Royal Changes

From the BBC:
"Consent given for change to royal succession rules"

All Commonwealth realms have agreed to press ahead with a bill ending discrimination against women in the succession to the British throne. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government would now introduce the Succession to the Crown Bill in the House of Commons as soon as possible. It means the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will become monarch, whether a boy or a girl.  A St James's Palace spokesman said: "The Duchess of Cambridge is continuing to feel better. She and the Duke are immensely grateful for the good wishes they have received. She will remain in hospital at present." The new legislation will end the principle of male primogeniture, meaning male heirs will no longer take precedence over women in line to the throne.

It will also end the ban on anyone in the line of succession marrying a Roman Catholic. The legislation was agreed in principle at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth, Australia in October 2011. Since then, the government of New Zealand has been gathering formal letters of consent from the 15 realms of the Commonwealth, that have the Queen as their head of state. They have confirmed they will be able to take the necessary measures in their own countries before the UK legislation comes into effect.  In a statement, Mr Clegg described the agreement as an "historic moment for our country and our monarchy".  He added: "People across the realms of the Commonwealth will be celebrating the news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child. "We can also all celebrate that whether the baby is a boy or a girl, they will have an equal claim to the throne." The succession bill will require amendments to some of Britain's key constitutional documents, including the Bill of Rights and Coronation Oath Act of 1688, the 1701 Act of Settlement and the 1706 Act of Union with Scotland.

The 16 Realms of the Commonwealth are:

United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu.

 

^ I have written about this before and thought that by now it was already in place. I guess I was wrong. Hopefully, the new law will come into force before the baby is born. One thing that most people don't know is that why there is a line of succession in the UK that does not mean that the King/Queen of the UK will also be the King/Queen of Canada or Australia, etc. It usually turns out to be the same person, but each Commonwealth Realm decides and they could decide on someone else - whether female or male, Queen/King of the UK or not. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20600543