How Meghan Markle's baby girl will affect Princess Beatrice's succession

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting a baby girl in the summer and the child will put Princess Beatrice one spot down in the royal line of succession.

The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is currently ninth-in-line to the throne. She will become tenth-in-line as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter will take over her position.

Princess Beatrice is also expecting her first child with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi later this year. Their baby then will occupy the 11th position in the line of succession.

The addition of a new member to the Royal Family always affects the royal line. Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall and her children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas, currently occupy the 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd spot, respectively. They will each move one spot down after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter. Then another move down the line with the arrival of Princess Beatrice's child.

Initially, brothers overtake the positions of their sisters unless they are born after October 2011. According to Hello Magazine, amendments made to The Succession to the Crown Act state that boys born after Oct. 28, 2011, will not overtake the girls. Zara's children benefited from this act as her third child, Lucas, was born in March this year.

The same goes for Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte. She remains fourth in line to the throne followed by her brother Prince Louis, who became 5th after his birth on April 23, 2018. Their older brother Prince George is third.

However, Lady Louise Windsor, 17, the Earl and Countess of Wessex's daughter, remains below her brother, James, Viscount Severn, 13. He was born in December 2007 and is 13th in the line of succession to the British throne. The Duke of Sussex is sixth in line to the throne and his two-year-old son Archie seventh, followed by Prince Andrew, on the eighth position.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they are expecting a sister for Archie during their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. They said they will stop at two kids but they have yet to share their baby girl's name.