The Truth About Queen Elizabeth's Great-Grandchildren
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren make up a significant part of the monarch's very large family. With four children, eight grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, per BBC News, the well-hatted head of the royal family has a lot of loved ones to keep tabs on. And while we, as avid fans, have become very familiar with a few key family members, we are always hoping to learn more about some of the other royal figures who don't frequent the limelight.
Of course, the queen's adorable, young great-grandchildren are always a source of curiosity and entertainment. While Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Archie get considerable media attention, there are several other great-grandchildren in the queen's brood who are just as cute, but not nearly as well known. So who are all these regal kiddos, where do they rank in the line of succession, and how do their personal relationships with their great-grandmother compare? We are breaking it all down. Here is the truth about Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren.
Savannah Phillips is the eldest (and arguably cheekiest) of Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren
Born in 2010, the eldest great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth is Savannah Phillips, granddaughter to Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and daughter to Peter and Autumn Phillips, according to Town & Country. While she was 12th in line for the thrown at the time of her birth, the subsequent arrival of more royal babies bumped her back to 16th place. Nevertheless, Savannah does not have an official royal title as her grandparents declined one for her father when he was born, Harper's Bazaar explained.
While she enjoys a life mostly out of the spotlight, Savannah has made a few public appearances — and is seemingly always ready to ham it up for the cameras. According to Town & Country, Savannah was spotted making silly faces and covering Prince George's mouth with her hand when he started singing the national anthem at the Trooping the Colour in 2018. Incidentally, the two were separated the next year at the same event, as noted by Cosmopolitan.
In 2018, Savannah was also part of Princess Eugenie's wedding party. In the royal portrait from the event, she can be seen accidentally (or perhaps cheekily) stepping on the bride's white gown.
Isla Phillips doesn't have a royal title, but her name may pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth
According to Town & Country, Isla Phillips is Queen Elizabeth's second great-grandchild as the grandchild to Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and daughter to Peter and Autumn Phillips. She is 17th in the line of succession behind her older sister, Savannah. She, too, lacks a royal title given that neither of her parents have one. However, Isla's middle name is Elizabeth. While it's never been officially confirmed, it is easily assumed that this middle moniker serves as a tribute to her great-grandmother.
Like her big sister, Isla maintains a low-key regular-kid life — well, as regular as life can get when you're the queen's great-grandchild. Isla makes appearances at key events and is always game to horse around with her regal cousins, like Prince George. As Town & Country noted, you can usually count on Isla's attendance at the annual Trooping of the Colour parade and Christmas day church services with the rest of the royal family.
Prince George gave Queen Elizabeth this nickname
His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, the adorable boy who stole hearts and whose birth in 2013 incited a major surge of national pride, is the third grandchild of Queen Elizabeth. He is the third in line from the throne, behind his grandfather Prince Charles and his father, Prince William, the royal family's official site details.
Before George Alexander Louis even took his first steps, he was responsible for creating a "royal baby effect" (otherwise known as the Prince George effect). Clothing items he was seen wearing, for example, would instantly see an uptick in popularity and sales, according to Vogue. Furthermore, in 2015, the title-boasting toddler was ranked number 49 in GQ's list of best-dressed men in Britain.
While George certainly leads an extraordinary and privileged little life, the future king already has important duties and has accompanied his parents on several royal tours. Still, when he is just spending time with his family — including the queen — he keeps it casual. In fact, his mother Kate Middleton revealed in the documentary Our Queen at 90 (via The Telegraph) that then-two-year-old George had taken to calling his great-grandmother "Gan-Gan."
Mia Tindall may have an affinity for Queen Elizabeth's purses
Born in 2014, Mia Grace Tindall is the eldest daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall. She is Princess Anne's third grandchild and Queen Elizabeth's fourth great-grandchild. Like her cousins, Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia has no royal rank or title and sits at 19th in line for the throne, according to Town & Country.
Mia makes the occasional appearances at royal events alongside her cousins and family, but remains a lesser-known figure. Despite her relative anonymity, though, the little girl stole the show and garnered media attention at the queen's 90th birthday party when, in a photo with her great-grandmother and young cousins, she adorably posed for a portrait holding the queen's Laurner purse. "She just did it. She just picked it up — it wasn't staged. It was completely spontaneous," a palace source told People. The candid moment made for an adorable photo.
Queen Elizabeth's great-granddaughter Princess Charlotte breaks royal barriers
Want to talk about shattering glass ceilings? Just take a look at Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, aka Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. In light of the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, she became the first royal to avoid being skipped over in the line of succession because of gender. Before the passing of this act, her younger brother, Prince Louis, would have skipped ahead of Queen Elizabeth's great-granddaughter in the path to the throne, The Sun detailed.
A real-life princess and a lively little girl, Charlotte, who was born in 2015, seems to have perfected her royal wave and her sassy attitude already. As noted by Insider, she's been photographed making all sorts of sweet, silly, and emphatic faces. Charlotte, like her big brother Prince George, joins her parents on royal tours and can be seen at many royal events. In spring 2020, the young royal also helped to deliver meals and packages of food to elderly neighbors, as reported by People. No doubt, her late grandmother, Princess Diana, would have been proud.
