Royal baby to benefit from change to 'outdated' succession rules

A radical shake-up of the rules of succession means the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby will one day become monarch - whether a boy or a girl.

The sex of an infant in direct line to the throne no longer determines whether he or she wears the crown.

Royal historian Dr Kate Williams believes the change is hugely significant. “It’s very important,” she says.

“We’ve been behind the European monarchy in this. For a long time we’ve had a situation where the woman only comes to the throne if she has no brothers.”

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But from now onwards, if born first a female will automatically be entitled to become Queen and take on what Dr Williams calls “the most important job in the country”.

She questions what effect this could have on hereditary titles. “We’ll have to see the impact on the wider aristocracy and their titles. It will mean it’s more amenable to leave a title to a woman.”

Under the ancient rules of male primogeniture, first-born royal daughters in direct line to the throne were leapfrogged by their younger male siblings. The principle was criticised and viewed as outdated and discriminatory.

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The change will not affect the current generation of royals. It will not be retrospective – so the Princess Royal will not jump ahead of her younger brothers the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.

Moves towards constitutional change gathered pace in the wake of William and Kate’s wedding in April 2011 in anticipation of their future children.

In October 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is Head of State had agreed to give female royals the same rights of succession as their brothers.

Downing Street said any attempt to alter the law would be a “difficult and complex matter”, with parallel legislation needed in all such Commonwealth nations.



But the Succession to the Crown Bill cleared the House of Lords in late April after being fast-tracked through both Houses of Parliament in just three months.

The Bill also allows anyone who marries a Roman Catholic to remain in line to the throne and limits the requirement that all descendants of George II must obtain the monarch’s permission to marry to just the six people nearest in line to the crown.

The Prince of Wales has, however, reportedly raised concerns about the implications, voicing worries about what will happen if his grandchild marries a Roman Catholic.

It raises the prospect of a future heir to the throne's child being brought up in that faith. This could ultimately lead to the constitutional crisis with a future King or Queen, who would eventually be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, being barred from the throne because they are a Catholic.

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There have already been changes to royal finances through the Sovereign Grant Act in 2011 to assist female heirs.

Previously the income from the landed Duchy of Cornwall estate, which stood at more than £18 million in 2011/2012, could only be inherited by a male heir apparent, but now a female heir apparent to the throne over the age of 18 will be eligible for the money too. But a female heir is still not entitled to the title the Duke of Cornwall.

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