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Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has died at the age of 96.
READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, dies at 96
Elizabeth was queen for 70 years, seven years longer than the next longest-reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, who was Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother. Elizabeth took the throne in 1952, after her father, King George VI died.
Elizabeth’s son, Charles, took over immediately as king and is now King Charles III.
The modern determination for succession of the United Kingdom’s throne comes from the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013. It ended the system by which the son of a monarch takes precedence over a daughter in the line of succession; now, the eldest child (or person next in line to the throne) will become monarch, regardless of the gender of any siblings. The new rule applies to children born after Oct. 28, 2011. The Act also ends the rule that if an heir marries a Roman Catholic, they would be disqualified from the line of succession.
Notably, the U.K.’s rulers themselves must be members of the Church of England and “must swear to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland… [and] must also promise to uphold the Protestant succession,” according to the family’s website.
Here’s who’s next in line for the throne:
Left: FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles stand on a balcony during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, marking the end of the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, June 5, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool/File Photo
By News Desk and Associated Press
By Danica Kirka, Associated Press
By Jill Lawless, Danica Kirka, Associated Press
Hannah Grabenstein Hannah Grabenstein
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