Monarchical title of inheritance
An heir presumptive (
FEM: heiress presumptive ) is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question.
[1]
[2] This is in contrast to an
heir apparent , whose claim on the position cannot be displaced in this manner.
Overview
Depending on the rules of the monarchy, the heir presumptive might be the daughter of a monarch if
males take preference over females and the monarch has no sons, or the senior member of a collateral line if the monarch is childless or the monarch's direct descendants cannot inherit either because
they are daughters and
females are completely barred from inheriting
the monarch's children are
illegitimate , or
some other legal disqualification, such as
being descended from the monarch through a
morganatic line or
the descendant's refusal or inability to adopt a religion the monarch is required to profess.
The subsequent birth of a legitimate child to the monarch may displace the former heir presumptive by creating an heir apparent or a more eligible heir presumptive. It is not assumed that the monarch and his or her consort are incapable of producing further children; on the day before Queen
Elizabeth II ascended the throne, her father
George VI was gravely ill and her mother was 51 years old, but Elizabeth was still the heir presumptive rather than the heir apparent. An heir presumptive's position may not even be secure after they ascend their throne, as a
posthumous child of the previous monarch could have a superseding claim. Following the death of
William IV in 1837, he was succeeded by his niece
Queen Victoria , whose accession proclamation noted her accession was only permanent so long as a child of William was not born in the following months to his widow,
Adelaide , even though Adelaide was 44 years old and had last been pregnant 17 years earlier.
[3]
[4] Such a situation occurred in
Spain in 1885, when King
Alfonso XII died and left behind a widow who was three months pregnant. His five-year-old daughter and heir presumptive,
María de las Mercedes , was not declared queen because she would be displaced if a son was born, and instead there was a six-month
interregnum until the birth of her brother
Alfonso XIII , who assumed the throne as king immediately upon birth. Had the pregnancy been lost or resulted in another daughter, Mercedes would have become queen regnant and been retroactively recognized as such during the interregnum.
[5]
[6]
Heir presumptive, like heir apparent, is not a title or position per se . Rather, it is a general term for a person who holds a certain place in the
order of succession . In some monarchies, the heir apparent bears,
ipso facto , a specific title and rank (e.g., Denmark, Netherlands, United Kingdom), this also sometimes being the case for noble titleholders (e.g., Spain, United Kingdom), but the heir presumptive does not bear that title. In other monarchies (e.g., Monaco, Spain) the first in line to the throne bears a specific title (i.e., "Hereditary Prince/Princess of Monaco", "Prince/Princess of Asturias") by right, regardless of whether she or he is heir apparent or heir presumptive.
Simultaneous heirs presumptive
In the
English and Welsh common law of
inheritance , there is no seniority between sisters; where there is no son to inherit, any number of daughters share equally. Therefore, certain hereditary titles can have multiple simultaneous heirs presumptive. Since the title cannot be held by two people simultaneously, two daughters (without a brother) who inherit in this way would do so as
co-parceners and before they inherit, both would be heirs presumptive. In these circumstances, the title would in fact be held in
abeyance until one person represents the claim of both, or the claim is renounced by one or the other for herself and her heirs, or the abeyance is ended by the Crown. There are
special procedures for handling doubtful or disputed cases.
Current heirs presumptive as of 2024
Country
Picture
Name of heir presumptive
Title
Date of birth (age)
Relation to monarch
Japan
Fumihito
Crown Prince of Japan
(1965-11-30 ) November 30, 1965 (age 58)
Younger brother. If Emperor Naruhito were to have a legitimate son, he would become the heir apparent.
Thailand
Dipangkorn Rasmijoti
Prince of Thailand
(2005-04-29 ) April 29, 2005 (age 19)
Youngest son. In accordance with the
1924 Palace Law of Succession , the reigning king has absolute power to name any royal male as heir apparent, and upon being announced publicly, the "position of such heir is secure and indisputable".
Spain
Leonor
Princess of Asturias
(2005-10-31 ) October 31, 2005 (age 18)
Oldest child. If King Felipe has a legitimate son, he would become the heir apparent.
Past heirs presumptive who did not inherit thrones
The list is limited to heirs presumptive who did not succeed due to death, abolition of monarchies, or change in succession law.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus was heir presumptive to his uncle and father-in-law
Augustus until his death in 23 BC.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was heir presumptive to his father-in-law
Augustus until his death in 12 BC.
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was heir presumptive to his brother-in-law
Caligula until his death in 38.
Britannicus was heir presumptive to his stepbrother
Nero until his death in 55.
Marwan ibn Abd al-Malik was heir presumptive to his brother
Al-Walid I until his death circa 715.
