A touching gesture from the late Queen Elizabeth II ensured that her great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, will be protected from an unfair shift in royal status. The seven-year-old daughter of William and Kate, the new Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, is expected to one day inherit her great-aunt Princess Anne's prestigious Princess Royal title.
But a law still in force at the time of Princess Anne's birth meant that her younger brothers would eventually take precedence over her in terms of who was next in the line of succession. But a new act issued by the Queen made sure that the same will not happen to Princess Charlotte, the Express reports.
When Princess Anne, 72, was born, she was second in line to the throne after her older brother Charles, 73. However, sons took precedence over daughters in the line of succession at the time which meant that Anne was bumped down upon the arrival of her two younger brothers - Prince Andrew (born 1960) and Prince Edward (born 1964).
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Ahead of the birth of Kate and William's first child, the Queen issued a new act to ensure any child of theirs would have an equal right to the throne regardless of their gender. As a boy, Prince George did not benefit from this change, but William and Kate's second child Princess Charlotte eventually did.
In 2013 the Succession of the Crown Act sought to update discriminatory royal laws, a constitutional expert explained. Among these was the law of male primogeniture that prevented royal daughters from having the same right to the throne as sons.
Expert Iain MacMarthanne said: "The 2013 Act sought to bring multiple pieces of outdated and discriminatory legislation relating to the monarchy up to date. Through this Act male primogeniture was abolished, allowing the firstborn child irrespective of gender to become heir apparent.
"The disqualification from inheriting the throne by marrying a Catholic was removed and the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 was repealed, resulting in only the first six in line to the throne being required to obtain the sovereign's permission." As the title of Princess Royal is a lifelong honour, it will not be passed to Charlotte until after Princess Anne's death.
And even then, there is no guarantee Charlotte will be the next Princess Royal. When Prince William is king he will have the power to decide whether or not to make Charlotte Princess Royal after Princess Anne's death.
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