The current British monarch is Queen Elizabeth II. She was born in 1926 and has reigned for over 60 years, making her one of the longest-serving monarchs in history.
Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, and together they have four children. Their oldest son, Charles, was born in 1948 and is next-in-line to the throne.
If the current Queen outlives her son, Prince Charles, the crown will be passed onto her grandson, Prince William, second-in-line to the throne, when she dies.
Who Could Be the Next Monarch?
Prince Charles
Prince Charles could become the next king after Queen Elizabeth, but it is possible that he may abdicate, therefore passing the throne to his son, Prince William.
However, Prince Charles has spoken out on issues in the UK, such as the environment, farming and architecture. Many British people would welcome Charles as the next monarch, and Paddy Power has odds of 1/4 for this royal.
Prince William
Prince William is second-in-line to the throne, and would become the next monarch in the case of Prince Charles failing to do so.
Sources have previously stated that Prince Charles might consider himself too old to take over the throne, thus passing it to Prince William.
If Prince Charles were to die before Queen Elizabeth, Prince William would then become King in the event of Elizabeth’s death.
Paddy Power seems to think that’s there is much less chance of William being crowned King, and have given him odds of 11/4.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry was fourth-in-line to the throne until Prince Charlotte, daughter of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, was born at the beginning of May 2015.
Since then, he is now fifth-in-line to the throne, making his chances of becoming the next monarch rather slim.
The fact that Prince Harry is the younger brother of Prince William means that William’s children be always stand more chance of becoming the monarch than he will. However, that doesn’t make it entirely impossible.
If neither Prince Charles nor Prince William accepted their place as the monarch and Prince George was too young, the crown could fall into the hands of Prince Harry.
Unexpected deaths within the royal family might also mean that Prince Harry would be crowned.
However, with odds of 33/1, Paddy Power certainly doesn’t think we’ll have a King Harry any time soon.
Prince George
Prince George is third-in-line to the throne, and is very likely to be the King of the United Kingdom eventually.
However, his young age means that he is unlikely to become the next monarch after Queen Elizabeth, even if his father and grandfather refused to take the position.
With odds of 25/1 on Paddy Power, the bookies seem to think he has more chance than Prince Harry, but will he be crowned after Queen Elizabeth?
Betting on the Next Monarch
Gamblers have until 31st December 2015 at 6pm to place their bets on the next monarch after Queen Elizabeth.
