List of British monarchs

For legendary sovereigns, see List of legendary kings of Britain. For ancient monarchs, see King of the Britons. For medieval sovereigns, see List of English monarchs and List of Scottish monarchs. For the current British king, see Charles III.

There have been 13 British monarchs since the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707. England and Scotland had been in personal union since 24 March 1603; while the style, "King of Great Britain" first arose at that time, legislatively the title came into force in 1707.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Royal coat of arms (common version on the left; Scottish version on the right)[a]

On 1 January 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged, creating first the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon the secession of southern Ireland in the 1920s.

Union and succession

Queen Anne became monarch of the Kingdom of Great Britain after the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707. She had ruled England, Scotland, and the Kingdom of Ireland since 8 March 1702. She continued as queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death. Her total reign lasted 12 years and 147 days. Although Anne's great-grandfather, James VI and I (r. 1603–1625), the monarch of the Union of the Crowns, proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain", and used it on coinage, stamps and elsewhere, the Parliament of England had refused to use that style in statutory law or address.^[2][3]

All of Anne's children died young, so during her reign, Parliament settled the rules of succession in the Act of Settlement 1701, by defining Sophia of Hanover (granddaughter of James VI and I) and her non-Catholic descendants as the future royal heirs. The Crown passed from Queen Anne to Sophia's son, King George I, as Sophia had already died. Queen Anne and King George I were second cousins, as both were great-grandchildren of James VI and I. For a family tree that shows George I's relationship to Anne, see George I of Great Britain § Family tree.

List

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death	Claim
House of Stuart
Anne[4] 1 May 1707[b][c] – 1 August 1714[b] (7 years, 93 days) (Queen of England and Scotland from 8 March 1702)[d] (12 years, 147 days)			6 February 1665[b] St James's Palace Daughter of James VII and II and Anne Hyde	George of Denmark St James's Palace 28 July 1683[b] 5 children until 28 October 1708	1 August 1714[b] Kensington Palace Aged 49	Daughter of James VII and II Bill of Rights 1689
House of Hanover
George I[5] George Louis 1 August 1714[b][e] – 11 June 1727[b] (12 years, 315 days)			28 May 1660[b] Leineschloss Son of Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover, and Sophia of the Palatinate	Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle Celle Castle 21 November 1682[b] 2 children div. 28 December 1694	11 June 1727[b] Osnabrück Castle Aged 67	Great-grandson of James VI and I Act of Settlement 1701
George II[6] George Augustus 11 June 1727[f][g] – 25 October 1760 (33 years, 126 days)			30 October 1683[b] Herrenhausen Palace Son of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle	Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach Herrenhausen Gardens 22 August 1705[b] 8 children until 20 November 1737	25 October 1760 Kensington Palace Aged 76	Son of George I
George III[7] George William Frederick 25 October 1760[h] – 29 January 1820 (59 years, 97 days)		Until 1801: 1801–1816: From 1816:	24 May 1738[b] Norfolk House Son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg	Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz St James's Palace 8 September 1761 15 children until 17 November 1818	29 January 1820 Windsor Castle Aged 81	Grandson of George II
George IV[8] George Augustus Frederick 29 January 1820[i] — 26 June 1830 (10 years, 149 days)			12 August 1762 St James's Palace Son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel St James's Palace 8 April 1795 1 daughter until 7 August 1821	26 June 1830 Windsor Castle Aged 67	Son of George III
William IV[9] William Henry 26 June 1830[j] — 20 June 1837 (6 years, 360 days)			21 August 1765 Buckingham Palace Son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen Kew Palace 13 July 1818 2 daughters	20 June 1837 Windsor Castle Aged 71	Son of George III
Victoria[10] Alexandrina Victoria 20 June 1837[k] — 22 January 1901 (63 years, 217 days)			24 May 1819 Kensington Palace Daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld	Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha St James's Palace 10 February 1840 9 children until 14 December 1861	22 January 1901 Osborne House Aged 81	Granddaughter of George III
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Edward VII[11] Albert Edward 22 January 1901[l] — 6 May 1910 (9 years, 105 days)			9 November 1841 Buckingham Palace Son of Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	Alexandra of Denmark St George's Chapel 10 March 1863 6 children	6 May 1910 Buckingham Palace Aged 68	Son of Victoria
House of Windsor[m]
George V[13] George Frederick Ernest Albert 6 May 1910[n] — 20 January 1936 (25 years, 260 days)			3 June 1865 Marlborough House Son of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark	Mary of Teck St James's Palace 6 July 1893 6 children	20 January 1936 Sandringham House Aged 70	Son of Edward VII
Edward VIII[14] Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David 20 January 1936[o] — 11 December 1936 (abdicated) (327 days)			23 June 1894 White Lodge Son of George V and Mary of Teck	Wallis Simpson Château de Candé 3 June 1937	28 May 1972 4 route du Champ d'Entraînement Aged 77	Son of George V
George VI[15] Albert Frederick Arthur George 11 December 1936[p] — 6 February 1952 (15 years, 58 days)			14 December 1895 York Cottage Son of George V and Mary of Teck	Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Westminster Abbey 26 April 1923 2 daughters	6 February 1952 Sandringham House Aged 56	Son of George V His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936
Elizabeth II[16] Elizabeth Alexandra Mary 6 February 1952[q] — 8 September 2022[17] (70 years, 215 days)			21 April 1926 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair Daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon	Philip of Greece and Denmark Westminster Abbey 20 November 1947 4 children until 9 April 2021	8 September 2022 Balmoral Castle Aged 96	Daughter of George VI
Charles III[18] Charles Philip Arthur George 8 September 2022[17][r] — present (2 years, 101 days)			14 November 1948 Buckingham Palace Son of Elizabeth II and Philip of Greece and Denmark	(1) Diana Spencer St Paul's Cathedral 29 July 1981 2 sons div. 28 August 1996 (2) Camilla Parker Bowles Windsor Guildhall 9 April 2005	Living Age 76	Son of Elizabeth II

