Who takes the throne now Queen Elizabeth II has died: Who will become king, will Camilla be 'queen', and when will the king be crowned?

Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II after a 70-year reign passed away yesterday at Balmoral aged 96, prompting many to ask what the convention is to appoint Britain’s next monarch?

Queen Elizabeth II is the world’s longest-reigning monarch after ascending to Britain’s throne in 1952 after her father, King George VI, passed away.

The 96-year-old is considered the “greatest monarch in British history” according to a 2015 poll from the Independent.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that the “Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health” on Thursday as she remained under medical supervision in Balmoral, on her 55,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire.

Prince William is currently second in line to the throne, one place behind his father, Prince Charles, who should immediately take the throne after Queen Elizabeth II's passing.

Following her peaceful death in the Scottish estate, many people are asking: who is next in line for the throne, and when will they be crowned the next monarch?

Who is next in line for the throne?

Charles, Prince of Wales, is the next in line as the Queen and the late Prince Philip’s eldest son.

Prince Charles became the king instantly upon the death of Her Majesty, and has since assumed the title King Charles III.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is sixth in the line of royal succession to the British throne.

This makes him the longest-waiting heir apparent, unlike his mother who unexpectedly became Queen at age 25. Charles, 73, has been prepared his entire life to become the king.

This means he is the oldest monarch of all time to take the throne.

Could Prince William be the next king?

Past rumours have suggested that former Prince Charles does not want to become king and could abdicate to let his first-born son, Prince William, ascend.

When Prince Charles becomes the next king of Britain, Camilla is expected to assume the title of "Queen Consort" and not "the Queen".

The Sun reported that Stewart Pearce (former voice coach of Princess Diana), theorised that Prince Charles may not want to become the next king, he said:

“He (Prince Charles) may not take the throne; he may hand it to his young son (Prince William).”

However, this is an uncommon practice that would entail greater complications.

The University College London’s Constitution Unit said that for this to pass, it would need to happen as so:

“That would be a matter for Prince Charles, and for parliament.

"Under common law, Prince Charles will automatically become King the moment the Queen dies.

"Prince William could only become King if Prince Charles chose to abdicate.”

Who’s next in the Royal Line of Succession?

The royal line of succession is “the sequence of members of the Royal Family in the order in which they stand in line to the throne,” and it is “regulated not only through descent, but also by Parliamentary statute,” according to the Royal Family website.

This states that Queen Elizabeth II will be succeeded by her firstborn Prince Charles, who would be succeeded by his firstborn Prince William, followed by his firstborn Prince George.

Will Camilla be Queen after Prince Charles becomes King?

When Camilla married Charles in 2005, it was widely held that she would not become “queen”, but be known as “consort” instead.

This appeared to comfort the public who held suspicion and resentment towards Camilla in the demise of Princess Diana’s marriage to the Prince of Wales.

A consort is someone who provides companionship to the monarch in both a “moral and practical” sense, according to the Royal Family website.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II said that Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, would take the title “Queen Consort” when Prince Charles becomes king.