The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, also known by its short name as the House of Glücksburg, is the senior surviving branch of the German

House of Oldenburg The House of Oldenburg is a Germans, German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Danish Realm, Denmark, Kingdom of Iceland, Iceland, Kingdom of Greece, Greece, Norway, Russian Empire, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, King ...

, one of Europe's oldest royal houses. Oldenburg house members have reigned at various times in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greece, several northern German states, Russia and the United Kingdom. It takes its name from the family seat in Glücksburg, a small town in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

, Germany. Current monarchs King

Harald V of Norway Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the Succession to t ...

and King Charles III of the United Kingdom, as well as the former Queen of Denmark Margrethe II and former queens consort Anne-Marie of Greece and Sofía of Spain, are patrilineal members of cadet branches of the House of Glücksburg.Michel Huberty, Alain Giraud, F. and B. Magdelaine. ''L'Allemagne Dynastique'', Volume VII. Laballery, 1994. pp. 7–8, 27–28, 30–31, 58, 144, 168, 181, 204, 213–214, 328, 344, 353–354, 356, 362, 367. , Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. '' Burke's Royal Families of the World'', Volume I: Europe & Latin America, 1977, pp. 325–326. The present senior member of the House of Oldenburg and the House of Glücksburg and traditional heir to the family's ancestral lands, including Glücksburg itself, is Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (born 1985), who heads the foundation that owns the family's ancestral seat, Glücksburg Castle.

Etymology

"House of Glücksburg" is the shortened form of "House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg"a collateral branch of the

. The house derives its name from two regions and two towns on the

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

Peninsula. The two regions of Schleswig and Holstein are divided by the Eider River. While Schleswig for centuries constituted the southernmost region of Denmark, Holstein historically has been the northernmost area within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. The northern border of Holstein along the Eider had already formed the northern border of

Francia The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...

and the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

, after Emperor

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

upon the

Saxon Wars The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the thirty-three years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of tribesmen was defeated. In all, 18 campaigns were fou ...

reached an agreement with King Hemming of Denmark in 811. The lands of Schleswig beyond the river remained a fief of the Danish Crown, while Holstein became an integral part of East Francia, the Kingdom of Germany and the

. Even earlier, the Eider had already been the border river between Saxons and Polabian Slavs to the south, and Danes and North Frisians to the north. This is evidenced in the largely Slavic-derived toponomy in Eastern Holstein, as opposed to the many Danish-derived place names in Schleswig including Southern Schleswig. Since the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Schleswig has been divided between Denmark ( Northern Schleswig), and Germany ( Southern Schleswig). The town of Sønderborgthe German name of which is "Sonderburg"is located on the northern shores of the Flensburg Firth in Denmark (Northern Schleswig), while Glücksburg (Ostsee) lies on the southern shores of the firth in Germany (Southern Schleswig). The "Ostsee" suffix means "Baltic Sea" (''East Sea''). Since Glücksburg Castle is the ancestral seat of the house, the house is mostly shortened to just "House of Glücksburg". It is also spelled "House of Glücksborg" (the name of Glücksburg in the local

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

dialect) or "House of Lyksborg" (the Danish name of Glücksburg). The literal translation of "Glücksburg" is "Luck's Castle" (Glück = luck; Burg = castle). Glücksburg is officially bilingual and since 2016, there are German/Danish city limit signs in the town.

History

Glücksburg is a small coastal town on the German southern side of the fjord of Flensburg that divides Germany from Denmark. In 1460, Glücksburg came, as part of the conjoined Dano-German duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, to Count Christian of Oldenburg whom, in 1448, the

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

had elected their king as Christian I, the

Norwegians Norwegians () are an ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the Norsemen, Norse of the Early ...

likewise taking him as their hereditary king in 1450. In 1564, Christian I's great-grandson, King Frederick II, in re-distributing Schleswig and Holstein's fiefs, retained some lands for his own senior royal line while allocating Glücksburg to his brother Duke John the Younger (1545–1622), along with Sønderborg, in

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

. John's heirs further sub-divided their share and created, among other branches, a line of

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg was the name of a branch line of the House of Oldenburg as well as the name of their land. It existed from 1564 until 1668 and was a titular duchy under the King of Denmark, rather than a true territorial dukedom in ...

