What Would Need To Happen For Charlotte To Become Queen?

With her mother's regal bearing, her father's cheeky smile, and her total boss energy, Princess Charlotte of Wales is every inch a British royal. She's won the hearts of the public as she displays her special bond with mom Catherine, Princess of Wales, and offers gentle behavior reminders to her brothers, Princes George and Louis. Charlotte has even been ranked as the richest child in the world, thanks to predictions of her future influence on fashion. And yet despite her pedigree, the princess is unlikely to be crowned queen in her lifetime.

It's not a matter of favoritism, but of British law. According to the official royal website, the monarchy is determined both by descent and by Parliament. The firstborn of the current monarch is first in line to the throne, followed by the king or queen's other offspring — until the heir has their own children. Then the first child of the heir takes the spot behind their parent. To illustrate, King Charles III was the first child of the late Queen Elizabeth, and his first son, William, Prince of Wales, will inherit the throne after him. Prince George is William's oldest, which means he'll become king in the (hopefully) distant future. Charlotte is currently third in line to the throne, but when George becomes a father, each of his children will bump her further down. For the princess to become Queen Charlotte, some unusual events would have to occur first.

Though highly unlikely, there are several scenarios in the royal family's life that could lead to Princess Charlotte's ascension to the throne. For instance, Prince George could die childless either before or after being crowned king. Or, the prince might choose to take the same route as his great-great-granduncle and step aside from his royal duties altogether. King Edward VIII ruled for less than a year before announcing his historic abdication from the throne to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Since Edward had no children, his younger brother became King George VI. If not for that chain of events, Queen Elizabeth II would have remained a princess, living a quiet life with husband Prince Philip and making occasional appearances at charity events and Royal Ascot. 

The British Act of Settlement, established in 1701, gives Parliament the right to appoint the country's monarch and to remove the sovereign from office for "misgovernment." George may be the rightful heir to the throne, but if he proves to be incompetent or irresponsible, the government could order him out and install Charlotte instead, provided George has no children to take his place. 

There's another distant possibility that could result in a Queen Charlotte reign. The British monarch is the head of the Church of England (thanks to Henry VIII), and by law, Roman Catholics are forbidden to rule. If George decides to convert, he'd automatically forfeit his right to the crown, paving the way for his sister to step up.

Princess Charlotte may not realize it — or care — but if not for her grandmother, she might have had even less of a chance of inheriting the crown. For centuries, the British monarchy followed the male-preference primogeniture system, under which the firstborn son of the monarch would be first in line; firstborn daughters would only go on to reign if the ruler had no sons. Under this structure, Prince Louis would have followed Prince George in the succession order, and Charlotte would only become queen if both her brothers died without children. (Confused yet?)

When Prince William and Kate Middleton were expecting their first child in 2013, Queen Elizabeth approved the Succession to the Crown Act, which altered the law to allow a firstborn of either gender to inherit from the monarch. If George had been a girl, he still would have been the heir, and Charlotte was guaranteed to be second in line, even if she had five younger brothers. 

Still, Charlotte shouldn't expect to rise any higher. As future heir apparent, George will be expected to marry and produce the next generation of monarchs, so barring any tragedies, his sister will simply be a senior member of the palace. But that's not a bad destiny to have. Look at Anne, Princess Royal: She's a Knight of the Garter, a Nobel Prize nominee, and a former Olympic athlete. Charlotte could make her mark on history one day even without putting "Queen" in front of her name.