Who's who on King Charles III's family tree?

Romance, scandal, tragedy... the history of the royal family has seen it all. How well do you know each of King Charles III's ancestors and descendants? We’ve built the royal family tree to give you all the facts you need on the monarchy, including who’s related to who and the stories that they'll be remembered for.

Our interactive example shows you all the nifty features available on Findmypast's family tree builder. It's perfect for having a tinker before you start your own family tree with us.

There's no denying that certain individuals on the British royal family's tree led privileged but dramatic lives, during the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II and beyond. You only have to binge-watch a season of The Crown to realise that.

Despite the family's long and eventful history, some of the most memorable royal stories have come in recent times. So, who is King Charles' immediate and extended family?

The royal family tree

Have you ever wondered who Prince Michael of Kent is, or perhaps who Prince Edward is married to? Before we look back at the ancestors in King Charles' family tree, let's first unravel his modern family ties.

As Netflix's The Crown proves, life was far from straightforward for Charles and other members of the royal family. Let's start with Charles himself, before turning to look at his immediate family members.

King Charles III, formerly Prince Charles

King Charles III took the throne after Queen Elizabeth's passing in 2022, and is arguably one of the most divisive members of the British Royal Family. On the one hand, he’s widely praised by the public for his ongoing community work and sense of duty. However, his troubled first marriage to the ever-popular Princess Diana has also led to criticism from some.

Charles married his longtime companion Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. He is grandfather to some of the newest additions to the royal family tree, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince William

William is King Charles III's eldest son and heir to the British throne. From tragedy in early life with the death of his mother in 1997, William now has his own family - he married Catherine (known as Kate) Middleton in a highly publicised ceremony in 2011. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have three children together.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne. He is known for launching the Invictus Games and serving in the army for a decade, during which time he was stationed in Afghanistan.

He married American actress Megan Markle in 2018, and the couple has two children. His 2023 tell-all biography sent shockwaves through British society.

Queen Elizabeth II

We can't think about King Charles, or indeed the British royal family, without thinking of Queen Elizabeth II. The nation's longest reigning monarch served on the throne from 1952 until her death on 8 September 2022, aged an impressive 96. She was married to Prince Philip for the entirety of this long period.

Prince Philip

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, stood dutifully by the Queen’s side from when they married in 1947 until he died in 2021. He was actually born in Greece but his family were exiled from there while he was a young child. A Second World War veteran, at his death Philip was the oldest-ever male member of the British Monarchy.

Princess Margaret

Queen Elizabeth’s only sibling, and Charles' aunt, led quite a colourful life. After a controversial relationship with Captain Peter Townsend, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960. The marriage fell apart in 1978 amid rumours of Margaret’s extra-marital affairs. A heavy smoker, much of Margaret's later years were dogged by ill health.

Princess Anne

King Charles' younger sister Princess Anne was once second in line to the throne. But, as the Royal family has grown, she has been pushed further down the accession list. Known for her equestrian skills, she was the first member of the British Monarchy to compete at the Olympics. She’s been married twice, divorced once and even subjected to a kidnapping attempt in the 1970s.

Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, saw active military service during the Falklands War. In more recent times, he’s been at the centre of controversy surrounding his longstanding friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

Prince Edward

The youngest of the Queen’s four children took on many of his father’s official duties when Prince Philip retired in 2017. Early in life, he dropped out of the military to pursue a career in entertainment, eventually establishing a now-defunct TV production company.

Charles III's extended family

King Charles III's family tree is a large and sprawling one. In addition to his two children, he has six nieces and nephews.

1. Peter Phillips, born in 1977 to parents Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. Mark married Autumn Kelly in 2008 and was divorced in 2021.
2. Zara Tindall, born in 1981 to parents Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. Zara married Mike Tindall in 2011.
3. Princess Beatrice, born in 1988 to parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020.
4. Princess Eugenie, born in 1990 to parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in 2018.
5. Lady Louise Windsor, born in 2003 to parents Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
6. James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007 to parents Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Charles has five grandchildren, in addition to seven great-nieces and nephews.

We can also understand the Windsor family tree by looking further back at Charles' great-aunts, great-uncles, cousins and other more distant relations.

King Charles III has 22 first cousins, including Princess Margarita of Baden and Lady Sarah Chatto. While his mother Queen Elizabeth had just one sibling (Princess Margaret), his father had four older sisters - all princesses of Greece and Denmark.

Let's dig a little deeper into the King's direct ancestry, stretching back five generations into the early 1800s.

