Europe's future queens

WHILE NO WOMEN CURRENTLY REIGN IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, THAT WILL CHANGE

- 

Crown Princess Victoria

When Crown Princess Victoria ascends the throne following the death of King Carl Gustaf, she will be Sweden's first Queen Regnant since 1720. But this wasn't always expected to be the case - when her little brother, Prince Carl Philip, was born in May 1979, he sat above her in the line of succession.

But in 1980, a law change saw Sweden remove the preference for male primogeniture in a move the King called “quite strange” in 2023.

Princess Estelle

Sweden won't just have one Queen but two in a row, with Crown Princess Victoria's 13-year-old daughter, Princess Estelle, sitting directly behind her in line for the throne.

The teenager is about to start Year 7, which is still part of primary school in her country. She is also being schooled in the ways of the crown, carrying out her first engagement at just 2 years old.

"She is 5 years old, but she's not too young," Victoria said in 2017 of Estelle's royal training. "On the contrary, she was very interested and receptive."

Princess Elisabeth

The heir to the throne of Belgium will make history upon her accession, becoming the country's first reigning female monarch.