Kingdom of Hanover years of George III's reign and the reigns of kings George IV and William IV from 1816 to 1837, was Adolph Frederick, George III's youngest surviving son. When Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne in 1837, the 123-year personal union of Great Britain and Hanover ended. Salic law operated in Hanover, excluding accession to the throne by a female while any male of the dynasty survived; thus instead of Victoria, her uncle in the male-line of the House of Hanover, Ernest Augustus, now the eldest surviving son of George III, succeeded to the throne of the new kingdom as
Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1983) accorded by British sovereigns to members thereof born after 30 November 1917. Patrilineal descent, descent from father to son, is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that the "historically accurate" royal house of monarchs of the House of Hanover was the House of Lucca (or Este, or Welf). This is the descent of the primary male heir. For the complete expanded family tree, see List of members of the House of Hanover. Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1983) Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Duke of