<P> Succession to the British throne is determined by descent , gender ( for people born before October 2011 ) , legitimacy , and religion . Under common law , the Crown is inherited by a sovereign 's children or by a childless sovereign 's nearest collateral line . The Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701 , restrict succession to the throne to the legitimate Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover that are in `` communion with the Church of England '' . Spouses of Roman Catholics were disqualified from 1689 until the law was amended in 2015 . Protestant descendants of those excluded for being Roman Catholics are eligible . </P>
<P> Succession to the British throne is determined by descent , gender ( for people born before October 2011 ) , legitimacy , and religion . Under common law , the Crown is inherited by a sovereign 's children or by a childless sovereign 's nearest collateral line . The Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701 , restrict succession to the throne to the legitimate Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover that are in `` communion with the Church of England '' . Spouses of Roman Catholics were disqualified from 1689 until the law was amended in 2015 . Protestant descendants of those excluded for being Roman Catholics are eligible . </P>
how does the next in line to the throne work
how does the next in line to the throne work
descent , gender ( for people born before October 2011 ) , legitimacy , and religion
descent , gender ( for people born before October 2011 ) , legitimacy , and religion