[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: The Royal Wedding and the Bank Account

[Shaun Hately]

On 16/04/2011 1:04 AM, justcarol67 wrote:

> As for the queen regnant idea and primogeniture relating to the eldest
> child rather than the eldest son with regard to royal succession, are
> you sure? I thought that Princess Anne was far back in the succession,
> behind her younger brothers and their children. Andrew has two daughters
> as I recall, both styled "Princess." I don't know about Edward.

Anne is behind her younger brothers in the succession - a male still 
always take precedence over a female sibling. I think what Geoff was 
referring to was the fact that at one stage, the laws of succession 
didn't really allow for a female taking the crown at all. Now they 
clearly do - but only if she doesn't have brothers (or their descendants 
in the case of deceased brothers) . Male preference primogeniture.

There's are moves afoot to change the laws of succession to give females 
equal status. Besides the general principle of equality, it's considered 
a good time at the moment because it wouldn't actually be likely to 
change much right now. If the first child born to William is a girl, 
change is almost certain.

Edward, Earl of Wessex, and his wife Sophie, have two children. 
Technically both of those children are a Princess and a Prince (Princess 
Louise of Wessex (aged 7) and Prince James of Wessex (aged 3), but their 
parents have made it clear that he does not wish those titles to be 
used. Instead they are commonly styled as children of an Earl - Lady 
Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn (the eldest son of an Earl 
takes his fathers second title as a courtesy - and Edward is Earl of 
Wessex and Viscount Severn).

Edward, by the way is an Earl rather than a Duke as the son of a Monarch 
would normally become on marriage because he has been designated to 
become Duke of Edinburgh on the death of his father (he's not the heir - 
Prince Charles (or his heirs) will actually briefly be Duke of Edinburgh 
until new Letters Patent are issued.