King George VI

Charles was born during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI. George reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952. He served in the military during the First World War and was seen as a popular symbol of British resilience while he reigned throughout the Second World War.

George never expected to become King - he only ascended the throne after his elder brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson.

The Queen Mother

Born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, most of us know King Charles III's maternal grandmother as The Queen Mother. Seen by many as the matriarch of the modern royals, The Queen Mother was a consistently popular member of the British Monarchy throughout her life. She was 101 years old when she died, just a few weeks after her daughter, Princess Margaret.

King George V

Charles' maternal great-grandfather reigned as King from 1910 until 1936. His time on the throne was set against the backdrop of a series of world-changing events including the First World War, the suffrage movement and the rise of fascism. George V was the first monarch of the House of Windsor.

Queen Mary

It’s easy to see why Mary of Teck (Charles' great-grandmother) carried such a shortened title. Her full name is a real mouthful - Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes. Yet, her family simply knew her as ‘May’.

Before she married George V, Mary was actually engaged to his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, but he died unexpectedly before they could marry. The queen consort's death came just a few weeks before her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.

Claude Bowes-Lyon

The Queen Mother's father and Queen's grandfather was 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, a.k.a. Lord Glamis. He owned large estates in England and Scotland and enjoyed working on his land. His younger brother, Patrick, won the Wimbledon doubles tennis tournament in 1887.

Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck

The Queen’s maternal grandmother and Charles' great-grandmother was the eldest daughter of a reverend. With a preference for a quiet family life, she was known for her outstanding hosting skills, piano playing and keen interest in gardening. In 1938, Cecilia suffered a heart attack during her granddaughter, Anne-Bowes-Lyon’s wedding and died a few weeks later.

King Edward VII

Eldest son of the formidable Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Edward ascended the throne when his mother died in 1901 and only reigned for nine years. With a reputation as a playboy prince, Edward’s relationship with his mother was sometimes strained. Edward VII is a maternal 2x great-grandfather of King Charles III's, making Queen Victoria his 3x great-grandmother.

Alexandra of Denmark

1863 was a momentous year for Queen Alexandra and her family. She married Edward VII, her father became King of Denmark and her brother became King of Greece, all within a few months of each other. She held the title of Princess of Wales longer than anyone in history, and much like Princess Diana, who also held that prestigious moniker, Alexandra was admired for her fashion sense.

Francis, Duke of Teck

Francis was Austrian nobility who married into the British Royal Family. He had a distinguished military career in Austria, Germany and Britain. His only daughter, ‘May’ married George V and became Queen Mary in 1893.

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge

Queen Mary’s mother and Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal great-grandmother was, in many respects, a pioneering member of the British Royal Family. She dedicated much of her life to charity, yet enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle that saw her family rack up crippling debts. Regrettably, Princess Mary didn’t live long enough to see her only daughter become Queen.

Claude Bowes-Lyon

Claude Bowes-Lyon, like his son after him, held the title of Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. He changed the family name from Lyon-Bowes to Bowes-Lyon and was also a standout cricket player.

Frances Dora Smith

The paternal grandmother of The Queen Mother (and 2x great-grandmother of King Charles) had eleven children and outlived her husband, Claude Bowes-Lyon, by 18 years.

Charles Cavendish-Bentinck

Born: 8 November 1817.

Died: 17 August 1865.

Father: Lord Charles Bentinck.

Mother: Anne Wellesley.

Spouses: Sinetta Lambourne and Caroline Louisa Burnaby.

Children: Charles William, Charles, Cecilia, Ann Violet and Hyacinth Sinetta.

Siblings: Georgiana, Anne Hyacinthe, Emily and Arthur.

The Queen Mother’s maternal grandfather was a priest who married twice.

Caroline Louisa Burnaby

Born: 5 December 1832.

Died: 6 July 1918.

Father: Edwyn Burnaby.

Mother: Anne Caroline Salisbury.

Spouses: Charles Cavendish-Bentinck and Harry Warren Scott.

Children: Cecilia, Ann Violet and Hyacinth Sinetta.

Siblings: Edwyn, Cecilia, Gertrude and Ida. 

Like her first husband, Caroline Louisa married twice. She was also widowed twice. Caroline Louisa Burnaby is a maternal great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II and 2x great-grandmother to King Charles II.

Have you got royal ancestry?

Discover the records you need to find blue blood in your past, and delve into our fascinating Royal Archives records to see if your very own family served the monarchy.

Like the scorn and scandals hidden in the history of the British royal family, your tree certainly contains all manner of fascinating mysteries. Get started with Findmypast today.