Alternative successions to the English and British Crown

The succession to the Crown of the United Kingdom is currently determined by the Act of Settlement 1701, which enacted that, should William III and Anne both die without issue (as, in the event, they did), the crown would be settled on Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs. The Crown has passed according to this law ever since, save an amendment passed in 1936 that any descendants of Edward VIII would have no claim whatsoever to the Crown. History has rendered this amendment moot, as the abdicated King Edward VIII died without issue in 1972; if he had not abdicated and the amendment had not been passed, at that point his niece would have succeeded as Elizabeth II.

Concomitantly, British history provides several opportunities for alternative claimants to the Crown to arise, and historical scholars have on occasion traced to present times the heirs of those alternative claims (although such historical speculation necessarily assumes that all parties involved would still have married the same people and had the same children).

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

Descendants of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

See also: Britain's Real Monarch

This line’s claim to the Crown is based upon the argument that Edward IV was not sired by 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 to his eldest legitimate son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland. Unfortunately, Edmund was captured at the same battle and executed either the same or next day. Edmund’s claim then passed to his eldest "legitimate" brother and heir presumptive, George, Duke of Clarence. Supporters of the Clarence claim also draw on the debated validity of Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, which allows them to argue that, even if Edward was legitimate, his children were not. 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 issue, the crown was to pass to Clarence, as Henry had placed an attainder upon Edward IV. When Henry was killed in 1471 (Prince Edward having died in battle shortly before), Clarence (who could claim descent from John of Gaunt, as could his wife Isabella Neville) became the legal heir to Henry VI and the House of Lancaster.

Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of George, Duke of Clarence Map of Succession
House of Plantagenet
Edward III  •  Richard II
House of Mortimer
Edmund I
House of Plantagenet (Yorkist Reunion)
Richard III  •  Edmund II  •  George I  •  Edward IV
House of Pole
Henry IV  •  Henry V
House of Hastings
Henry VI  •  George II  •  Henry VII  •  Ferdinando  •  Theophilus I  •  George III  •  Theophilus II  •  Francis I
House of Rawdon
Francis II  •  George IV  •  Paulyn  •  Henry VIII
House of Clifton
Charles
House of Huddleston
Ian
House of Lord
Michael

The current descendant of this line is Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun. His royal lineage is as follows:

1. Edward III of England
2. Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second son to survive infancy) of Edward III
3. Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster, only child of Lionel
4. Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, first son of Philippa
5. Anne de Mortimer, first daughter, third line of Roger
6. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, only son of Anne
7. George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second "legitimate" son) of Richard
8. Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, second daughter, fourth line of George
9. Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, first son of Margaret
10. Catherine Hastings, first daughter, second line of Henry
11. George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Catherine
12. Francis Hastings, first son of George
13. Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Francis
14. Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, oldest son of Henry
15. Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Ferdinando
16. Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Theophilus
17. Elizabeth Rawdon, 16th Baroness Botreaux, only daughter, second line of Theophilus, 9th Earl
18. Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, first son of Elizabeth
19. George Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings, eldest legitimate son of Francis
20. Edith Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, third line of George
21. Paulyn Francis Cuthbert Rawdon-Hastings, second son of Edith
22. Edith Maud Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, third line of Paulyn
23. Barbara Abney-Hastings, 13th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, second line of Edith
24. Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun, eldest son of Barbara

Note: The list of succession (right) excludes females from the crown. The precedent for female inheritance of the Crown would not have been set had George, Duke of Clarence inherited the crown. The principle that a woman could reign was only laid down by Henry VIII when he named Mary I as heir to the throne in 1525, and approved by Parliament by the First Succession Act which appointed Elizabeth I as heir. This line does, however, maintain the precedent of the right of a male to inherit via female line set by the succession of Henry II after he reclaimed the usurped crown from his cousin Stephen.

Descendants of Mary Tudor, Queen of France

Henry VIII’s Third Succession Act granted Henry 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 heirs of his younger sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, bypassing the line of his elder sister Margaret Tudor. 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 Catherine Grey having been annulled, and her children declared illegitimate, by Elizabeth I).

Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of Mary Tudor Map of Succession
House of Tudor
Henry VII  •  Henry VIII  •  Edward VI  •  Mary  •  Elizabeth I
House of Stanley
Anne
House of Brydges
George I  •  Margaret
House of Skipwith
George II
House of Doughty
Henry IX  •  Henry X  •  Elizabeth II
House of Villiers
George III  •  George IV  •  Victor  •  George V  •  George VI  •  Caroline

Her succession, under this theory, follows:

1. Henry VII of England
2. Mary Tudor, Queen of France, third daughter, sixth line of Henry
3. Lady Eleanor Brandon, second daughter, third line of Mary
4. Lady Margaret Clifford, only daughter, third line of Eleanor
5. Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, first son of Margaret
6. Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven, first daughter, first line of Ferdinando
7. George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos, first son of Anne
8. Margaret Brydges, first daughter, first line of George
9. George Brydges Skipwith, first son of Margaret
10. Elizabeth Brownlow, first daughter, second line of Margaret
11. George Brownlow Doughty, first son of Elizabeth
12. Henry Doughty, only child of George
13. Henry Doughty, only son of Henry
14. Elizabeth Doughty, only daughter of Henry Snr

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, second line 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, 3rd Earl
5. Lady Anne Egerton, first daughter, fifth line 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
8. George Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 5th Earl
9. Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, only son of George, 6th Earl
10. George Child Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey, first son of Victor
11. George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey, first son of George
12. Lady Caroline Child Villiers, only child of George's first marriage

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 the existed in 1603, 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. As such, 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).

Continuation of the House of Stuart

Main article: Jacobite succession

The current line, passed over by the Act of Settlement 1701, inherited their claim to the Crowns of England and Scotland from the deposed James II of England via his youngest sister Henrietta Anne Stuart.

1. Charles I of England
2. James II of England, third son of Charles I
3. James Francis Edward Stuart, only son of James II
4. Charles Edward Stuart, eldest 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.
5. Henry Benedict Stuart, second son of James Francis. He was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and had no children.

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.

Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of Henrietta Anne Stuart Jacobite Succession
House of Stuart
James I  •  Charles I  •  Charles II  •  James II  •  James III  •  Charles III  •  Henry IX
House of Savoy
Charles IV  •  Victor  •  Mary III
House of Habsburg
Francis I  •  Mary IV
House of Wittelsbach
Robert  •  Albert  •  Francis II

1. Charles I of England
2. Henrietta Anne Stuart, youngest daughter, final line of Charles
3. Anne Marie d'Orléans, second daughter, third line 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. Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, second son of Victor Amadeus
7. Maria Beatrice of Savoy, eldest daughter, second line of Victor Emmanuel
8. Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este, second son of Maria Beatrice
9. Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, only child of Ferdinand
10. Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, eldest son of Maria Theresia
11. Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, second son of Rupprecht
12. 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 Max.