Can the British throne be passed through adoption?

Question

Hypothetically, if the monarchy is still intact and Prince William becomes king, what would happen if he decided to adopt an infant from, say, Guatemala?

Would his child become the heir despite his or her lack of ties to the "bloodline"? If not, why?

What if he and his queen had a biological child after adopting?

Is there any precedent for this kind of situation in any monarchy?

Don't have any real reason for asking, just curious :)

Answer 1

I do believe only a child born the right side of the blanket can inherit the throne. I think it is on Monaco that has allowed an adopted child to inherit

Answer 2

If one drinks enough liquids then I'm sure one can pass anything, especially on the porcelain throne.

Answer 3

im pretty sure that couldnt happen, it would go straight to harry but i dont kno.id love harry as a king, that party animal

Answer 4

No. The term, under English law, applies the rules of male primogeniture to succession. Children born out of wedlock and adopted children, however, are not eligible to succeed. Illegitimate children whose parents marry are legitimated, but still remain incapable of inheriting the Crown. The line of succession to the British Throne is regulated by the Act of Settlement 1701, which limits it to the heirs of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, as determined by male-preference primogeniture, religion, and legitimate birth:

- A person is always immediately followed in the succession by his or her own legitimate descendants (his or her "line"). Birth order and gender matter: older sons (and their lines) come before younger sons (and theirs); a person's sons (and their lines), irrespective of age, all come before his or her daughters (and their lines).

- The monarch must be a Protestant at time of accession, and enter into communion with the Church of England after accession.

- Anyone who is Roman Catholic, becomes Roman Catholic, or marries a Roman Catholic is permanently excluded from the succession.

- A person born to parents who are not married to each other at the time of birth is not included in the line of succession. The subsequent marriage of the parents does not alter this.

Monarchs are allowed to adopt children and bestow upon them styles and titles like "HRH Prince/Princess X" and other forms of titles like Duke or Earl etc. However, they are not entitled to inherit the British crown, simply because the regulated Act strictly limits "only heirs from the bloodline of the Electress Sophia of Hanover."

Obviously, when the King and his Queen consort do have a biological offspring he or she will be first in line to inherit the throne. If the royal couples had twins (a boy and a girl) the boy will be first in line and the girl is placed second. If the royal couple never produced any offspring before the death of the monarch, the crown will be passed onto it’s next youngest sibling, if the monarch did not have any siblings, it will be passed onto his uncles/aunts/cousins etc.

As soon as there is a royal birth, the newborn is immediately placed within the line of succession, so if there was a sudden death, it is known straight away which royal member is next to inherit the crown. For a complete list of the current line of succession to the British throne visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_suc...

Answer 5

No. It must follow blood lines.

Answer 6

I would have thought an adopted child could become the heir because if any ordinary person adopts then that child by law would inherit anything you had if the parents died. An adopted child is supposed to have the exact same rights as any other child. some people have biological children and adopted children obviously they all get treated the same. And they would all inherit in the same way. If they had a biological child later the adoptrd child should still be the heir.