While everyone of course recognizes the most senior members of the royal family, like Queen Elizabeth and her heirs Princes Charles and William, but the sprawling family tree has a few characters we think we’ll be seeing more often in the future. Unlike William and his brother, Prince Harry, these royal family members are far down in the line of succession, so they’re usually far from the spotlight. There’s big changes ahead for the entire royal family, however, so these “B-list” royal members might become much more familiar.
Queen Elizabeth’s health, quite simply, isn’t what it used to be. That’s only to be expected as the monarch is 96 years old and has shown remarkable fortitude and vigor throughout her long reign. It does, however, signal a changing of the guard, so to speak. It was recently announced that the queen’s duties would be rolled back as reports of her faltering health become widespread. Already she had to bow out of several events, including some for her own Platinum Jubilee, over mobility issues.
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Her son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, has stepped up to fill her shoes, with his own son and heir, Prince William, playing his backup when the queen was unable to attend the opening of Parliament. With Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, no longer working members of The Firm, other members may be stepping forward in the coming years as bigger players than they currently are. Here’s a few faces you should expect to see more of in the coming years.
Mike, Zara Tindall
Zara Tindall is the daughter of Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter. She and Mike Tindall, a former rugby player, got hitched in 2011 and have since welcomed three children, two girls and a boy.
Their daughters had a bit of a standoff during the Platinum Jubilee with their royal cousin Prince Louis, but their dad Mike was quick to stick up for them. Like young Louis, Mike had a viral moment of his own when he playfully gestured to the 4-year-old that he had his eyes on him.
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Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice
As the daughters of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie probably need no introduction. The royal sisters both welcomed their firstborns in the last two years, with younger sister Eugenie being the first to have her son August. Beatrice wasn’t far behind when she gave birth to her daughter Sienna. While baby Sienna has yet to make her grand entrance into the public space (more than fair, she’s only 9 months old), her older cousin August looked darling during the Platinum Jubilee.
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Lady Louise Windsor
At only 18 years old, Lady Louise Windsor is one of Queen Elizabeth’s youngest grandchildren. She’s the daughter of the queen’s youngest child Prince Edward, and the only royal grandchild younger than her is her brother James, the Viscount Severn. While she’s a familiar face at big royal events, she and her brother are still too young to be working royals in any real sense of the term. In the next few years, however, we expect to see Louise stepping up more frequently.
Arthur, Samuel Chatto
Over on the lesser-known side of the family are brothers Arthur and Samuel Chatto. These handsome boys are the grandsons of the late Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s beloved only sister. Since they are not direct descendants of the queen, their position in the line of succession is pretty low, but it’s always good to see Margaret’s side of the family and we’re certain the queen feels the same way.