How many reigning monarchs are also possible successors to the throne of the United Kingdom, and why (on the death or abdication of one particular one) will this number go down? (As the succession is fairly open-ended, stick to the first thousand.)

markswood

I have four. If anyone can get their head around the line of succession to the British throne, they are a better man than I. Ignoring all the royalty of now defunct countries and non-monarchies and all the skipped persons (which I can't get my head round), these seem to be the ones. Highest to lowest in the succession list of foreign reigning monarchs is: King Harald V of Norway 63rd in line King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden 189th in line Queen Margrethe II of Denmark 218th in line Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands 809th in line On the second part of the question, I can only hypothesise that it is to do with the fact that they are all related in some way and depending on who dies or abdicates would change the line of succession. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_succession_to_the_British_throne Mar 23 08, 4:51 PM

Baloo55th

Correct with the four. However, one of them has a successor that can't succeed to the British throne. (I'm assuming this successor does succeed the parent at home, of course. If not, it's a whole new can of worms...) Actually, thinking on, if this distant heir does abdicate at home, there would be no reason for them not to succeed in the UK (assuming quite a few people died, refused or were otherwise disqualified first). No, the number of reigning monarchs would still change as the abdicated one wouldn't be reigning. Basically, there's an heir with a disqualification.... Mar 23 08, 5:50 PM

mctavish99

The heir to the throne of the Netherlands, Prince Willem-Alexander, is not in line for the British throne because he married a Catholic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem-Alexander%2C_Prince_of_Orange Mar 23 08, 8:32 PM

Baloo55th

That's the one. Roman Catholicism is the main bar to being in the line of succession (apart, of course, from choosing your parents carefully). Being one or marrying one puts you out. Other branches of Christianity don't have the same problem - probably because there's been no trouble caused by any of them actually getting that far yet. There are presumably Orthodox Russians and Greeks in line, and someone with the surname Siddiqi as well (about whom I know nothing. Tonight's homework is.....). W-A's children and grandchildren are in line, being brought up Protestant. The skipped persons are RC, born out of wedlock but later legitimated, or married to an RC - unless that spouse was converted after the marriage. It is also possible to renounce your place in the list for yourself and your descendants as was the case with the Duke of Windsor (who in the event didn't have any anyway). Mar 24 08, 5:50 AM