Editing Heir apparent (section)

{{Short description|Person who is first in line of succession}}
{{Other uses|Heir apparent (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Monarchism|Concepts}}
An '''heir apparent''' is a person who is first in the [[order of succession]] and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person.{{Efn|assuming no change in the laws governing succession|name=|group=note}} A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir is known as an [[heir presumptive]].

Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to [[hereditary title]]s (e.g. titles of nobility) or offices, especially when only inheritable by a single person. Most monarchies refer to the heir apparent of their thrones with the descriptive term of [[crown prince|''crown prince'' or ''crown princess'']], but they may also be accorded with a more specific [[substantive title]]:{{Efn|Note that the substantive titles do not usually correspond exactly with the status of ''heir apparent.'' See ''[[crown prince]]'' for more examples and information.|name=|group=note}} such as [[Prince of Orange]] in the Netherlands, [[Duke of Brabant]] in Belgium, [[Prince of Asturias]] in Spain (also granted to heirs presumptive), or the [[Prince of Wales]] in England and Wales; former titles include [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] in the [[Kingdom of France]], and [[Tsesarevich]] in [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russia]].

The term is also applied metaphorically to an expected successor to any position of power, e.g. a political or corporate leader.

This article primarily describes the term ''heir apparent'' in a hereditary system regulated by laws of [[primogeniture]]—it may be less applicable to cases where a monarch has a say in naming the heir (performed either while alive, e.g. crowning the heir as a {{Lang|la|rex iunior}}, or through the monarch's [[Will and testament|will]]).