List of longest-living members of the British royal family

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Twenty-eight members of the British royal family[a] have lived to the age of 80 years or older since the Acts of Union 1707 established the Kingdom of Great Britain. These British royal family members consist of 2 centenarians, 9 nonagenarians, and 17 octogenarians. Of the British royals who have lived to 80 years or longer, 20 have been women and 8 have been men. Eighteen of the 28 royals aged 80 or older have been members of the British royal family by blood and 9 have been members through marriage. Of the royals to reach the age of 80 or older, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1857), was a member of the British royal family by both blood and marriage. Four of the British royals who lived 80 years or longer were deprived of their British peerages and royal titles in 1919 under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 as the children or spouses of enemies of the United Kingdom during World War I and are indicated below with asterisks (*).[7] The longest-living member of the British royal family has been Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901–2004), who lived to 102 years and 239 days old .[8][9][10][11] The longest-living member of the British royal family from birth is Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883–1981). Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900–2002) is the second-longest living British royal, living to 101 years and 238 days old.[12] The current oldest living member of the British royal family is Katharine, Duchess of Kent (born 1933), who is the tenth longest-living British royal. Elizabeth II (1926–2022), was the longest ever reigning British monarch (70 years, 214 days) and the fifth longest-living royal (96 years, 140 days).[13][14]

List of British royal family members by lifespan[edit]

Rank Name[b] Portrait Relation Lifespan[c] Duration
By To From To (days) (years, days)
1 Princess Alice,
Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Marriage Prince Henry,
Duke of Gloucester

[15]
25 December 1901
[15]
29 October 2004
[15]
37,564 102 years, 309 days
2 Queen Elizabeth
The Queen Mother
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Marriage George VI
[16]
4 August 1900
[16]
30 March 2002
[16]
37,128 101 years, 238 days
3 Prince Philip,
Duke of Edinburgh

[d]
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Marriage Elizabeth II
[19][20]
10 June 1921
[19][20]
9 April 2021
[21]
36,463 99 years, 303 days
4 Princess Alice
of Albany
Princess Alice of Albany Blood Prince Leopold,
Duke of Albany

[22]
25 February 1883
[22]
3 January 1981
[23]
35,741 97 years, 313 days
5 Elizabeth II Elizabeth II Blood George VI
[14][24]
21 April 1926
[14][24]
8 September 2022
[25]
35,204 96 years, 140 days
6 Princess Augusta
of Cambridge
Princess Augusta of Cambridge Blood Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge

[26]
19 July 1822
[26]
5 December 1916
[27][28]
34,472 94 years, 139 days
7 Prince Arthur,
Duke of Connaught
and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Blood Victoria
[29]
1 May 1850
[29]
16 January 1942
[30]
33,497 91 years, 260 days
8 Princess Louise Princess Louise Blood Victoria
[31]
18 March 1848
[31]
3 December 1939
[32]
33,496 91 years, 260 days
9 Princess Augusta,
Duchess of Cambridge
Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge Marriage Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge

[33]
25 July 1797
[34]
6 April 1889
[34]
33,492 91 years, 255 days
10 Katharine,
Duchess of Kent
Katharine, Duchess of Kent Marriage Prince Edward,
Duke of Kent

[35]
22 February 1933
[36]
Alive 33,272 91 years, 35 days
11 Prince George William
of Cumberland
*
Blood Prince Ernest Augustus
of Cumberland
*
[6][37]
25 March 1915
[37]
8 January 2006
[37]
33,162 90 years, 289 days
12 Marie,
Duchess of Cumberland
and Teviotdale
Marie, Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale Marriage Prince George,
Duke of Cumberland
and Teviotdale

[38]
14 April 1818
[38]
9 January 1907
[38][39]
32,411 88 years, 270 days
13 Prince Edward,
Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Blood Prince George,
Duke of Kent

[40][41]
9 October 1935
[40][41]
Alive 32,313 88 years, 171 days
14 Victoria Louise,
Princess Ernest Augustus
of Cumberland
*
Victoria Louise, Princess Ernest Augustus of Cumberland Marriage Prince Ernest Augustus
of Cumberland
*
[42][43][44]
13 September 1892
[44]
11 December 1980
[45]
32,230 88 years, 89 days
15 Princess Patricia
of Connaught
Princess Patricia of Connaught Blood Prince Arthur,
Duke of Connaught
and Strathearn

[46]
17 March 1886
[46]
12 January 1974
[47]
32,077 87 years, 301 days
16 Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice Blood Victoria
[48]
14 April 1857
[48]
26 October 1944
[49]
31,971 87 years, 195 days
17 Princess Alexandra
of Kent
Princess Alexandra of Kent Blood Prince George,
Duke of Kent

[50][51]
25 December 1936
[50][51]
Alive 31,870 87 years, 94 days
18 Queen Mary Queen Mary Marriage George V
[52]
26 May 1867
[53]
24 March 1953
[54]
31,348 85 years, 302 days
19 Prince George,
Duke of Cambridge
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Blood Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge

