Why is Princess Anne farther away in line to the throne than Prince Andrew's girls?

Answer 1

The succession to the United Kingdom follows the male primogeniture process. This process is: 1. Eldest son of the sovereign followed by his son or if no son then his eldest daughter and successively younger daughters 2. Second and successively younger sons of the sovereigns, their sons or daughters. 3. If no sons of the sovereign, then the sovereign's eldest daughter and her sons or daughters.

Answer 2

Because in England they still give preferance to the male lines instead of that of females. Even though Andrew is younger, he is ahead of her and Anne can only succeed when his whole line has died out.

Answer 3

Basically, the throne is inherited downwards before sideways. And males before females each time. In other words, it descends to the monarch's own eldest son and then to that son's son and so on. If the eldest son has died first, it goes to his children in order. If there are none of them, it goes to the next eldest son, and when you run out of sons, to the daughters in order of birth. Once a line downwards dies out, it passes to the next best line branching from a common ancestor monarch.

This means that Charles comes first, followed by his sons William and Henry.

Then comes Andrew of York, and his two daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

After that Edward, the Earl of Wessex, his son James, and his daughter Louise.

And after that Anne the Princess Royal, and her children following her.

If William, who is recently married, were to have any children soon, all of the ones below him in the list, starting with his brother Henry, will be pushed down one step.