dukes at Beck (an estate near

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

bought by the family in 1605), who remained

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s of Denmark's kings. By 1825, the castle of Glücksburg had returned to the Danish crown (from another ducal branch called Glücksburg, extinct in 1779) and was given that year by King Frederick VI, along with a new ducal title, to his kinsman Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck.Gothaisches Genealogisches Handbuch der Fürstlchen Häuser, Band I. Verlag des Deutschen Adelsarchivs. Marburg. 2015. p. 140 (German). . Frederick suffixed the

territorial designation In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation ...

to the ducal title he already held, in lieu of "Beck" (an estate the family had, in fact, sold in 1745). Thus emerged the extant ''Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg''. The Danish line of Oldenburg kings died out in 1863, and the elder line of the

family became extinct with the death of the last Augustenburg

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

in 1931. Thereafter, the House of Glücksburg became the senior surviving line of the House of Oldenburg. Another

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

line of Oldenburgs, the

Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a side ...

, consisted of two branches which held onto sovereignty into the 20th century. But members of the Romanov line were executed in or exiled from their

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in 1917, while the

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire, that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Bir ...

was abolished in 1918, although its dynastic line survives. Neither the Dukes of Beck nor of Glücksburg had been sovereign rulers; they held their lands in

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

from the ruling Dukes of Schleswig and Holstein, i.e. the Kings of Denmark and (until 1773) the Dukes of

Holstein-Gottorp Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, a side ...

. Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the fourth son of Duke Friedrich of Glücksburg, was recognized in the London Protocol of 1852 as successor to the childless King

Frederick VII of Denmark Frederick VII (Frederik Carl Christian; 6 October 1808 – 15 November 1863) was King of Denmark from 1848 to 1863. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and the last monarch, king of Denmark to r ...

. He became King of Denmark as Christian IX on 15 November 1863. Prince Vilhelm, the second son of Crown Prince Christian and Crown Princess Luise, was elected

King of the Hellenes The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach from 1832 to 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924 and, after being temporarily abolished in favor of the Second Hellenic Republic, again from 1935 to 1973, when it ...

on 30 March 1863, succeeding the ousted Wittelsbach

Otto of Greece Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862. The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...

and reigning under the name George I. Prince Carl, the second son of

Frederick VIII of Denmark Frederik VIII (; 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912) was King of Denmark from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912. As the eldest son of Christian IX of Denmark, King Christian IX, nicknamed the ''Father-in-law of Europe'', Frederick was related ...

, Christian IX's eldest son, became King of Norway on 18 November 1905 as Haakon VII. Christian IX's daughters,

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

and Dagmar (as ''Maria Feodorovna'') became the consorts of, respectively, King

Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

and Emperor

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III (; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the libera ...

. As a result, by 1914 descendants of King Christian IX held the crowns of several European

realm A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Etymo ...

s, and he became known as the " Father-in-law of Europe". Christian IX's older brother inherited formal headship of the family as Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, followed by their brother Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. It is his descendants who now represent the senior line of the Schleswig-Holstein branch of the House of Oldenburg, with Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein, as its current head.

Patrilineal ancestry of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm

Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg Egilmar I (c. 1060–1112) was the first Count of Oldenburg and thus founder of the House of Oldenburg. He reigned from c. 1091 to 1108. History Count Egilmar I is mentioned for the first time as a witness in a document from Archbishop Liemar o ...

# Elimar II, Count of Oldenburg # Christian I, Count of Oldenburg (Christian the Quarrelsome) # Maurice, Count of Oldenburg # Christian II, Count of Oldenburg # John I, Count of Oldenburg # Christian III, Count of Oldenburg # John II, Count of Oldenburg # Conrad I, Count of Oldenburg # Christian V, Count of Oldenburg #

Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg Dietrich or Theoderic of Oldenburg ( – 14 February 1440) was a feudal lord in Northern Germany, holding the counties of Delmenhorst and Duchy of Oldenburg, Oldenburg. He was called "Fortunatus", as he was able to secure Delmenhorst for hi ...

Christian I of Denmark Christian I ''(Christiern I)'' (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a German noble and Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), King of Norway, Norway (1450–1481) and King of Sweden, Sweden (1457 ...

Frederick I of Denmark Frederick I ( Danish and ; ; ; 7 October 1471 – 10 April 1533) was King of Denmark and Norway. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over Denmark and Norway, when subsequent monarchs embraced Lutheranism after the Protestant Reformatio ...

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg John the Younger (; ; 25 March 1545 – 9 October 1622) was the duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Biography John was born on 25 March 1545 at Koldinghus Castle in Jutland, Denmark as the fourth child and third son of King Christian III ...

# Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg # August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck #

Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (; 6 April 1653 – 7 March 1728) was a Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and field marshal of the Prussian Army. Early life Frederick Louis was born in Haus Beck (now pa ...

Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck Peter August Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (7 December 1697 – 22 March 1775) was a Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck. Early life Born in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia, as the fifth and youngest son of Frederic ...

# Karl Anton August, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck # Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck #

Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (; ; 4 January 1785 – 17 February 1831) was a German-Danish prince and officer who was the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck from 1816 to 1825, and the Duke of Schlesw ...

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

The Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg constitute the senior male line of the branch. They hold the headship by

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

of the cadet house of Glücksburg. The headship by

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

primogeniture of the entire

is held by Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein. The

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

is Prince Alfred of Schleswig-Holstein (born 2019).

Denmark

In 1852, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg became heir-presumptive to the

Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply Denmark, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united by the Constitution of Denmark, Constitutional Act, which applies to the entire territor ...

, and in 1863, he ascended the throne. He was the fourth son of

, whose elder brother (and male-line descendants) retained the Glücksburg dukedom. The Danish royal family still calls itself Glücksborg, using a slightly Danicized form of Glücksburg.

Greece

In 1863 and with the name George I, Prince Wilhelm of Denmark was elected King of the Hellenes on the recommendation of Europe's

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

. He was the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark. The Hellenic constitutional monarchy was usurped in a ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

'' by a

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

in 1967 and the royal family fled into exile. The monarchy was abolished in 1973. After the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1974, 69.18% of votes recorded in a republic referendum were against the restoration of the monarchy. As of 2024, the family has assumed the last name "De Grèce" (; "of Greece"), first used by Greek author and dynast Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark for his pen name as ''Michel de Grèce'', as the only one familiar to them.

Norway

In 1905, Prince Carl of Denmark became Norway's first independent monarch in 518 years, taking the regnal name Haakon VII. His father was King

, and one of his uncles was King

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, romanized: ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination on 18 March 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was born in Copenhage ...

. The

is Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (born 1973). See the present line of succession.

Iceland

In 1918, Iceland was elevated from an autonomous Danish province to a separate Kingdom of Iceland.

Christian X of Denmark Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Icel ...

was henceforth King of Denmark and Iceland until 1944, when Iceland dissolved the personal union between the two countries and became a republic. The

was his son,

Frederik IX of Denmark Frederik IX (Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Frederik was born into the House of Glücksburg during the reign of his great-grandfather King Chr ...

(1899–1972).

United Kingdom

In 1947, Philip Mountbatten married Princess Elizabeth (later

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

). Born into the house of Glücksburg as a prince of Denmark and Greece, he later relinquished these titles and was created

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

by his father-in-law, King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

of the United Kingdom. The heir apparent is Charles's elder son

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...

(born 1982). See the present line of succession. : Charles is agnatically descended from the House of Glücksburg via his father. However, he reigns as a member of the

House of Windsor The House of Windsor is the reigning house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The house's name was inspired by the historic Windsor Castle estate. The house was founded on 17 July 1917, when King George V changed the na ...

. : Also

Duke of Rothesay Duke of Rothesay ( ; ; ) is the main dynastic title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the Scottish and, later, British thrones. The dukedom was created in 1398 by Robert III of Scotland for his eldest son. Duke of Rothesay i ...

Earl of Carrick Earl of Carrick (or Mormaer of Carrick) is the title applied to the ruler of Carrick, Scotland, Carrick (now South Ayrshire), subsequently part of the Peerage of Scotland. The position came to be strongly associated with the Scottish crown when ...

, Baron of Renfrew,

Lord of the Isles Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...

, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. : Also

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

. : Also Earl of Merioneth and

Baron Greenwich Baron Greenwich was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that has been created twice in British history. History Prior to the title's first creation in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1667, Charles II of England, King Charles II of E ...

. : Also King of

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

The Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

, and

Head of the Commonwealth The Head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 56 sovereign states. There is ...

Line of succession

: *''

(1471–1533)'' **''

(1503–1559)'' ***''

(1545–1622)'' ****'' Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (1573–1627)'' *****'' August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1612–1675)'' ******''

(1653–1728)'' *******''

(1697–1775)'' ********'' Prince Karl Anton August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1727–1759)'' *********'' Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1757–1816)'' **********''

(1785–1831)'' *********** '' Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1814–1885)'' ************ '' Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1855–1934)'' ************* '' Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1891–1965)'' ************** '' Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1922–1980)'' *************** ''

Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein Christoph of Schleswig-Holstein (22 August 1949 – 27 September 2023) ( German: ''Christoph Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein'') was the head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (commonly known as the House of Glücksburg) and, ...

