Reforms Initiated in 2011
On 28 October 2011, proposed reforms to the succession were announced during the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia. The heads of government of the 16 Commonwealth realms agreed to change the rules of succession by replacing male preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, in which the first born child of a monarch is heir apparent regardless of gender. The change would only apply for descendants of the current Prince of Wales. It was also proposed to end both the ban on marriage to Catholics and the requirement for those in line to the throne to gain the permission of the sovereign to marry. However the requirement for the sovereign to be in communion with the Church of England was proposed to remain, as well as the specific ban on Catholics sitting on the throne. The Queen was understood to support the changes. Depending on individual constitutional arrangements, the reforms now need to be approved by parliaments of most of the realms, however, in some realms such as Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu, the reforms do not require direct legislation and will become automatic once the changes are implemented in the United Kingdom. New Zealand will chair a working group to determine the process for reform. In the United Kingdom, the reforms will require amendments to numerous pieces of legislation including the Bill of Rights 1689, the Act of Settlement 1701, the Union with Scotland Act 1707 and the Coronation Oath Act 1688, Princess Sophia's Precedence Act 1711, the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the Union with Ireland Act 1800, the Accession Declaration Act 1910 and the Regency Act 1937.
The reforms will not cause Princess Anne and her issue to be promoted over her younger brothers, the Princes Andrew and Edward and their children, as they will only come into effect for descendants of the Prince of Wales.
Read more about this topic: Succession To The British Throne
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