley is the second Earl of Snowdon.
The Earl of Snowdon is a title in the peerage of the UK which was created in 1961.
The title comes with a subsidiary title of Viscount Linley.
The Earl of Snowdon title was first given to the husband of Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister.
Antony Armstrong-Jones was first given the title upon his marriage to Princess Margaret in 1960.
When Antony died in 2017, David was made the Earl of Snowdon.
David’s son Charles will inherit the title upon David’s death.