'' (1949–2023) **************** Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1985) ***************** (1) Prince Alfred of Schleswig-Holstein ***************** (2) Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein **************** (3) Prince Constantin of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1986) ***************** (4) Prince Tassilo of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince of Lyxborg **************** (5) Prince Leopold of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1991) *************** (6) Prince Alexander of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1953) **************** (7) Prince Julian of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1997) *********** '' Christian IX of Denmark (1818–1906)'' ************ ''

(1843–1912)'' ************* ''

(1870–1947)'' ************** ''

Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (Knud Christian Frederik Michael; 27 July 1900 – 14 June 1976) was a member of the Danish royal family, the younger son and child of Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Sch ...

(1900–1976)'' *************** (8) Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (b. 1940) ************* '' Haakon VII of Norway (1872–1957)'' ************** ''

Olav V of Norway Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of ...

(1903–1991)'' *************** (9)

(b. 1937) **************** (10)

Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal famil ...

(b. 1973) ***************** (11) Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (b. 2005) ************* ''

Prince Harald of Denmark Prince Harald of Denmark (''Harald Christian Frederik''; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the third son and fourth child of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Lovisa of Sweden, and thus brothe ...

(1876–1949)'' ************** '' Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990)'' *************** (12) Count Ulrik of Rosenborg (b. 1950) **************** (13) Count Philip of Rosenborg (b. 1986) ************ ''

(1845–1913)'' ************* ''

Constantine I of Greece Constantine I (, Romanization, romanized: ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army dur ...

(1868–1923)'' ************** ''

Paul of Greece Paul (; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of Greece from 1 April 1947 until his death on 6 March 1964. Paul was born in Athens as the third son of Constantine I of Greece, Crown Prince Constantine and Sophia of Prussia, Crown Princess ...

(1901–1964)'' *************** ''

Constantine II of Greece Constantine II (, ; 2 June 1940 – 10 January 2023) was the last King of Greece, reigning from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine was born in Athens as the only son of Crown Prince Paul and ...

(1940–2023)'' **************** (14) Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece (b. 1967) ***************** (15) Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark (b. 1998) ***************** (16) Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark (b. 2000) ***************** (17) Prince Odysseas Kimon of Greece and Denmark (b. 2004) ***************** (18) Prince Aristide Stavros of Greece and Denmark (b. 2008) **************** (19) Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (b. 1969) **************** (20) Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark (b. 1986) ************* '' Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882–1944)'' ************** ''

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

(1921–2021)'' *************** (21) Charles III of the United Kingdom (b. 1948) **************** (22)

(b. 1982) ***************** (23)

Prince George of Wales Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...

(b. 2013) ***************** (24)

Prince Louis of Wales Prince Louis of Wales ( ; Louis Arthur Charles; born 23 April 2018) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third and youngest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a grandson of Charles III and D ...

(b. 2018) **************** (25)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to t ...

(b. 1984) ***************** (26)

Prince Archie of Sussex Prince Archie of Sussex (Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor; born 6 May 2019) is a member of the British royal family. He is the son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. A grandson of King Charles III, he is sixth i ...

(b. 2019) *************** (27)

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger bro ...

(b. 1960) *************** (28)

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King ...

(b. 1964) **************** (29) James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex (b. 2007) ************ ''

Prince Valdemar of Denmark Prince Valdemar of Denmark (27 October 1858 – 14 January 1939) was a member of the Danish royal family. He was the third son and youngest child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. He had a lifelong naval career. Early l ...

(1858–1939)'' ************* '' Prince Axel of Denmark (1888–1964)'' ************** '' Count Flemming of Rosenborg (1922–2002)'' *************** (30) Count Axel of Rosenborg (b. 1950) **************** (31) Count Carl Johan of Rosenborg (b. 1979) **************** (32) Count Alexander Flemming of Rosenborg (b. 1993) *************** (33) Count Birger of Rosenborg (b. 1950) *************** (34) Count Carl Johan of Rosenborg (b. 1952) ************* '' Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg (1890–1950)'' ************** ''Count Christian of Rosenborg (1932–1997)'' *************** (35) Count Valdemar of Rosenborg (b. 1965) **************** (36) Count Nicolai of Rosenborg (b. 1997) ** ''

Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Adolf of Denmark or Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp (25 January 1526 –1 October 1586) was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg. He was the third son of King Frederick I of Denmark and ...

