Kew Gardens: Royal Botanic Gardens
Take a breath of fresh air in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Gardens!
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Who are the members of the British Royal Family?
The British Royal Family includes King Charles III, his close relatives and several other members of the House of Windsor. Some carry out official duties on behalf of the sovereign, while others belong to the Royal Family without being working members of the monarchy.
Among the best-known members are King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, their children George, Charlotte and Louis, as well as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet.
British Royal Family at a glance: sovereign: King Charles III; Queen: Camilla; heir to the throne: Prince William; dynasty: House of Windsor. Not all members of the Royal Family carry out official duties, and not all of them are in the line of succession.
Who is part of the British Royal Family?
There is no single definition that makes it possible to draw up an absolutely exhaustive list of the British Royal Family. Depending on the context, the expression may refer to the sovereign's close family, those who carry out official royal duties or, more broadly, the different branches of the House of Windsor.
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It is therefore important to distinguish between belonging to the Royal Family and being a working member of the Royal Family. Someone may belong to the family without officially representing the King at public engagements.
Styles and titles alone are not enough to determine who carries out royal duties. Some members use the style His or Her Royal Highness (HRH), while other descendants of the Royal Family do not.
Who are the main members of the British Royal Family?
The sovereign's close family today includes several generations of the House of Windsor.
King Charles III
King Charles III, born on 14 November 1948, has been sovereign of the United Kingdom since 8 September 2022. He is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
He is currently 77 years old.
Queen Camilla
Camilla, born Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17 July 1947, is the wife of King Charles III. She became Queen when her husband acceded to the throne in 2022 and was crowned alongside him on 6 May 2023.
She is currently 79 years old.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales
Prince William, born on 21 June 1982, is the eldest son of Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is currently the heir to the British throne and holds the title Prince of Wales.
His wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, born Catherine Middleton on 9 January 1982, is one of the main working members of the Royal Family.
William and Catherine have three children:
- Prince George of Wales, born on 22 July 2013 (13 years old).
- Princess Charlotte of Wales, born on 2 May 2015 (11 years old).
- Prince Louis of Wales, born on 23 April 2018 (8 years old).
George, Charlotte and Louis are respectively second, third and fourth in the line of succession.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, born on 15 September 1984, is the younger son of Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
He has been married since 2018 to Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, born on 4 August 1981.
The couple have two children:
- Prince Archie of Sussex, born on 6 May 2019 (7 years old).
- Princess Lilibet of Sussex, born on 4 June 2021 (5 years old).
Harry and Meghan stopped being working members of the Royal Family in 2020, but they remain members of the family. Archie and Lilibet are also members of the Royal Family and are in the line of succession.
Which members of the Royal Family carry out official duties?
Not all members of the Royal Family officially represent the sovereign. Working members carry out public engagements, support charities and organisations, take part in national ceremonies and may represent the King in the United Kingdom or abroad.
Among the main members who currently support the King in his duties are:
- King Charles III;
- Queen Camilla;
- Prince William, Prince of Wales;
- Catherine, Princess of Wales;
- Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh;
- Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh;
- Princess Anne, The Princess Royal;
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester;
- Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester;
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent;
- Princess Alexandra.
Key point: “member of the Royal Family” and “working member of the Royal Family” do not mean the same thing. Prince Harry, for example, still belongs to the Royal Family but no longer carries out official royal duties.
Who are Queen Elizabeth II's children?
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Their descendants now form several of the main branches of the British Royal Family.
Charles III and his descendants
Charles III is the eldest of Elizabeth II and Philip's four children. He had two sons with Diana, Princess of Wales: William and Harry.
William and Catherine have three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. Harry and Meghan have two children, Archie and Lilibet.
This branch currently occupies the highest positions in the line of succession to the throne.
Princess Anne and her descendants
Anne, Princess Royal, born on 15 August 1950, is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She is also one of the most experienced members of the Royal Family in carrying out official engagements.
She has two children:
- Peter Phillips, father of Savannah and Isla Phillips;
- Zara Tindall, married to Mike Tindall and mother of Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall.
Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall do not hold royal titles and do not carry out official duties as working members of the Royal Family.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and his descendants
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, born on 19 February 1960, is the third child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
He has two daughters with Sarah Ferguson:
- Princess Beatrice, married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and mother of Sienna and Athena Mapelli Mozzi;
- Princess Eugenie, married to Jack Brooksbank and mother of August, Ernest and Adelaide Brooksbank.
Beatrice and Eugenie are members of the Royal Family, but they are not full-time working royals representing the sovereign.
Prince Edward and his family
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, born on 10 March 1964, is the youngest child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
He is married to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Both carry out official duties and support the King in his engagements.
They have two children:
- Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, born on 8 November 2003;
- James, Earl of Wessex, born on 17 December 2007.
