The complete British Royal Family tree from Alfred the Great to King Charles III. Every monarch, every dynasty, every connection across one thousand years of royal lineage.
The British Royal Family tree spans over one thousand years of history, from the Anglo-Saxon kings of Wessex to the modern House of Windsor.
This comprehensive guide traces the bloodlines, marriages, and successions that have shaped the British monarchy, connecting King Charles III directly to Alfred the Great through an unbroken line of royal descent.
The British Royal Family Tree
Alfred the Great · 849 AD — King Charles III · Present Day
About The British Royal Family Tree
The British royal family tree spans over twelve centuries, from Alfred the Great (871 AD) to the present reign of King Charles III. This fully interactive tree encompasses every English and British monarch across nine royal houses: Wessex, Danish, Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, and Windsor: together with their consorts, key family members, and lines of succession.
Click any name to open a detailed biography. Use the dynasty tabs to switch between royal houses, the search bar to find any individual, and the Monarchs Only toggle to trace the direct line of succession.
Everything You Need to Know
Who is the current King of England?
The current monarch of the United Kingdom is King Charles III, who ascended the throne on 8 September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Born 14 November 1948, he is of the House of Windsor and is married to Camilla, Queen Consort. He is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror and the 44th since Egbert of Wessex.
Who was the first King of England?
Æthelstan (924–939), grandson of Alfred the Great, is widely considered the first King of all England, having unified the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and defeated a coalition of Vikings, Scots and Britons at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. His grandfather Alfred the Great (871–899) is also given this distinction for laying the administrative and legal foundations of a unified English state and styling himself “King of the Anglo-Saxons”.
How many monarchs has England had?
England – and later Great Britain and the United Kingdom – has had 44 recognised monarchs from Egbert of Wessex (802–839) to King Charles III (2022–present). This does not include disputed claimants such as Lady Jane Grey (nine days, 1553, never formally crowned) or the Commonwealth period under Oliver Cromwell (1649–1660).
What is the correct order of the royal houses of England?
In chronological order: Wessex (802–1066), Denmark (1013–1042, interlude), Normandy (1066–1154), Plantagenet/Angevin (1154–1399), Lancaster (1399–1461, 1470–71), York (1461–1470, 1471–1485), Tudor (1485–1603), Stuart (1603–1714), Hanover (1714–1901), Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1901–1917), and Windsor (1917–present).
Who was the longest-reigning British monarch?
King Charles III is the great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. The descent runs: Victoria → Edward VII → George V → George VI → Queen Elizabeth II → King Charles III. Through his father Prince Philip, Charles is also descended from Victoria via her daughter Princess Alice – making him doubly descended from Queen Victoria.
How is King Charles III related to Queen Victoria?
King Charles III is the great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. The descent runs: Victoria → Edward VII → George V → George VI → Queen Elizabeth II → King Charles III. Through his father Prince Philip, Charles is also descended from Victoria via her daughter Princess Alice -making him doubly descended from Queen Victoria.
Why did the royal family change its name to Windsor
King George V issued a royal proclamation on 17 July 1917 changing the family name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor, taking the name from Windsor Castle. The change was motivated by the First World War: anti-German sentiment in Britain made a German dynastic name politically untenable while British soldiers died fighting the German army on the Western Front.
Who were the Tudor monarchs in order?
The five Tudor monarchs were: Henry VII (1485–1509), founder of the dynasty; Henry VIII (1509–1547), who broke with Rome and established the Church of England; Edward VI (1547–1553), who introduced the first Protestant Book of Common Prayer; Mary I (1553–1558), England’s first queen regnant; and Elizabeth I (1558–1603), the Virgin Queen whose reign produced Shakespeare and defeated the Spanish Armada.
The Nine Royal Houses at a Glance
House of Wessex (802–1066)
The founding Anglo-Saxon dynasty, established by Egbert of Wessex. Alfred the Great (871–899) — the only English monarch ever called “the Great” — unified the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington, built England’s first navy, reformed the law codes and personally translated Latin texts into Old English.
His grandson Æthelstan became the first true King of all England in 927. The dynasty ended when Edward the Confessor died without an heir in 1066, triggering the Norman Conquest.
House of Denmark (1013–1042)
The Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard conquered England in 1013, forcing Æthelred II into exile. His son Cnut the Great (1016–1035) built a remarkable North Sea empire encompassing England, Denmark and Norway, ruling with considerable skill and justice.
After the short reigns of Harold I and Harthacnut, the Wessex line was restored under Edward the Confessor in 1042.
House of Normandy (1066–1154)
William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066 transformed England more profoundly than any event before or since. The Normans introduced feudalism, replaced the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, built the Tower of London, and commissioned the Domesday Book – the most comprehensive survey of any medieval kingdom.
The dynasty ended in the civil war known as “The Anarchy” following the death of Henry I’s only legitimate son.
House of Plantagenet (1154–1399)
England’s longest-reigning dynasty, spanning 245 years and 14 kings. The Plantagenets gave England Magna Carta (1215) – the foundation of constitutional law – the first elected Parliament (1265), the Hundred Years’ War with France, the Black Death (1348), and Westminster Abbey as we know it.
The dynasty’s internal divisions eventually produced the Wars of the Roses.
Houses of Lancaster and York (1399–1485)
Both descended from Edward III, the Houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) fought the Wars of the Roses for control of the English throne.
Three Lancastrian and three Yorkist kings reigned in this troubled period. Henry Tudor ended the conflict by defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485 and marrying Elizabeth of York, uniting both houses.
House of Tudor (1485–1603)
No English dynasty has left a greater imprint on the national imagination. The Tudor monarchs gave England the English Reformation, the break with Rome, the Church of England, the dissolution of the monasteries, and the Elizabethan Renaissance.
Elizabeth I’s 45-year reign produced Shakespeare, Marlowe and Spenser, defeated the Spanish Armada (1588), and established England as a leading European power.
House of Stuart (1603–1714)
The Stuarts united the English and Scottish crowns, produced the King James Bible (1611), endured the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I (1649), the Restoration of the monarchy (1660), and the Glorious Revolution (1688).
The Bill of Rights 1689, establishing that monarchs cannot suspend laws or levy taxes without Parliament’s consent, remains a cornerstone of British constitutional law.
House of Hanover (1714–1901)
German Protestants were brought in under the Act of Settlement to ensure a Protestant succession. The Hanoverian era encompassed the Industrial Revolution, the loss of the American colonies, the defeat of Napoleon, the Abolition of Slavery Act (1833), and the Great Exhibition.
Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign saw Britain reach the height of its imperial power and her become the “Grandmother of Europe” through her children’s marriages across royal families of the continent.
House of Windsor (1917–present)
George V renamed the royal house, Windsor, in 1917 during the First World War. The Windsors have navigated the abdication crisis of 1936, two World Wars, the end of empire, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and a complete transformation of the monarchy’s public role.
Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign was the longest in British history. King Charles III, who ascended in 2022, continues the family’s work of adapting ancient institutions to modern circumstances.
