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David Cameron will strike a deal today to reform the monarchy, which will let the eldest child of Prince William and his wife Kate inherit the throne – even if it’s a girl.
The Prime Minister will put an end to more than 300 years of history by thrashing out an agreement with Commonwealth leaders to end the rule that the first-born male inherits the throne ahead of any elder sisters.
The deal will also end the ban on members of the Royal Family who marry a Roman Catholic being able to succeed to the throne.
Reform: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first born child will inherit the thrown after David Cameron struck a deal with Commonwealth leaders to end the rule that the first-born male takes the thrown
If the new rules had been in force in 1509 Margaret Tudor would have taken the throne instead of Henry VIII. That could have meant the Reformation would never have taken place and Elizabeth I would never have been Queen.
If the practice had been changed as recently as the last century, Britain could have had two Queen Victorias back to back. Princess Victoria, the Princess Royal would have acceded to the throne in 1901 instead of King Edward VII.
When she died just a few months later, her son Kaiser Wilhelm II would have ascended the throne – something which could have prevented the First World War.
The Queen of England now would have been the completely unknown Princess Marie Cecile of Prussia.
Out in force: A large number of children were on show to meet the Queen ahead of a garden party that formed part of the state reception
Moment of thought: The Queen sits on a throne with the Australian flag in the background ahead of a state reception. She is in Australia for a state visit and a meeting of Commonwealth heads of state
Colourful: The Queen walked past a group of extravagently dresses performers with West Australian Premier Colin Barnett ahead of the reception
Mr Cameron stepped in amid fears that there could be a constitutional crisis if William and Kate had a firstborn daughter and then a boy.
The deal will be agreed today at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth when the PM hosts a meeting of the Queen’s Realms – the 16 countries including the UK which share the Queen as their head of state.
Mr Cameron said: ‘These rules are outdated and need to change. The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter, simply because he is a man just isn’t acceptable any more. Nor does it make any sense that a potential monarch can marry someone of any faith other than Catholic. The thinking behind these rules is wrong. That’s why people have been talking about changing them for some time. We need to get on and do it.’
The Queen meets with guests ahead of a State Reception held at Government House on the day before the Commonwealth meeting
Gift: The Queen received this Australian rules (AFL) football from aboriginal player Ben Ward during her visit
Cooking up a treat: The Queen watches as a group of students prepare a meal at the Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth
The removal of the barrier to Roman Catholics marrying the heir to the throne does not affect the position of the Anglican Church as the established Church. The Queen and future monarchs will be Anglicans and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The change will also do away with an ancient and unused rule that means all descendants of George II are supposed to require the consent of the monarch to marry.
The deal will take the form of a short communiqué signed by the Realms committing to ‘amending the rules on succession to their respective Crowns’ and making clear that they ‘wish unanimously to advise the Queen of their views to seek her agreement’.
In order to change the rules the Government will introduce legislation to change the 1701 Act of Settlement, the Bill of Rights 1688, the Coronation Oath Act 1688 and the Royal Marriages Act 1772.
Downing Street said changes would be drafted in such a way that any children of Prince William and his wife were included.
RE-WRITING HISTORY: WE'D NOW BE SINGING GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS KING HAD LAWS NOT BEEN INTRODUCED
Franz, Duke of Bavaria, could have ended up on the British throne had laws been different
Had an 18th Century law not been passed by Parliament, Britain's monarchy throughout the last 300 years would have had a very different cast of characters.
For starters, rather than becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the world, our present Queen would have spent her life as a minor princess in some German backwater.
And instead of pledging allegiance to Elizabeth II, loyal British subjects would now be singing God Save Our Gracious King to... Francis II of Bavaria.
The 1701 Act Of Settlement passed the crown to Electress Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant descendants - and banned all Roman Catholics from ever ascending the throne.
That law - and the centuries-old practice of male primogeniture, in which a male child automatically leapfrogs over his older sisters - has largely dictated who became King or Queen of Britain for centuries.
But according to historian Ian Lloyd writing in the Sunday Times, Francis II would now be ruling Brittania had these ancient laws not been adopted.
Franz, Duke of Bavaria, is a distant cousin of the Queen and head of the House of Wittelsbach, Bavaria's ruling family. He is the senior co-heir-general of King Charles I and therefore regarded as the rightful heir to the House of Stuart, which ruled England from 1567 to 1707. From birth Franz was recognised by the Jacobites as a Prince of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Prince of Cornwall and Rothesay.
The Duke's great-grandfather was the last king of Bavaria before being deposed at the end of World War One in 1918.
During World War To, the Dukes' family condemned the Nazi regime and fled to Hungary. When Hitler's stormtroopers marched into Budapest in 1944, the Royal Family was arrested and detained in a number of concentration camps.