Edward previously held the title Earl of Wessex. King Charles III conferred the title Duke of Edinburgh on him on 10 March 2023. His son James now uses the title Earl of Wessex.
Are Harry and Meghan still part of the Royal Family?
Yes. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still part of the Royal Family in a family sense, but they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.
In January 2020, the couple announced their intention to step back from royal duties. The new arrangement came into effect in spring 2020, and Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that they would not return as working members.
Harry and Meghan retain their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Since stepping back, however, they no longer use their Royal Highness styles in connection with their activities.
Their children are officially known as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Is Andrew still part of the British Royal Family?
Andrew is the son of Queen Elizabeth II and the brother of King Charles III, so he still belongs to the Royal Family in a family sense.
He withdrew from public royal life several years before the changes introduced in 2025 and does not carry out official duties on behalf of the sovereign.
In October 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that the King had initiated a formal process to remove his styles, titles and honours and that he would thereafter be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Good to know: these changes did not automatically remove Andrew from the line of succession. He still appears in the official line of succession to the throne.
Who is part of the wider British Royal Family?
Beyond the direct descendants of Elizabeth II, the Royal Family includes other branches of the House of Windsor.
Members of this wider family include:
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of Elizabeth II, and his wife Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester;
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a cousin of Elizabeth II;
- Prince Michael of Kent and his wife, Princess Michael of Kent;
- Princess Alexandra, a cousin of Elizabeth II;
- David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, son of Princess Margaret;
- Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret.
Some members of this wider family still carry out royal engagements, while others mainly lead private lives.
What is the difference between the Royal Family and the line of succession?
The British Royal Family and the line of succession to the British throne are two different things.
A person may be part of the Royal Family without being eligible to inherit the throne. This is notably the case for people who join the family through marriage.
Camilla, Catherine and Meghan are therefore members of the Royal Family through their respective marriages to Charles, William and Harry, but they do not have their own place in the line of succession.
Conversely, some people are in the line of succession while carrying out no official royal duties.
Why are some members princes or princesses while others are not?
Being a descendant of a British sovereign does not automatically mean holding the title of prince or princess.
Titles and styles depend in particular on the rules established by the monarchy, the person's relationship to the sovereign and, in some cases, decisions made by the monarch.
This is why George, Charlotte and Louis are princes and a princess, as are Archie and Lilibet, while other grandchildren or great-grandchildren of Elizabeth II, such as Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall or their children, do not hold princely titles.
What is the surname of the British Royal Family?
The reigning British dynasty is the House of Windsor. The Royal Family has used this name since 1917, when King George V replaced the former dynastic name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha during the First World War.
The name Mountbatten-Windsor may also be used by certain descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when a surname is required.
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In everyday life, members of the Royal Family often use their titles rather than a surname. Prince William, for example, is primarily known as the Prince of Wales rather than by a conventional family name.
FAQ about the British Royal Family
Who is the head of the British Royal Family?
King Charles III is the sovereign and head of the British Royal Family. He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Who is King Charles III's heir?
His eldest son, Prince William, Prince of Wales, is the heir to the British throne. He is followed in the line of succession by his children George, Charlotte and Louis.
Who are King Charles III's children?
Charles III has two sons from his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales: Prince William, born in 1982, and Prince Harry, born in 1984.
Who are Queen Elizabeth II's children?
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had four children: Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.
Is Harry still part of the Royal Family?
Yes. Harry remains a member of the Royal Family, but he is no longer a working member who officially represents the sovereign.
Is Meghan Markle still part of the Royal Family?
Yes. Meghan is Duchess of Sussex and a member of the Royal Family through her marriage to Harry, but she is no longer a working member of the monarchy.
Are Archie and Lilibet a prince and princess?
Yes. Harry and Meghan's children are officially known as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Who are the working members of the Royal Family?
The main members currently carrying out official duties include King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
Is Andrew still a prince?
In October 2025, Buckingham Palace announced the launch of a formal process to remove his styles, titles and honours and stated that he would thereafter be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
What is the name of the British Royal Family?
The reigning dynasty is the House of Windsor. Some descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip may also use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor when necessary.
What is the difference between the Royal Family and the line of succession?
The Royal Family includes the sovereign's relatives and different branches of the dynasty. The line of succession determines only which people are eligible to inherit the throne and their respective positions.
Summary
The British Royal Family is currently headed by King Charles III. Its best-known members include Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, their children George, Charlotte and Louis, as well as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet.
However, not all members of the Royal Family perform the same roles. Some, such as William, Catherine, Anne, Edward and Sophie, officially support the King at public engagements, while others, such as Harry, Meghan, Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, are not working members of the monarchy.
It is therefore important to distinguish between membership of the Royal Family, royal titles, official duties and the line of succession: these four concepts are related, but they do not mean the same thing.
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