The number of senior royal family members within the British monarchy has decreased slightly over the past few years.

King Charles III is the current British monarch following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. His eldest son Prince William and his wife Kate, Princess of Wales, are senior royals alongside a few other members.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle would have been in the group if they hadn’t given up their status as senior members in 2020.

Prince Andrew stepped back from his role due to his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But who holds the special status of being a senior member of the royal family in 2024? Let’s take a dive…

What are senior members of the royal family?

There are several loose definitions of the title. According to some reports, the monarch, the consort, their children and spouse – including the heir and their children – form the senior royal family members.

Other reports define senior royal members as anyone who carries out duties on behalf of the crown and who are “high up in the line of succession” as well as their spouses.

King Charles III

The current monarch and head of state is King Charles III. Born on November 14, 1948, Charles is the first son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Charles was just nine when his mother made him the Prince of Wales. He was formally invested as the Prince of Wales in 1969.

In 1981, the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two children together – Princes William and Harry. However, their marriage officially dissolved in 1996 and Diana died a year later in a tragic car crash in Paris.

Charles then married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005; she was the given the title of Duchess of Cornwall.

He became King after the death of his mother on September 8, 2022. She was 96 when she died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Charles’ father, Prince Philip, died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99 at Windsor Castle.

Just a couple of years into his reign, King Charles has faced a tough time.

It was announced in February 2024 that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, but the palace did not reveal the type of cancer or what stage he was in.

At the time of writing, Charles has continued to undertake State business and official paperwork. However, his public appearances have been limited under doctors’ orders.

Queen Camilla

The Queen Consort, Camilla, is the wife of King Charles III. Born in 1947, she spent her childhood in her family’s residences in East Sussex and South Kensington.

Before marrying into the royal family, she was married to British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles.

Queen Camilla and Charles met for the first time in 1970 at a polo match at Windsor Great Park. Although they began dating then, Charles had to leave to serve in the Royal Navy for eight months.

She married Andrew by the time Charles returned and the pair went on to have two children – Tom Parker-Bowles and Laura Lopes. Camilla and her former husband divorced in 1995, but they remain friends to date.

Camilla was made Duchess of Cornwall after her marriage to Charles in 2005. She became Queen Consort after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The late Queen had said it was her wish for Camilla to have that title when Charles acceded the throne.

William, Prince of Wales

Prince William, the eldest son of King Charles III and Princess Diana, was born in 1982 in London. William is the current heir to the throne. He was only 15 years old when his mother died.

He graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2005, and completed full-time military service in the British Armed Forces. William went on to become an air ambulance pilot for East Anglian from 2015 to 2017.

Away from his royal duties and education, William found love early on. He and Kate Middleton met at the same university and dated for many years before briefly breaking up.

However, they rekindled and William married Kate in 2011. They were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge by the late Queen upon their marriage on April 29 of that year at Westminster Abbey.

They then became the Prince and Princess of Wales after the Queen’s death. William and Kate have three children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six. They lived at Kensington Palace in London before moving to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle in 2022.

The Princess of Wales

Kate, Princess of Wales, was born on January 9, 1982. She’s the eldest of three children of Carole and Michael Middleton.

She went to boarding school in Marlborough before joining St. Andrews University in Scotland in 2001, where she met her future husband, William.

After completing college, she moved to London and worked as a junior buyer with High Street fashion chain Jigsaw. Despite a brief separation during their relationship, William and Kate became engaged in November 2010.

After the couple married in 2011, Kate welcomed her first child, George Alexander Louis, with William in 2013 and daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in 2015.

Their third child, Louis Arthur Charles, was born in 2018.

In addition to her royal duties supporting the monarch, Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021. It aims to create awareness about the importance of early childhood experiences to improve outcomes across society.

In 2024, Kate announced her cancer diagnosis and underwent preventative chemotherapy. She completed her treatment in September 2024, and is slowly getting back to duties.

Anne, Princess Royal

Princess Anne is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She is their second child after King Charles III.

She was born in London in 1950. While Anne did not attend a university, she was educated at Benenden School in Kent.

Known for her love for horses, she went on to become a respected equestrian. In 1976, she made history as the first British royal to compete in the Olympics.

Princess Anne also won a gold medal in 1971 and two silver medals in 1975 at the European Eventing Championships. Pretty impressive, right?

Anne bagged her title of Princess Royal in 1987, by her mother the Queen.

Anne married Capt. Mark Phillips in 1973 and had two children – Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall – before their marriage dissolved in 1992.

She married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence the same year. They have no children together.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh

Born in 1964, Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was made the Earl of Wessex after his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. They have two children – Lady Louise Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor.

Following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Edward went to the University of Cambridge.

He first met his wife Sophie at Capital Radio in 1987. However, after they bumped into each other at a charity event in 1993, a romance then blossomed.

The couple got engaged in January 1999 and tied the knot the same year.

Edward became the new Duke of Edinburgh – a title previously held by his father – after Charles became monarch. He was bestowed with the title on his 59th birthday in 2023. His son James was given his former title of Earl of Wessex.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Edward and Sophie have stepped up to perform duties on behalf of the King.

The Duke of Edinburgh is focused on championing young people and promoting the benefits of non-formal education across the world.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Edinburgh works to support the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).

Princess Alexandra

Princess Alexandra is the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and a working member of the royal family.

Born in 1936, she is the second child and only daughter of the late Duke and Duchess of Kent.

Princess Alexandra supported the Queen throughout her reign, as well as attended key events within the country and overseas.

Currently, as a working royal, she is supporting many charities and organisations as a Patron or President.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

The Duke of Gloucester, Prince Richard, is the also the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and a full-time working member of the royal family.

He was born Prince Richard of Gloucester on August 26 1944 at Northampton.

Richard became engaged to Birgitte van Deurs in 1972 and they married in 1972. They share three children together – the Earl of Ulster, Lady Davina Windsor and Lady Rose Windsor.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester live at Kensington Palace.

While Richard supports the King in his royal duties and undertakes extensive public engagement every year, Birgitte takes pride in the work she undertakes for many charities and organisations. She has connected more than 60 organisations across arts, sports, health, education and more.

The Duke of Kent

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is also a working member of the royal family. Born in October 1935, he is a cousin of the late Queen.

He currently divides his time between royal engagements relating to his patronages and supporting the King.

The Duke of Kent is often seen out with the royal family, including at big events such as Trooping the Colour.

Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from senior royal roles

In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping back as senior royals to become “financially independent”.

In a statement at the time, they said they would be splitting their time between the UK and North America.

Harry and Meghan said that they reached the decision after “months of reflection and internal discussions” but vowed to carry on supporting the Queen.

But since then, the couple have become somewhat estranged from the royal family with relationships said to be strained between Harry and his loved ones.

They married in May 2018 and have two children together – Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet Diana, three.