Alternative successions to the English and British Crown

British history provides several opportunities for alternative claimants to the English and later British Crown to arise, and historical scholars have on occasion traced to present times the heirs of those alternative claims.

Throughout this article, the names of "would-have-been" monarchs are in italics.

Abdication of Richard II
Richard II abdicated in favour of Henry Bolingbroke on 29 September 1399. However, Henry was not next in the line to the throne; the heir presumptive was Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March,   who descended from Edward III's second surviving son, Lionel of Antwerp, whereas Henry's father, John of Gaunt, was Edward's third surviving son.

Had Edmund inherited instead, the alternative succession would have been short-lived, for it re-united with the historical crown when Edward IV was declared king in 1461.


 * 1) Edward III of England
 * 2) Edward, the Black Prince, first son of Edward III
 * 3) Richard II of England, second son of Edward, the Black Prince
 * 4) Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second son to survive infancy) of Edward III
 * 5) Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster, only child of Lionel
 * 6) Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, first son of Philippa
 * 7) Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, first son of Roger, died without issue
 * 8) Anne de Mortimer, first daughter of Roger, succeeded her childless brother Edmund
 * 9) Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, only son of Anne
 * 10) Edward IV of England, first son of Richard

Descendants of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence
This line's claim to the Crown is based upon the argument that Edward IV was not the son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and thus had no legitimate claim to the Crown. Therefore, when Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, his claim passed first to his eldest legitimate son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, who was executed shortly after the battle, and then to George, Duke of Clarence. Another point is that Henry VI passed a law in 1470 that should both he and his son Edward of Westminster die without further legitimate male issue, the crown was to pass to Clarence, as Henry had placed an attainder upon Edward IV. When Henry VI and Edward both died in 1471, Clarence became the legal heir of the House of Lancaster.

The current descendant of this line is Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun. The line of succession is as follows:


 * 1) George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second "legitimate" son) of Richard, 3rd Duke of York
 * 2) Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, first son of George
 * 3) Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, succeeded her childless brother Edward
 * 4) Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, first son of Margaret
 * 5) Henry Pole, second son of Henry, his elder brother Thomas died in childhood
 * 6) Catherine Hastings, first daughter, succeeded her childless brother Henry
 * 7) Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, first son of Catherine
 * 8) George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Catherine, succeeded his childless brother Henry
 * 9) Francis Hastings, first son of George
 * 10) Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Francis
 * 11) Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, first son of Henry
 * 12) Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Ferdinando
 * 13) George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Theophilus, his elder brother died in childhood
 * 14) Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, third son of Theophilus, his elder brother George had no legitimate children
 * 15) Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon, first son of Theophilus, 9th Earl
 * 16) Elizabeth Rawdon, 16th Baroness Botreaux, daughter of Theophilus, her brother Francis had no legitimate children
 * 17) Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, first son of Elizabeth
 * 18) George Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings, eldest legitimate son of Francis
 * 19) Paulyn Rawdon-Hastings, 3rd Marquess of Hastings, first son of George
 * 20) Henry Rawdon-Hastings, 4th Marquess of Hastings, second son of George, his brother Paulyn died in childhood
 * 21) Edith Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter of George, succeeded her childless brother Henry
 * 22) Charles Rawdon-Hastings, 11th Earl of Loudoun, first son of Edith, died without issue
 * 23) Paulyn Abney-Hastings, second son of Edith, succeeded his childless brother Charles
 * 24) Edith Maud Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter of Paulyn
 * 25) Ian Huddleston Abney-Hastings, Lord Mauchline, only son of Edith, died in World War II without issue
 * 26) Barbara Abney-Hastings, 13th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter of Edith, succeeded her childless brother Ian
 * 27) Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun, eldest son of Barbara
 * 28) Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun, eldest son of Michael
 * 29) The Hon. Marcus William Abney-Hastings, younger brother of Simon (heir apparent)

Subsequent Earls of Huntingdon descended from Sir Edward Hastings (1541–1603?), the fourth son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole after the male line of their third son, George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon (1540 – 3 December 1604) died out with Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon.

Descendants of Mary Tudor, Queen of France
Parliament's Third Succession Act granted Henry VIII the right to bequeath the crown in his Will. His Will specified that, in default of heirs to his children, the throne was to pass to the children of the daughters of his younger sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, bypassing the line of his elder sister Margaret Tudor, represented by the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. Edward VI confirmed this by letters patent. The legitimate and legal heir of Elizabeth I was therefore Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven (the marriage of Lady Katherine Grey having been annulled, and her children declared illegitimate, by Elizabeth I).

Her succession, under this theory, follows:


 * 1) Henry VIII of England
 * 2) Edward VI of England, only son of Henry VIII
 * 3) Mary I of England, eldest daughter of Henry VIII
 * 4) Elizabeth I of England, second daughter of Henry VIII
 * 5) Mary Tudor, Queen of France, second daughter of Henry VII
 * 6) Lady Eleanor Brandon, second daughter, third line of Mary
 * 7) Lady Margaret Clifford, only daughter, third line of Eleanor
 * 8) Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, first son of Margaret
 * 9) Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven, first daughter of Ferdinando
 * 10) George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos, first son of Anne
 * 11) Margaret Brydges, first daughter of George
 * 12) Sir George Brydges Skipwith, 3rd Baronet, first son of Margaret
 * 13) Elizabeth Brownlow, first daughter of Margaret, succeeded their childless brother George
 * 14) George Brownlow Doughty, first son of Elizabeth
 * 15) Henry Doughty, only child of George
 * 16) Henry Doughty, only son of Henry
 * 17) Elizabeth Doughty, only daughter of Henry Doughty Sr

