Who is next in line when a king or queen regnant dies?
The right to succeed is determined by statutes, notably the Act of Settlement. When a king or queen regnant dies, therefore, the new sovereign is the heir of body of Electress Sophia. The Act of Settlement, passed by Parliament in 1701, states that after the death of Queen Anne, the succession would pass to Sophia, Electress of Hanover “and the heirs of her body, being Protestants”. To be able to succeed a king or queen regnant, one must be a Protestant descendant of Electress Sophia. This means that those born a member of the Royal Family, but not those who marry into the Royal Family, are eligible to be in line of succession. It does not mean that the late king’s widow or the late queen’s widower is the new sovereign.