Following liberation in 1945, Franz, studied business management at the University of Munich. Now 78, he still lives in an apartment in the city and is a keen collector of modern art.
The Prime Minister will put an end to more than 300 years of history by thrashing out an agreement with Commonwealth leaders to end the rule that the first-born male inherits the throne ahead of any elder sisters.
The deal will also end the ban on members of the Royal Family who marry a Roman Catholic being able to succeed to the throne.
Reform: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first born child will inherit the thrown after David Cameron struck a deal with Commonwealth leaders to end the rule that the first-born male takes the thrown
If the new rules had been in force in 1509 Margaret Tudor would have taken the throne instead of Henry VIII. That could have meant the Reformation would never have taken place and Elizabeth I would never have been Queen.
If the practice had been changed as recently as the last century, Britain could have had two Queen Victorias back to back. Princess Victoria, the Princess Royal would have acceded to the throne in 1901 instead of King Edward VII.
When she died just a few months later, her son Kaiser Wilhelm II would have ascended the throne – something which could have prevented the First World War.
The Queen of England now would have been the completely unknown Princess Marie Cecile of Prussia.
Out in force: A large number of children were on show to meet the Queen ahead of a garden party that formed part of the state reception
Moment of thought: The Queen sits on a throne with the Australian flag in the background ahead of a state reception. She is in Australia for a state visit and a meeting of Commonwealth heads of state
Colourful: The Queen walked past a group of extravagently dresses performers with West Australian Premier Colin Barnett ahead of the reception
Mr Cameron stepped in amid fears that there could be a constitutional crisis if William and Kate had a firstborn daughter and then a boy.
The deal will be agreed today at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth when the PM hosts a meeting of the Queen’s Realms – the 16 countries including the UK which share the Queen as their head of state.
Mr Cameron said: ‘These rules are outdated and need to change. The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter, simply because he is a man just isn’t acceptable any more. Nor does it make any sense that a potential monarch can marry someone of any faith other than Catholic. The thinking behind these rules is wrong. That’s why people have been talking about changing them for some time. We need to get on and do it.’
The Queen meets with guests ahead of a State Reception held at Government House on the day before the Commonwealth meeting
Gift: The Queen received this Australian rules (AFL) football from aboriginal player Ben Ward during her visit
Cooking up a treat: The Queen watches as a group of students prepare a meal at the Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth
The removal of the barrier to Roman Catholics marrying the heir to the throne does not affect the position of the Anglican Church as the established Church. The Queen and future monarchs will be Anglicans and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The change will also do away with an ancient and unused rule that means all descendants of George II are supposed to require the consent of the monarch to marry.
The deal will take the form of a short communiqué signed by the Realms committing to ‘amending the rules on succession to their respective Crowns’ and making clear that they ‘wish unanimously to advise the Queen of their views to seek her agreement’.
In order to change the rules the Government will introduce legislation to change the 1701 Act of Settlement, the Bill of Rights 1688, the Coronation Oath Act 1688 and the Royal Marriages Act 1772.
Downing Street said changes would be drafted in such a way that any children of Prince William and his wife were included.
RE-WRITING HISTORY: WE'D NOW BE SINGING GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS KING HAD LAWS NOT BEEN INTRODUCED
Franz, Duke of Bavaria, could have ended up on the British throne had laws been different
Had an 18th Century law not been passed by Parliament, Britain's monarchy throughout the last 300 years would have had a very different cast of characters.
For starters, rather than becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the world, our present Queen would have spent her life as a minor princess in some German backwater.
And instead of pledging allegiance to Elizabeth II, loyal British subjects would now be singing God Save Our Gracious King to... Francis II of Bavaria.
The 1701 Act Of Settlement passed the crown to Electress Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant descendants - and banned all Roman Catholics from ever ascending the throne.
That law - and the centuries-old practice of male primogeniture, in which a male child automatically leapfrogs over his older sisters - has largely dictated who became King or Queen of Britain for centuries.
But according to historian Ian Lloyd writing in the Sunday Times, Francis II would now be ruling Brittania had these ancient laws not been adopted.
Franz, Duke of Bavaria, is a distant cousin of the Queen and head of the House of Wittelsbach, Bavaria's ruling family. He is the senior co-heir-general of King Charles I and therefore regarded as the rightful heir to the House of Stuart, which ruled England from 1567 to 1707. From birth Franz was recognised by the Jacobites as a Prince of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Prince of Cornwall and Rothesay.
The Duke's great-grandfather was the last king of Bavaria before being deposed at the end of World War One in 1918.
During World War To, the Dukes' family condemned the Nazi regime and fled to Hungary. When Hitler's stormtroopers marched into Budapest in 1944, the Royal Family was arrested and detained in a number of concentration camps.
Following liberation in 1945, Franz, studied business management at the University of Munich. Now 78, he still lives in an apartment in the city and is a keen collector of modern art.
