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The British Royal Family Tree from Queen Victoria to King Charles III

Queen Victoria is the usual starting point for a British royal family tree, and with good reason. Every British monarch since 1901 descends from her, and so do many of Europe's royal families. This article follows the direct line of succession from Victoria to the present day and lists her nine children. It records only relationships given in the sources at the end.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Victoria was born at Kensington Palace on 24 May 1819. She was the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III [1]. Her three uncles ahead of her in the succession (George IV, Frederick, Duke of York, and William IV) left no surviving legitimate children, so she became heir. When William IV died in 1837 she became Queen at the age of 18 [1]. She reigned until 1901 [1][2].

On 10 February 1840 she married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) [2]. Albert died in 1861, aged 42 [1].

Generation 1: Victoria's Nine Children

The marriage produced nine children between 1840 and 1857, and most of them married into other European royal families [1]:

Eight of the nine had children of their own [2].

Generation 2: Edward VII (r. 1901–1910)

Prince Albert Edward was born at Buckingham Palace on 9 November 1841, the eldest son and second child of Victoria and Albert [3]. He reigned as Edward VII from 1901 to 1910 [3]. Because he descended from Prince Albert, his accession in 1901 brought the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha line, a branch of the House of Wettin, to the British throne in succession to the House of Hanover [4].

Generation 3: George V (r. 1910–1936) and the Name Windsor

George V was born on 3 June 1865, the second son of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra [5]. His elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, died suddenly in January 1892, which put George in the direct line of succession [5]. He married Princess Victoria Mary (May) of Teck on 6 July 1893 [5]. They had six children: Prince Edward, Prince Albert, Princess Mary, Prince Henry, Prince George and Prince John [5].

In 1917, during the First World War, George V changed the name of the royal house from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor [4].

Generation 4: Edward VIII (1936) and George VI (r. 1936–1952)

George V's eldest son reigned as Edward VIII from January to December 1936 and then abdicated [6][7]. His younger brother, George VI (the former Prince Albert), became King unexpectedly. He had married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 [7]. Their daughters were Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret [7].

Generation 5: Elizabeth II (r. 1952–2022)

Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) in 1947 [4]. On 9 April 1952, shortly after her accession, she declared that she and her children would be known as the House and Family of Windsor [4]. On 8 February 1960 she confirmed this. She also decreed that her male-line descendants without the style of Royal Highness would use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor [4].

Generation 6: Charles III (since 2022)

Charles, the eldest son of the Queen and Prince Philip, became heir apparent at the age of three, on his mother's accession [8]. He has been King since 8 September 2022 [9]. With Diana, Princess of Wales, he had two sons: Prince William, born 21 June 1982, and Prince Harry, born 15 September 1984 [8].

Generation 7 and Beyond

William, Prince of Wales, is heir apparent. His children are next in line: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis [10][11]. See our line of succession guide for the full list.

Victoria as "Grandmother of Europe"

Victoria's grandchildren included Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and Alix, who became empress consort of Russia. This is why she is called the "grandmother of Europe" [2].

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