Prince Sawara was heir presumptive to his brother
Emperor Kanmu until his death in 785.
Robert Curthose was heir presumptive to his brother
William II of England until he was disinherited for rebellion in 1088.
Edmund of Scotland was heir presumptive to his uncle
Donald III of Scotland until his uncle's overthrow in 1097.
Empress Matilda was heir presumptive to her father
Henry I of England but upon Henry's death in 1135, Matilda's cousin
Stephen, King of England took the throne instead.
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany , was heir presumptive to his uncle
Richard I of England but upon Richard's death in 1199, Arthur's uncle
John, King of England took the throne instead.
Peter I, Count of Urgell , was heir presumptive to his nephew
Afonso III of Portugal until his death in 1258.
Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway , was heir presumptive to her father
Alexander III of Scotland until her death in 1283.
Uzana of Bassein was heir presumptive to his father
Narathihapate until he was assassinated in 1287.
Edward Bruce was heir presumptive to his brother
Robert I of Scotland until he claimed the throne of Ireland.
Marjorie Bruce was heir presumptive to her father
Robert I of Scotland until her death in 1316.
Charles, Count of Valois , was heir presumptive to his nephew
Charles IV of France twice until his death in 1325.
Binnya E Laung was heir presumptive to his father
Binnya E Law until his death.
Maria of Calabria was heir presumptive to her sister
Joanna I of Naples until her death in 1366.
Beatrice of Portugal was heir presumptive to her father
Ferdinand I of Portugal but upon Ferdinand's death in 1383, Beatrice's half-uncle
John I of Portugal took the throne instead.
Bawlawkyantaw was heir presumptive to his father
Razadarit until his execution in 1390.
Theiddat was heir presumptive to his brother
Minkhaung I until his nephew
Minye Kyawswa was made heir instead.
Joan of Navarre was heir presumptive to her father
Charles III of Navarre until her death in 1413.
Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany , was heir presumptive to his nephew
James I of Scotland until his death in 1420.
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence , was heir presumptive to his brother
Henry V of England from his brother's succession in 1413 to his death in 1421.
Catherine, Princess of Asturias , was heir presumptive to her father
John II of Castile until her death in 1424.
Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany , was heir presumptive to his cousin
James I of Scotland until he was attained and executed in 1425.
John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford , was heir presumptive to his nephew
Henry VI of England until his death in 1435.
Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl , was heir presumptive to his grandnephew
James II of Scotland until he was executed in 1437 for his part in killing the previous king James I.
Margaret Stewart, Dauphine of France , was heir presumptive to her brother
James II of Scotland until her death in 1445.
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester , was heir presumptive to his nephew
Henry VI of England until his death in 1447.
Joanna la Beltraneja was heir presumptive to her father
Henry IV of Castile until he named his brother
Alfonso as heir instead.
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias , was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Henry IV of Castile until his death in 1468.
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence , was heir presumptive to his brother
Edward IV of England until he fled after rebelling against him in 1470.
Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal , was heir presumptive to her parents
Isabella I of Castile and
Ferdinand II of Aragon until her death in 1498.
Miguel da Paz, Prince of Portugal , in addition to being heir apparent to his father
Manuel I of Portugal , was heir presumptive to his maternal grandparents
Isabella I of Castile and
Ferdinand II of Aragon until his death in 1500.
James Stewart, Duke of Ross , was heir presumptive to his brother
James IV of Scotland until his death in 1504.
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross , was heir presumptive to his brother
James V of Scotland until his death in 1515.
John Stewart, Duke of Albany , was heir presumptive to his cousin
James V of Scotland until his death in 1536.
Carlos, Prince of Asturias , in addition to being heir apparent to his father
Philip II of Spain , was also heir presumptive to his cousin
Sebastian of Portugal until his death in 1568.
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran , was heir presumptive to
James VI of Scotland until his death in 1575.
Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma , was heir presumptive to his granduncle
Henry, King of Portugal until the
succession crisis that emerged after Henry's death in 1580.
Francis, Duke of Anjou , was heir presumptive to his brother
Henry III of France until his death in 1584.
Charles de Bourbon was heir presumptive to his nephew
Henry IV of France until his death in 1590.
Dmitry of Uglich was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Feodor I of Russia until his death in 1591.
Dmitry Shuisky was heir presumptive to his brother
Vasili IV of Russia until his brother was overthrown in 1610.
Sigismund III Vasa was heir presumptive of Russia to his son
Vladislav until his son's overthrow in 1613.
Monsieur d'Orléans , was heir presumptive to his brother
Louis XIII of France until his death in 1611.
Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland , was heir presumptive to his brother
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden until his death in 1622.