Timeline

See also

• United Kingdom portal
• Royalty portal

• Family tree of the British royal family
• List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign
• Lists of monarchs in the British Isles
• List of British royal consorts
• List of current British princes and princesses

Notes

1. There are two versions of the current Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The common version is on the left, while the Scottish version is on the right. In the shield of the common version, England is represented in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland is represented in the second quarter, and Northern Ireland is represented in the third quarter. In the shield of the Scottish version, the Royal Arms of England and the Royal Arms of Scotland are exchanged.^[1]
2. Old Style date
3. Anne was crowned on 23 April 1702.
4. see List of English monarchs
5. George I was crowned on 20 October 1714.
6. Date of start of reign given in Old Style calendar; date of death in New Style. (Duration of reign takes this into account.)
7. George II was crowned on 11 October 1727 O.S.
8. George III was crowned on 22 September 1761 N.S.
9. George IV was crowned on 19 July 1821.
10. William IV was crowned on 8 September 1831.
11. Victoria was crowned on 28 June 1838.
12. Edward VII was crowned on 9 August 1902.
13. George V changed the name of the British royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor on 17 July 1917.^[12] This change was made in response to anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I. Descendants of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II belong to the House of Windsor by Royal Command (9 April 1952 Declaration by Queen Elizabeth II to her Privy Council) although under the usual rules of genealogy they are, by paternal descent, also members of the Glücksburg branch of the House of Oldenburg (the ruling House of Denmark and of the former Kingdom of Greece). Accordingly, King Charles III is the first monarch of the House of Windsor who is a patrilineal descendant of the Glücksburg dynasty, instead of descending from Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in the male line as was the case with the previous monarchs of the House of Windsor.
14. George V was crowned on 22 June 1911.
15. Edward VIII was not crowned.
16. George VI was crowned on 12 May 1937.
17. Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953.
18. Charles III was crowned on 6 May 2023

References

1. "Coats of arms". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
2. Croft, Pauline (2003), King James, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 52–54, 61, ISBN 978-0-3336-1395-5
3. Willson, David Harris (1963) [1956], King James VI & I, London: Jonathan Cape, pp. 249–253, ISBN 978-0-2246-0572-4
4. Oram, Kirsty (30 December 2015). "Anne (r. 1702–1714)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
5. Oram, Kirsty (30 December 2015). "George I (r. 1714–1727)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
6. Oram, Kirsty (31 December 2015). "George II (r. 1727–1760)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
7. Oram, Kirsty (31 December 2015). "George III (r. 1760–1820)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
8. Oram, Kirsty (31 December 2015). "King George IV (r. 1820–1830)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
9. Berry, Ciara (15 January 2016). "William IV (r. 1830–1837)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
10. Oram, Kirsty (31 December 2015). "Victoria (r. 1837–1901)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
11. Berry, Ciara (11 January 2016). "Edward VII (r. 1901–1910)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
12. "No. 30186". The London Gazette. 17 July 1917. p. 7119.
13. Berry, Ciara (12 January 2016). "George V (r. 1910–1936)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
14. "Edward VIII (Jan–Dec 1936)". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
15. Berry, Ciara (12 January 2016). "George VI (r. 1936–1952)". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
16. "Queen Elizabeth II's Life and Reign". royal.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
17. "Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces". BBC News. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
18. "The King". The Royal Family. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.