UK Jellies - what is your reaction to the new succession laws?

Anything to do with royalty leaves me cold, so I guess my answer must be indifference.

I’m waiting impatiently for Australia to become a republic, but in the meantime this is a move I support.

I just read about this. Even though I’m American, I still believe in gender equality. :)

In Norway, where I live, the current first born female lost out to the outdated succession law, but they have changed it now so that Prince Haakon’s first born daughter will be queen. (Personally, I am so glad, because the first born daughter is like this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6915262.stm
Perhaps the trauma of being denied the crown has someway damaged her senses?)

Okay, now you’ve got me curious about how Elizabeth II became Queen. Surely the British crown hasn’t just passed to male heirs – and hasn’t for centuries, since there was an earlier Elizabeth of some note, as well as a Victoria, Mary, etc.

Elizabeth II became queen because George VI had no sons.

I never said it passes “just” to male heirs. I said it passes to male heirs before female heirs. If the ruling monarch had 10 daughters and a son, the son was the heir, even if the son was an infant and the daughters ranged from 2 years old to 20.

Now the factor of gender has been removed entirely.

For example, if this change had been applied retroactively (it wasn’t, but if it had been….), then Princess Anne, who is currently 10th in the Line of succession behind her three brothers and all of their descendants, would jump up to 4th in Line, behind only her older brother Charles and his two children (William & Harry). Both Andrew and Edward (and their children) are ahead of Anne in the line of succession, even though they are younger than her.

I’m all for it! I have nothing against the royal family but I think this is a positive change.

The old laws of succession were an anachronism and so is the Royal Family.

UK here. It makes perfect sense to me, we have been talking about it here for many years. Strangely though it’s not up to the royal family, or even the UK, it’s up to the 16 (I think that’s the number) commonwealth countries to finalise that decision. Finally they have.

About time – Amazed it’s taken this long to have the discussion! They have also made it legal for a royal to marry a Catholic too.

@harple yes I saw that, they could marry anyone of any faith but not a Catholic, how bizarre. Can’t wait till we have a monarch that confesses to atheism. Cat… Pigeons… a bloody mess..

I am not a Brit, and Royal stuff is nebulous to me, but I think it is a lousy law, but then again, what does the king and queen really do? It is not like they get to make law by decree anymore, it seem more like a ceremonial position, but I am a Yankee, so I could be wrong.