House of Hanover

George I (1714–1727) George became the first Hanoverian king of Great Britain as George I. James Stuart, son of James II, led a rebellion by his supporters, known as the Jacobites, in Scotland in 1715, but this was put down. With the king unable to speak English, Robert Walpole took over as chairman of Cabinet meetings and became in effect the country’s first prime minister.

George II (1727–1760) During George II’s reign, Britain fought in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). In 1743, George led his troops against the French, the last British king to fight in battle. Another Jacobite Rebellion broke out in 1745 when Charles Edward Stuart, (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”) landed in Scotland, but that was crushed at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

George III (1760–1820) During George’s reign, war broke out with the American colonists over British attempts to tax them. It ended in defeat for the British in 1781. In 1788, George III suffered the first of a series of fits. By 1811, he had become unable to rule, and so his son took over as Prince Regent. During George’s reign, Britain had become a world power with a large empire and a rich industrial economy.

George IV (1820–1830) George, who served as Prince Regent on behalf of his father, George III, became king in his own right on his father’s death in 1820. He was very interested in the arts, acquiring an impressive collection of art and hiring architects to create stylish buildings in what became known as the Regency Style.

William IV (1830–1837) William's reign was dominated by the Reform crisis. After much dispute, the 1832 Reform Act was passed, leading to a fairer distribution of parliamentary seats and wider qualification for people having the right to vote.

Victoria (1837–1901) Victoria ascended the throne, aged 18. She married her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. When he died in 1861, she was stricken with grief and retired from public life for years. During her long reign, Victoria became Empress of India. Her children and grandchildren married into all the major royal houses of Europe.

House of Saxe-Coburg

Edward VII (1901–1910) Edward VII was heir to the throne for longer than anyone else before in British history. He spent much of his life as Prince of Wales enjoying London society. Edward eventually succeeded to the throne as Edward VII in 1901.

House of Windsor

George V (1910–1936) Anti-German feeling during World War I led George to adopt the family name of Windsor in 1917, replacing the German name of his father, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The Statute of Westminster of 1931 gave the dominions of the British Empire the freedom to pass their own laws.

Edward VIII (Jan–Dec 1936) Edward wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American, but the government objected. Edward then chose to abdicate (give up the throne), after less than 11 months as king.

George VI (1936–1952) Reserved by nature, George suffered from ill health throughout his life. In 1923, he married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. The royal family's active involvement in the war effort on Britain won them many admirers.

Elizabeth II (1952–2022) Elizabeth acceded to the throne on the death of her father in 1952. She also became Head of the Commonwealth. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with whom she had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch.

Charles III (2022–) Charles acceded to the throne on the death of his mother in 2022. At the age of 73, he was the oldest heir to become monarch. He married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, having previously been married to Diana, Princess of Wales, with whom he had two sons, William and Harry.

Consultant: Philip Parker