Time doesn't stop for anyone. Even if you live in a palace with 775 rooms. Honestly, keeping track of the royal family ages in 2026 feels like a full-time job because the math keeps changing just as the roles do. We’re currently in a weird transitional era where the "young" royals aren't exactly kids anymore, and the senior leadership is pushing deep into their 70s and 80s.
It's a lot.
The King and his inner circle
King Charles III turned 77 this past November. It’s wild to think he spent seven decades as the "intern" only to take the top job at an age when most people are five years into a golf-filled retirement. You’ve probably seen the headlines about his health—he's been scaling back a bit, though he still manages a schedule that would wreck a 30-year-old.
Queen Camilla is 78. Together, they represent a monarchy that is statistically older than almost any other in British history. They aren't the oldest, though. That title currently belongs to Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, who hit 90 last October. He’s still out there doing engagements, which is frankly a bit of a flex.
Then you have the "middle" generation.
Prince William is 43.
Princess Catherine just hit 44 on January 9th.
They are the bridge. They’re the ones people look to for the "modern" vibe, but let’s be real—44 is that age where you start wondering if you should get a standing desk for your back pain. Kate’s return to full-time duties has been the big story of the year, especially after the health scares of 2024 and 2025.
The kids are growing up fast
The real shocker is the Cambridge—excuse me, Wales—children.
Prince George is 12.
Basically a teenager.
He’s already being spotted at Eton College events because that’s the next step. It feels like just yesterday he was a toddler in shorts, but now he’s almost as tall as his mom. Princess Charlotte is 10, and Prince Louis is 7.
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Louis is still the resident chaos agent of the family, but even he’s starting to look like a "proper" royal in the official portraits.
The Sussex split by the numbers
Over in California, the numbers look a bit different. Prince Harry is 41. Meghan Markle is 44. They’re firmly in that mid-career, mid-life stage where the focus is less on "royal duty" and more on whatever the latest Netflix or Archewell project happens to be.
Their kids are getting up there, too:
- Prince Archie is 6.
- Princess Lilibet is 4.
It’s a strange dynamic. Half the family is aging in the spotlight of the British tabloids, while the other half is doing it in the hills of Montecito.
Who are the oldest members left?
If you look at the wider family tree, the longevity is actually kind of terrifying.
Princess Anne is 75 and still the hardest-working person in the building. She does more engagements in a week than most of us do Zoom calls in a month. Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is 61, and his wife Sophie is 61.
The "Gloucester" side of the family is also hanging in there. Prince Richard is 81. His wife Birgitte is 79. These are the people who keep the lights on for the smaller charities that the King doesn't have time for.
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Honestly, the royal family ages tell a story of a "slimmed-down" monarchy that is actually just a "graying" monarchy. There aren't many 20-somethings left in the working rotation. Lady Louise Windsor is 22 and James, Earl of Wessex, is 18. They’re at university (St Andrews, mostly), and while people want them to be working royals, they seem pretty content just being students for now.
Why these milestones matter in 2026
The reason we care about whether someone is 12 or 77 isn't just about the birthday cake. It’s about the "line of succession" and who is physically capable of the job. When the King is 77 and dealing with cancer treatments, the 43-year-old Prince of Wales becomes a very important person very quickly.
We are watching a generational shift happen in real-time.
A decade ago, the "younger" generation meant William and Harry. Today, the "younger" generation is George, Charlotte, and Louis. If you feel old reading that, join the club.
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What you should do next:
If you're trying to keep the timeline straight, the easiest way is to focus on the big anniversaries. 2026 is a huge year for "firsts" for Prince George as he transitions to secondary school. Keep an eye on the official Court Circular—it’s the only way to see who is actually showing up for work and how the workload is shifting from the 70-plus crowd to the 40-somethings.