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As she was not born royal, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 55, will not be affected by the changes. The Countess married Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son in 1999. Together they share children Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James, Viscount Severn, 12.

Edward, Louise and James will have their place in the line of succession lowered early next year.

The Earl of Wessex is 11th in line to the throne, while James is 12th and his older sister 13th.

But Princess Eugenie, who is 10th in line to the throne, will soon welcome her first child with husband Jack Brooksbank.

Due to how the British line of succession works, Eugenie’s child will take Edward’s spot and become 11th in the line.

That means the Wessexes will drop to 12, 13 and 14th place in the line to the throne.

As the Queen’s youngest son, Edward’s place has been lowered many times.

When he was born, the Earl of Wessex was third in line to the British throne.

As he is a male, he jumped the line ahead of his older sister, Princess Anne, because old rules put males ahead of females.

Now, the succession to the British throne is determined by descent, legitimacy, and religion.

Sex only affects royals born before October 28, 2011 and sees male precede their elder sisters in the line of succession.

This means if Eugenie first has a daughter and then later has a son, her daughter will not be displaced on the line succession by a younger brother.

Queen Elizabeth II is the sovereign, and her heir apparent is her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales.

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Next in line after him is Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales’s elder son.

Third in line is Prince George, the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, followed by his sister, Princess Charlotte, and his younger brother, Prince Louis.

Princess Charlotte was born in 2015 so her place was not determined by sex.

As the daughter of Prince Andrew, the Queen’s second son and eight in line to the throne, Princess Eugenie comes in at 10th place, after her older sister Princess Beatrice.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Archie Harrison was born in May 2019, his birth resulted in the Duke of York moving from seventh to eighth place on the line of succession.

Eugenie’s child will therefore be 11th in line when born early next year, one place below their mother’s.

The Royal Family expressed their excitement over the upcoming arrival of Princess Eugenie and Jack’s baby.

Issuing a statement on social media, Buckingham Palace wrote: “The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news.”

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