Women who were passed over – The United Kingdom

The British line of succession operated on male-preference primogeniture for a long time before implementing absolute primogeniture in 2015. This means that the eldest child, regardless of gender, will now inherit the throne. But how many women missed out due to being passed over for a younger brother?

We will pick up after the union of the crowns in 1603.

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia

Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, and Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. She was born on 19 August 1596. She had an elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased their father. Her younger brother succeeded their father as King Charles I. Elizabeth married Frederick V, Elector Palatine, in 1613, and they were briefly King and Queen of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. The couple had 13 children, although not all survived to adulthood. In a twist of fate, Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Sophia, was appointed as the heir of Queen Anne, and thus Elizabeth became the ancestor of all the subsequent British monarchs. Elizabeth died on 13 February 1662.

Augusta of Great Britain, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Augusta was born on 31 July 1737 as the eldest child of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Her father was the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain, but he died in 1751 at the age of 44. When King George II died, he was succeeded by Augusta’s younger brother, who became King George III. On 16 January 1764, Augusta married Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and they went on to have seven children together, although not all survived to adulthood. Her second daughter, Caroline, married her cousin, the future King George IV, but their only child, Princess Charlotte, died in childbirth along with her son. Augusta died on 23 March 1813.

Victoria, German Empress

Victoria, or Vicky as she was known, was born on 21 November 1840 as the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. On 25 January 1858, she married Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who reigned as Emperor Frederick III for 99 days in 1888. They went on to have eight children, although not all survived to adulthood. When Queen Victoria died in January 1901, she was succeeded by Vicky’s younger brother, who became King Edward VII. She only outlived her mother for seven months and died on 5 August 1901.