What You Need To Know About The Newest Royal Baby's Spot In Line For The Throne

After all that anticipation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally welcomed their first child — and it's a boy. Even though he's just a newborn, he's not your average baby. After all, Meghan and Harry's baby is in line for the throne. He's far from first in line to run the monarchy, but he is part of the list. With so many new additions to the royal family over recent years, it may be a little confusing to keep track of all of their ranks. However, even before the baby's birth, his place in line has been pretty clear.

Of course, Queen Elizabeth II is ruling right now and has been for decades. Once her time has passed, he son Prince Charles will become the King of England. After that, her grandson and Charles' oldest son Prince William will take the throne. Before Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton welcomed their kids, Prince Harry was third in line to be king. However, the addition of his nephews and niece pushed him way down the list.

Fourth in line to the throne is William's first child Prince George. After that, Princess Charlotte is the next in line, which is actually a major historical feat. In April 2018, news broke that Charlotte became the first female royal family member to maintain her place in line for the throne following the birth of a male heir.

Otherwise, her little brother Prince Louis would have jumped ahead of her in line. Historically, a female royal in Charlotte's position would automatically lose her rank in line to a brother, even a younger brother. Instead, he is now right behind his big sister in fifth place in the throne's line of succession.

Even though Prince Harry is older and has more experience as a royal, he falls behind Charlotte, Louis, and George in the list. Then, at number lucky number seven is Harry and Meghan's new baby boy.

There's even more to the list, though. At spot number eight is Prince Andrew, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Following him in the list is his daughter Princess Beatrice. After Beatrice is her little sister, Princess Eugenie, with the tenth spot in line.

Then, there's Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's youngest son. What about the queen's sole daughter Princess Anne? Due to those archaic rules, Princess Anne is way down the list, after her brothers, her brothers' children, and now her brothers' grandchildren, according to Town and Country.

At spot number seven, it may be very unlikely that the newest royal family member will ever be the king of England, but spot number seven really is a great place to be. He gets the perks of being in line without the same level of responsibility that comes with taking on the actual role. Plus, given who his parents are, this baby is a big deal in the U.K. and across the pond in the United States, no matter what his ranking actually is.