London, March 2015. Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Leader The Rt Hon Nick Clegg, MP, confirmed that across all sixteen of the Queen’s realms including the UK the wholly outdated anti-Catholic Succession of the Throne laws have been removed.
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into effect in the United Kingdom and its realms at midnight GMT 26 March 15, after being ratified by all the Commonwealth realms.
Marriage to Roman Catholics is now allowed while retaining rights to the throne (the monarch must be Anglican however).
Males no longer take precedence over females, meaning that an elder daughter cannot be overtaken by a younger son.
Only individuals who are within the first six places of the line of succession require permission from the monarch to marry.
The Act was agreed upon by the Commonwealth realms at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia in October 2011. The changes are backdated to begin on the day of initial agreement, October 28.
Several members of the extended royal family will see the new Act impact upon their succession rights: Prince Michael of Kent, who lost his place upon marriage to a Catholic in 1978, is put back into the line of succession in position 42. The Earl of St Andrews, elder son of the Duke of Kent, also regains his succession rights, popping back in the line at position 30.
Senna and Tāne Lewis, the children of Lady Davina Lewis (elder daughter of the Duke of Gloucester) switch places as Senna is the elder of the two children and Tāne was born in 2012 (they are positions 28 and 29). Lyla and Rufus Gilman, the children of Lady Rose Gilman (younger daughter of the Duke of Gloucester), have also switched places for the same reason as their first cousins (positions 31 and 32).
Six realms in addition to the UK legislated for the changes: Australia, Barbados, Canada, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Nine others concluded that the legislation was not necessary: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
Mr Clegg wrote: “The act reflects this Government’s emphasis on equality by removing centuries of discrimination on both religious and gender grounds. The act puts in place succession laws that are fit for the 21st century and for a modern constitutional monarchy.”