ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Family tree of British monarchs

Okay kiddo, do you know what a family tree is? It’s a way to show all the people in a family and how they’re related to each other. Well, the British monarchy has a really big family tree!

The first person on the family tree is William the Conqueror, who became the King of England in 1066. He had lots of children who became kings and queens after him. Each time a king or queen died, their child or grandchildren would become the new king or queen. This is called the “line of succession.”

Over time, different families became more powerful and their members became the monarchs. Some of the most famous families were the Plantagenets, Tudors, and Stuarts. These families had lots of members who became kings and queens.

One important thing to remember is that sometimes, when there was no direct heir to the throne, someone else would be chosen to be the new king or queen. This could be a cousin or a distant relative. This is called an “interregnum.”

Today, the current monarch of the United Kingdom is Queen Elizabeth II. She has children and grandchildren who are in the line of succession to become the next monarch after her. When Queen Elizabeth’s time as queen comes to an end, her son Prince Charles will become king, and then his son Prince William will become king after him.

So kiddo, that’s the family tree of British monarchs in a nutshell. It’s a really long and complicated tree, but it’s important to understand who is related to who and who might become the next king or queen one day.