Since Lady Anne Stanley's line is thought to have become extinct with the death of Elizabeth Doughty, the line then passes to the descendants of Lady Anne's sister, Lady Frances Stanley:


 * 1) Lady Frances Stanley, second daughter of Ferdinando
 * 2) John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, first son of Frances
 * 3) John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater, first son of John
 * 4) Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater, third son of John
 * 5) Lady Anne Egerton, first daughter of Scroop
 * 6) George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, only child of Anne
 * 7) George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 4th Earl of Jersey
 * 8) George Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 5th Earl of Jersey
 * 9) Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, only son of George, 6th Earl of Jersey
 * 10) George Child Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey, first son of Victor, 7th Earl of Jersey
 * 11) George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 8th Earl of Jersey
 * 12) Lady Caroline Child Villiers, only child of George's first marriage

Lady Caroline's heir-apparent is her son Timothy Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto.

Although the 9th Earl of Jersey had sons from a third marriage, he had been divorced from his first wife, who was still alive when he married his third. Under a strict adherence to the succession laws and customs as they existed in 1603 (for it is argued that no laws passed by Parliament since 1603 are legitimate, as the heirs did not summon those Parliaments, nor did those laws receive the royal assent to become law), the 9th Earl of Jersey's divorce was not valid, and therefore both his remarriage during his ex-wife's lifetime was null and void, and the children of his third marriage illegitimate. Consequently, the current holder of the Stanley claim to the throne of England is the only child of the 9th Earl's first marriage, Lady Caroline Ogilvy (née Child Villiers).

Descendants of Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp
Although the marriage of Lady Katherine Grey and Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, was annulled as illegal in 1562, and her children consequently rendered illegitimate, James I regarded the Seymour line as eligible heirs. This unofficial rehabilitation of the Seymours placed them ahead of the Stanleys in James's opinion. In 2012, Mary Freeman-Grenville, 12th Lady Kinloss was listed as the heir to the Mary Tudor claim rather than Frances Stanley's descendants.

Her succession follows:


 * 1) Henry VIII of England
 * 2) Edward VI of England, only son of Henry
 * 3) Mary I of England, eldest daughter of Henry
 * 4) Elizabeth I of England, second daughter of Henry
 * 5) Mary Tudor, Queen of France, third daughter of Henry VII of England, younger sister of Henry VIII of England
 * 6) Lady Frances Brandon, first daughter of Mary
 * 7) Lady Katherine Grey, second daughter of Frances
 * 8) Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp, first son of Katherine
 * 9) William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, second son of Edward, succeeded their childless brother Edward
 * 10) Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp, third son of William, his elder brothers William and Robert died in childhood
 * 11) Lady Elizabeth Seymour, only daughter of Henry
 * 12) Charles Bruce, 3rd Earl of Ailesbury, second son of Elizabeth, his elder brother Robert died in childhood
 * 13) Lady Mary Bruce, first daughter, succeeded their childless brothers Robert and George
 * 14) James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos, only son of Mary
 * 15) Lady Anne Elizabeth Brydges, only child of James
 * 16) Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, first son of Anne
 * 17) Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, only son of Richard
 * 18) Mary Morgan-Grenville, 11th Lady Kinloss, first daughter of Richard
 * 19) Luis Chandos Francis Temple Morgan-Grenville, second son of Mary, succeeded their childless brother Richard
 * 20) Mary Freeman-Grenville, 12th Lady Kinloss, first daughter of Luis
 * 21) Teresa Freeman-Grenville, 13th Lady Kinloss, first daughter of Mary

Lady Kinloss's heir-presumptive is her sister Hester Josephine Anne Freeman-Grenville, who is married to Peter Haworth and has three sons.

Continuation of the House of Stuart
The Catholic heirs of the deposed James II of England were passed over by the Act of Settlement 1701.


 * 1) Charles I of England
 * 2) James VII and II, second son of Charles I
 * 3) James Francis Edward Stuart, only son of James VII and II; called "James VIII and III" by Jacobites.
 * 4) Charles Edward Stuart, elder son of James Francis.  He had no legitimate issue by his wife.  He had an illegitimate daughter who has descendants, but they have no succession rights.  Also known as "Charles III" by Jacobites or as "Bonnie Prince Charlie" more widely.
 * 5) Henry Benedict Stuart, younger son of James Francis.  He was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and had no issue. Called "Henry I and IX" by Jacobites.

At Henry's death the claim passed to his second cousin twice removed, Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, and then to his brother Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. Charles Emmanuel and Victor Emmanuel were great-great-great-grandsons of King Charles I.


 * 1) Charles I of England
 * 2) Henrietta Anne Stuart, youngest daughter of Charles
 * 3) Anne Marie d'Orléans, second daughter of Henrietta Anne
 * 4) Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, second son of Anne Marie
 * 5) Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, second son of Charles Emmanuel
 * 6) Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, eldest son of Victor Amadeus
 * 7) Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, second son of Victor Amadeus
 * 8) Maria Beatrice of Savoy, eldest daughter of Victor Emmanuel
 * 9) Francis V, Duke of Modena, elder son of Maria Beatrice
 * 10) Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este, younger son of Maria Beatrice, succeeded their elder brother Francis who had no surviving adult children
 * 11) Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, only child of Ferdinand
 * 12) Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, eldest son of Maria Theresia
 * 13) Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, second son of Rupprecht, his elder brother Luitpold died in childhood
 * 14) Franz, Duke of Bavaria, elder son of Albrecht

When Franz dies, his claim on the English and Scottish crowns will pass to his younger brother Prince Max. And after Max's death, this theoretical claim most likely will be inherited by Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, daughter of Prince Max.