List of British monarchs

This article is about monarchs of Great Britain (1707–1800) and the United Kingdom (1801–). For earlier monarchs, see List of legendary kings of Britain, List of English monarchs, and List of Scottish monarchs.

British monarchs
Anne became the first monarch of Great Britain in 1707.
Edward VIII had the shortest reign at 326 days.
Elizabeth II had the longest reign at 70 years.
Charles III is the current King of the United Kingdom.

There have been 13 British monarchs since the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which occurred on 1 May 1707 upon the commencement of the Acts of Union. The first British monarch was Anne, who reigned between 1707 and 1714; the current monarch is Charles III, who acceded to the throne in September 2022. Although the style of "King of Great Britain" had been in use since the personal union of England and Scotland on 24 March 1603 under James VI and I, the official title came into effect legislatively in 1707 and therefore, apart from Anne, this list of British monarchs does not include the four earlier kings and one queen who ruled as monarchs of England and Scotland at the same time.

On 1 January 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This later became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon the secession of the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in the 1920s. British monarchs have also held various other titles reflecting their claims outside of the United Kingdom, including King of Hanover, Emperor of India, and Head of the Commonwealth. The title of monarch also comes with various secondary titles for land within the United Kingdom, such as the Duchy of Lancaster.

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