(1526–1586)'' *** '' John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1575–1616)'' **** '' Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1597–1659)'' ***** '' Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1641–1695)'' ****** '' Frederick IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1671–1702)'' ******* '' Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1700–1739)'' ******** '' Peter III of Russia (1728–1762)'' ********* ''

Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...

(1754–1801)'' ********** ''

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

(1796–1855)'' *********** ''

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Grand Du ...

(1818–1881)'' ************ '' Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (1860–1919)'' ************* '' Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia (1891–1941)'' ************** '' Prince Paul Dimitrievich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (1928–2004)'' *************** (37) Prince Dimitri Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (b. 1954) *************** (38) Prince Michael Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (b. 1961) ************ '' Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (1872–1913)'' ************* ''Prince Alexander Georgijevich Yurievsky (1900–1988)'' ************** (39) Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (b. 1961) *********** '' Grand Duke Michael Nicolaevich of Russia (1832–1909)'' ************ ''

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a Russian grand duke and dynast of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov, House of Romanov. He was also a naval officer, author, explorer, as well as the first ...

(1866–1933)'' ************* '' Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (1897–1981)'' ************** '' Andrew Andreevich, Prince of Russia (1923–2021)'' *************** (40) Alexis Andreevich, Prince of Russia (b. 1953) *************** (41) Prince Peter Andreevich of Russia (b. 1961) *************** (42) Prince Andrew Andreevich of Russia (b. 1963) ************* '' Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich of Russia (1902–1978)'' ************** ''Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich of Russia (1938–1999)'' *************** (43) Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich of Russia (b. 1985) **************** (44) Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich of Russia (b. 2013) **************** (45) Prince Mikhail Rostislavovich of Russia (b. 2015) *************** (46) Prince Nikita Rostislavovich of Russia (b. 1987) ************** ''Prince Nicholas Rostislavovich of Russia (1945–2000)'' *************** (47) Prince Nicholas Nicolaevich of Russia (b. 1968) *************** (48) Prince Daniel Nicolaevich of Russia (b. 1972) **************** (49) Prince Jackson Danielovich of Russia (b. 2009) ****** '' Prince Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp (1673–1726)'' ******* '' Prince Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp (1719–1763)'' ******** ''

Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg Peter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp () (17 January 1755 – 21 May 1829) was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin Wilhelm, Duke of Oldenburg, William I from 1785 to 1823, and then served himself as Du ...

(1755–1829)'' ********* ''

Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg Augustus I or Paul Frederick Augustus () (13 July 178327 February 1853) was the reigning Grand Duke of Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Oldenburg from 1829 to 1853. Birth and family Augustus was born on 13 July 1783 at Schloss Rastede near Oldenburg (ci ...

(1783–1853)'' ********** '' Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1827–1900)'' *********** ''

Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg Frederick Augustus II (16 November 1852 in Oldenburg – 24 February 1931 in Rastede) was the last ruling Grand Duke of Oldenburg. Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg. He grew up with an interest in the ...

(1852–1931)'' ************ '' Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1897–1970)'' ************* '' Anton-Günther, Duke of Oldenburg (1923–2014)'' ************** (50) Christian, Duke of Oldenburg (b. 1955)'' *************** (51) Duke Alexander of Oldenburg (b. 1990) *************** (52) Duke Philipp of Oldenburg (b. 1991) *************** (53) Duke Anton Friedrich of Oldenburg (b. 1993) ************* ''Duke Peter of Oldenburg (1926–2016)'' ************** (54) Duke Nikolaus of Oldenburg (b. 1955) *************** (55) Duke Christoph of Oldenburg (b. 1985) *************** (56) Duke Georg of Oldenburg (b. 1990) *************** (57) Duke Oscar of Oldenburg (b. 1991) ************* '' Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg (1936–2017)'' ************** (58) Duke Paul-Wladimir of Oldenburg (b. 1969) *************** (59) Duke Kirill of Oldenburg (b. 2002) *************** (60) Duke Carlos of Oldenburg (b. 2004) *************** (61) Duke Paul of Oldenburg (b. 2005) ************* (61) Duke Huno of Oldenburg (b. 1940) ************* (62) Duke Johann of Oldenburg (b. 1940) ************** (63) Duke Konstantin Nikolaus of Oldenburg (b. 1975)

References

External links

Castle of Glücksburg

Royal House of Denmark

Royal House of Norway
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