Catherine of Sweden, Countess Palatine of Kleeburg , was heir presumptive to her niece
Christina, Queen of Sweden , until her death in 1638.
Margaret Theresa of Spain was heir presumptive to her brother
Charles II of Spain until her death in 1673.
Maria Antonia of Austria was heir presumptive to her uncle Charles II until her death in 1692.
Joseph Ferdinand, Electoral Prince of Bavaria , in addition to being heir apparent to his father
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria , was heir presumptive to his granduncle Charles II until his death in 1699.
Sophia, Electress of Hanover , was declared heir presumptive to the British thrones by the
Act of Settlement 1701 , but died before acceding to the throne of her distant cousin,
Queen Anne .
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans , was heir presumptive to
Louis XV of France until his death in 1723.
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , until his death a few months before his brother in 1752.
Prince Augustus William of Prussia was heir presumptive to his brother
Frederick II of Prussia until his death in 1758.
Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken was heir presumptive to his brother
Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken until his death in 1767.
Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was heir presumptive to his brother
Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , until his death in 1778.
Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen was heir presumptive to his great-grandnephew
Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen until his death in 1787.
Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este was heir presumptive to his father-in-law
Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena until Ercole was deposed by Napoleonic forces in 1796.
Inthraphithak was heir presumptive to his father
Taksin until Taksin was overthrown and both were executed in 1802.
Prince Louis of Anhalt-Köthen was heir presumptive to his brother
Augustus Christian Frederick, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen until his death in 1802.
Maha Sura Singhanat was heir presumptive to his brother
Phutthayotfa Chulalok until his death in 1803.
Anurak Devesh was heir presumptive to his uncle
Phutthayotfa Chulalok until his death in 1806.
Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst was heir presumptive to his brother
Charles Albert III, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst until their territory was
mediatised in 1806.
Maha Senanurak was heir presumptive to his brother
Phutthaloetla Naphalai until his death in 1817.
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia was heir presumptive to his brother
Alexander I of Russia until he renounced his rights in 1823.
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany , brother of King
George IV of the United Kingdom and Hanover , was heir presumptive from his brother's ascension in 1820 to his death in 1827.
Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony , was heir presumptive to his brother
Anthony of Saxony until he renounced his rights in favour of his son
Frederick Augustus in 1830.
Infante Carlos of Spain, Count of Molina , brother of
King Ferdinand VII of Spain . Ferdinand VII
changed the succession law in favour to his daughter, who became
Queen Isabella II after the King's death in September 1833. This led to the
Carlist Wars in Spain.
Sakdiphonlasep was heir presumptive to his nephew
Nangklao until his death in 1832.
Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Pless was heir presumptive to his brother
Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen until his death in 1841.
Archduke Franz Karl of Austria , brother of
Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria , was heir presumptive throughout his brother's reign until the
revolution that saw his brother forced to abdicate also saw Franz renounce his rights in favour of his son
Franz Joseph in 1848.
Ahmad Rifaat Pasha was heir presumptive to his half-uncle
Sa'id of Egypt until his death in 1858.
Prince Henry, Count of Bardi , was heir presumptive to his brother
Robert I, Duke of Parma , until the monarchy was abolished in 1859.
Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria was heir presumptive to his brother
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany , until the monarchy was abolished in 1860.
Prince Louis, Count of Trani , was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Francis II of the Two Sicilies until the monarchy was abolished in 1861.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , was heir presumptive to his brother
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , until his death in 1861.
Infante João, Duke of Beja , was heir presumptive to his brother
Luís I of Portugal until his death in 1861.
Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark , was heir presumptive to his nephew King
Frederick VII of Denmark until his death five months before his nephew in 1863.
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales , in addition to being heir apparent to his mother
Queen Victoria , was also heir presumptive to his uncle
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , until renouncing his rights in favour of his younger brothers in 1863.
Pinklao was heir presumptive to his brother
Mongkut until his death in 1866.
Prince William of Hesse-Kassel was heir presumptive to his cousin
Frederick William, Elector of Hesse , until the monarchy was abolished in 1866.
Prince William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld was heir presumptive to his brother
Alexis, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld , until the monarchy was abolished in 1866.
Prince Frederick of Württemberg was heir presumptive to his cousin and brother-in-law
Charles I of Württemberg until his death in 1870.
Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine was heir presumptive to his brother
Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse , until his death a few months before his brother in 1877.
Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern , was heir presumptive to his brother
Carol I of Romania until he renounced his rights in favour of his sons.
William, Prince of Hohenzollern , was heir presumptive to his uncle
Carol I of Romania until he renounced his rights in favour of his younger brother
Ferdinand .
Wichaichan was heir presumptive to his cousin
Chulalongkorn until his death in 1885.