[55]
26 March 1819
[55]
17 March 1904
[56]
31,037 84 years, 357 days
20 Victoria Adelaide,
Duchess of Albany
*
Victoria Adelaide, Duchess of Albany Marriage Prince Charles Edward,
Duke of Albany
*
[57]
31 December 1885
[58]
3 October 1970
[58]
30,956 84 years, 276 days
21 Princess Beatrice
of Edinburgh
Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh Blood Prince Alfred,
Duke of Edinburgh

[59]
20 April 1884
[59]
13 July 1966
[60]
30,033 82 years, 84 days
22 Prince Michael
of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent Blood Prince George,
Duke of Kent

[61]
4 July 1942
[61]
Alive 29,853 81 years, 268 days
23 Victoria Victoria Blood Prince Edward,
Duke of Kent
and Strathearn

[62][63]
24 May 1819
[62][63]
22 January 1901
[63][64]
29,828 81 years, 243 days
24 George III George III Blood Frederick,
Prince of Wales

[65]
4 June 1738
[65]
29 January 1820
[65][66]
29,823 81 years, 239 days
25 Princess Mary,
Duchess of Gloucester
and Edinburgh
Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh Blood George III
[67][68]
25 April 1776
[68]
30 April 1857
[68][69]
29,589 81 years, 5 days
26 Queen Alexandra Queen Alexandra Marriage Edward VII
[70]
1 December 1844
[71]
20 November 1925
[72][73]
29,573 80 years, 354 days
27 Princess Alexandra
of Cumberland
*
Princess Alexandra of Cumberland Blood Prince Ernest Augustus,
Duke of Cumberland
and Teviotdale
*
[74][75]
29 September 1882
[74][75]
30 August 1963
[74]
29,554 80 years, 335 days
28 Prince Ernest Augustus,
Duke of Cumberland
and Teviotdale

[e]
Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland Blood George III
[77]
5 June 1771
[77]
18 November 1851
[77][78]
29,385 80 years, 166 days

All persons are listed by their British royal titles by birth, grant, or by marriage; however, some are better known by other titles.

Chronology of longest-living British royal family members[edit]

Name[b] Portrait Relation Lifespan[c] Duration Years as record-holder
By To From To (days) (years, days) From To
George I George I Blood Anne, Queen of Great Britain 28 May 1660 1 June 1727 24,484 67 years, 14 days 1750
George II George II Blood George I
[79]
9 November 1683
[80]
25 October 1760
[81]
28,109 76 years, 351 days 1750 1815
George III George III Blood Frederick,
Prince of Wales

[65]
4 June 1738
[65]
29 January 1820
[65][66]
29,823 81 years, 239 days 1815 1879
Princess Augusta,
Duchess of Cambridge
Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge Marriage Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge

[33]
25 July 1797
[34]
6 April 1889
[34]
33,492 91 years, 255 days 1879 1914
Princess Augusta
of Cambridge
Princess Augusta of Cambridge Blood Prince Adolphus,
Duke of Cambridge

[26]
19 July 1822
[26]
5 December 1916
[27]
34,472 94 years, 139 days 1914 1977
Princess Alice
of Albany
Princess Alice of Albany Blood Prince Leopold,
Duke of Albany

[22]
25 February 1883
[22]
3 January 1981
[23]
35,741 97 years, 313 days 1977 1998
Queen Elizabeth
The Queen Mother
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Marriage George VI
[16]
4 August 1900
[16]
30 March 2002
[16]
37,128 101 years, 238 days 1998 2003
Princess Alice,
Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Marriage Prince Henry,
Duke of Gloucester

[15]
25 December 1901
[15]
29 October 2004
[15]
37,564 102 years, 309 days 2003 Present

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This list consists of British royal family members entitled (in the earliest cases retroactively) to the styles of His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Majesty, as defined by Letters Patent in 1864,[1] 1898,[2] 1917,[3] 1996,[4] and 2012.[5] According to the aforementioned Letters Patent, British royal family members entitled to the style of Royal Highness are the children and male-line grandchildren of the British monarch and previous British monarchs,[1][3] the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales,[2][5] and all their current or widowed spouses.[4] This list also includes those male-line descendants of British monarchs who, prior to 1917, were entitled to the "style and attribute" of His or Her Highness with the designation of a "Prince (or Princess) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."[6]
  2. ^ a b As this is a list of British royal family members, individuals are listed by their British royal title by birth, grant, or by marriage.
  3. ^ a b To maintain consistency within the table, the dates of birth and death are given in the New Style.
  4. ^ Letters Patent on 20 November 1947 entitled then Lieutenant Sir Philip Mountbatten to "hold and enjoy the title, style and attribute of Royal Highness."[17] Letters Patent on 22 February 1957 gave then Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, "the style and titular dignity of a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."[18]
  5. ^ On 23 April 1799, Prince Ernest Augustus was granted the "Names, Styles, and Titles of Duke of Cumberland, and of Teviotdale, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and of Earl of Armagh, in the Kingdom of Ireland."[76]

References[edit]

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See also[edit]