Prince Louis wasn't meant to have a royal title, but Queen Elizabeth changed the rules for him
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's youngest child, Prince Louis, would not have a royal title had Queen Elizabeth not stepped up to the proverbial plate to make things happen. According to Hello! magazine, the original century-old law dictated that only the first grandson of the Prince of Wales would receive an official ranking — so Louis and Charlotte would have been a lord and lady, respectively. Legal action taken by the queen changed this and also ensured that Charlotte would not be skipped over in the line of succession upon Louis' birth. And so Louis Arthur Charles, the fifth in line for the throne, became His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge, according to the royal family's official site.
In honor of his second birthday, the royal family's twitter account shared Louis' official portraits, celebrating "the Queen's seventh great-grandchild" in the caption. But, as People pointed out, that wasn't completely true; Louis is actually Queen Elizabeth's sixth great-grandchild. It's hard to keep track of all those royal babies — even if you're a member of the royal fam.
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchild Lena Tindall won hearts with her first wobbly public appearance
A royal baby's first public appearance is a huge headline maker. While little Lena Tindall, the second daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall and fourth grandchild of Princess Anne, doesn't have an official title, she still drew lots of love from photographers and fans alike when she made her debut at the annual Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire. She was seen wobbling through the grass fields and holding the hands of her big cousins, Savannah and Isla Phillips, Town & Country reported.
As 20th in line behind Queen Elizabeth, Lena, like her sister, lacks an official royal rank and her parents have insisted on keeping a low profile. Even compared to the relatively out-of-the-spotlight Phillips' family, the Tindalls remain intentionally private — and they are not afraid to distance themselves from certain rules to maintain some semblance of normalcy. In fact, Lena and Mia's mother broke royal tradition when she chose not to take in a full-time nanny.
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandson Archie is being raised as a private citizen
As of this writing, the youngest great-grandchild of the queen — and number seven in line for the throne — is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie. He was not given a royal title upon his birth and, shortly after he was welcomed into the world, The Times, citing "sources close to the family", reported that Archie was being raised as a "private citizen." Turns out he wasn't the only one to become a private citizen.
In March of 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan officially stepped down from their royal duties, as noted by People. As such, Meghan and Harry also became private citizens and looked to provide their son with a more normal lifestyle outside the obligations of the monarchy. Still, he will grow up living in glitzy Los Angeles with two superstar parents — so "normal" is a relative term.
Queen Elizabeth still wishes her grandson, granddaughter-in-law, and great-grandson the best in their new and exciting life. In a statement (via People), Her Majesty said they "will always be much loved members of my family."
Queen Elizabeth may not always be overt in her affection, but she cares deeply for her great-grandchildren
Queen Elizabeth has a reputation for having a stiff upper lip (and, you know, a wardrobe of colorful royal outfits), but despite her sometimes stoic appearance, she appears to have a deep affection for her great-grandchildren.
According to The Sun, the queen goes above and beyond to spend time with her first grandson, Prince George. As noted by the publication, she even leaves little trinkets and presents on the boy's bed when he and his family stay at her home overnight.
What's more, there could be no doubt of the queen's excitement and instant adoration for her great-grandson, Archie, when she met him for the very first time. Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the post shared on what was once the official Sussex Royal Instagram feed showed Her Majesty smiling from ear to ear while admiring the infant.
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren lead relatively normal lives
Every little girl dreams of being a princess, but is it really all it's cracked up to be? Or, perhaps, does having a royal title rob you of a regular childhood?
While the lesser-known royals have an easier time navigating away from the spotlight, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are doing everything they can to ensure that their children lead more normal lives and enjoy the simple pleasures of being kids. In fact, the couple "established a quid pro quo with the media years back," according to E! News. The deal states that her children will pose for photos at established events and that they will share annual birthday and holiday photos, provided that the press will not publish other "unauthorized photos."
Furthermore, a royal insider reportedly told US Weekly that "William and Kate very much prioritize bringing up the children in as normal an environment as possible over anything else. They haven't lost sight of that." A friend of Kate's also reportedly told People that the duchess "wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close-knit family. She desperately wants that normality for her own kids."
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren are expected to follow royal etiquette and show respect
Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren may be young and cute, but that does not mean they can get away with skirting the rules of royalty. The kids are expected to follow proper etiquette and live their lives by the fundamental belief system of the monarchy.
Reader's Digest broke down some of the strict rules that royal children have to follow. For example, a gift given to one of the children (or anyone) during royal duty — be it a teddybear or a book — must not be kept unless the queen approves. At age five, boys must bow and girls must curtsy when they greet the queen. Additionally, two heirs are not supposed to travel on the same airplane together, unless the queen gives her blessing. And, of course, all the royal children are to be baptized in the gown that is a replica of Queen Victoria's historic original.
Many of Queen Elizabeth's great-grandchildren share a passion for equestrianism
In June 2020, 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth was photographed riding horseback on one of her Fell Ponies. "Her Majesty has enjoyed riding since childhood and is closely involved with the welfare of the horses she owns for breeding, riding and racing," the royal family detailed on Instagram.
The queen must pleased to know that many of great-grandchildren share her passion for horse-tending and riding. This mutual hobby, of course, is not a coincidence. According to Town & Country, royal children are groomed to ride early in life. The queen's only daughter Princess Anne and granddaughter Zara Tindall are, in fact, both accomplished equestrians who competed in the Olympics, per the magazine.
A source close to the royals reportedly told the Daily Mail that "William and Kate were keen to get George on a horse once he was walking confidently." Apparently, he "loved his first ride." Furthermore, his little sister, Charlotte, is a budding athlete who has taken a strong liking to riding at a young age, too, according to Harper's Bazaar. Perhaps she'll be the next Olympian in the family.