Mercedes, Princess of Asturias , daughter of
Alfonso XII of Spain , was the heir presumptive at her birth. After her father died, her posthumously born brother Alfonso became king as
Alfonso XIII of Spain and she remained the heir presumptive until her death in 1905.
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil , was the heir presumptive to her father
Pedro II of Brazil on the throne of the
Empire of Brazil . However, a
coup d'etat in 1889 proclaimed a Republic in the country, deposing the monarchy.
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria was the heir presumptive of his brother
Franz Joseph I of Austria from the suicide of his nephew
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria , until his death in 1896.
Duke William of Württemberg was heir presumptive to his cousin
William II of Württemberg until his death in 1896.
Princess Sophie of the Netherlands was heir presumptive to her niece Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands until her death in 1897.
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia was heir presumptive to his brother
Nicholas II of Russia until his death in 1899.
Duke Nicholas of Württemberg was heir presumptive to his cousin
William II of Württemberg until his death in 1903.
Ernest, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld was heir presumptive to his cousin
Alexander, Prince of Lippe until his death in 1904.
Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders , was the heir presumptive of his older brother King
Leopold II of Belgium after the death of his nephew
Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant , until his own death in 1905.
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn , was heir presumptive to his brother
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , until he renounced his rights and that of his son
Prince Arthur of Connaught in favour of his nephew
Charles Edward .
Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg was heir presumptive to his brother
Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg , until his death in 1907.
Afonso, Prince Royal of Portugal , was the heir presumptive of his nephew
Manuel II of Portugal until the
monarchy was abolished in 1910.
Pujie was heir presumptive to his brother
Puyi until the
Xinhai Revolution in 1911, and
Republic of China founded in 1912. He became heir presumptive again after the puppet regime
Manchukuo after the
Mukden Incident , while Puyi became the emperor of Manchukuo as well until the
surrender of Japan in 1945.
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria , was heir presumptive to his nephew
Otto, King of Bavaria until his death in 1912.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was the heir presumptive of his uncle Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria until his
assassination June 28, 1914, in
Sarajevo .
Duke Philipp of Württemberg was heir presumptive to his cousin
William II of Württemberg until his death in 1917.
Prince Maximilian of Baden was heir presumptive to his cousin
Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden , until the
monarchy was abolished in 1918.
Charles Michael, Duke of Mecklenburg , was heir presumptive to his cousin
Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , until the throne became vacant and was later abolished in 1918.
Ernst, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen , was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen , until the monarchy was abolished in 1918.
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg , was heir presumptive to his cousin
William II of Württemberg until the monarchy was abolished in 1918.
Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe , was heir presumptive to his brother
Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe , until the monarchy was abolished in 1918.
Sizzo, Prince of Schwarzburg , was heir presumptive to his cousin
Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg , until the monarchy was abolished in 1918.
Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line , in addition to ruling his own principality, was heir presumptive to his cousin
Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz , until both monarchies were abolished in 1918.
Chakrabongse Bhuvanath was heir presumptive to his brother
Vajiravudh until his death in 1920.
Asdang Dejavudh was heir presumptive to his brother
Vajiravudh until his death in 1924.
Varananda Dhavaj was heir presumptive to his uncle
Vajiravudh until being replaced as heir by his other uncle
Prajadhipok in 1924.
Mahidol Adulyadej was heir presumptive to his half-brother
Prajadhipok until his death in 1929.
Kiril, Prince of Preslav was heir presumptive to his nephew
Simeon II of Bulgaria , until his execution by Communists in 1945.
Prince Nicholas of Romania was heir presumptive to his nephew
Michael I of Romania until the
monarchy was abolished in 1947.
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois , was heir presumptive to her father
Louis II, Prince of Monaco , until
renouncing her rights in favour of her son
Rainier .
Prince Knud of Denmark was the heir presumptive of his brother King
Frederik IX of Denmark , but an amendment to the Danish Constitution in 1953 replaced the previously semi-Salic succession with male-preference primogeniture and proclaimed King Frederick's eldest daughter Princess Margrethe, later Queen
Margrethe II of Denmark , heir presumptive.
Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh was heir presumptive to her father
George VI in India until it became a republic in 1950, as well as
Newfoundland until
it joined Canada in 1949 (she reigned as Queen of Canada from 6 February 1952 until
her death on 8 September 2022 ).
Mohammed Ali Tewfik was heir presumptive to
Fuad II of Egypt until the
monarchy was abolished in 1953.
'Abd al-Ilah was heir presumptive to his nephew
Faisal II of Iraq until they were both
executed in 1958.
Tunku Abdul Malik was heir presumptive to his brother
Abdul Halim of Kedah until his death in 2015.
References