MPs welcome proposed changes to the rules of royal succession
7 December 2011
In a report published today, the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee welcomes the Government's proposals to amend the rules of succession to the throne.
Proposals
The proposals, announced in October, have been agreed with the Prime Ministers of the other 15 Commonwealth countries of which the Queen is Head of State. The changes are:
- to allow an elder daughter to come before a younger son in the line of succession, and
- to end the bar on someone succeeding to the throne if they marry a Roman Catholic
Connected issues
In the report, the committee draws attention to connected issues, especially:
- the future role of the Crown in the Church of England, and
- the continued ineligibility of women to succeed to hereditary peerages.
The committee notes that this second issue remains a matter of public interest for as long as it has an impact on gender balance in the House of Lords.
The committee concludes: "The changes being proposed are modest, but they will remove two elements of discrimination in determining the succession to the throne, while maintaining its traditional hereditary character."