Equality Act

Princess Amalie 

The equality act, which will put an end to the archaic male-preference or primogeniture rules on succession, was finally approved by the commonwealth ministers. This marks the shake-up of the names of the royals in the line of succession and it means that children of Princess Anne will most likely to be listed ahead of the daughters of Prince Andrew.

The new equality act means also that British royals can now take a Roman Catholic spouse without forcing to renounce her or his place in the line of succession if that spouse won't switch religion to Anglican. In the past, several descendants of Queen Victoria were omitted in the line of succession due to being Catholics: King Albert II of Belgium, King Juan Carlos of Spain, his wife Queen Sophia, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Ernst of Hanover, Prince Michael of Kent, sons of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, lost their places in the line of succession to the British throne because they became Catholics or married Catholics.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The present Equality Act will take effect on their future children, well, if Kate is not barreni

It was revealed that there was already some discussion on the changing of the rules of succession in the 1950s under Prime Minister, Anthony Eden but it did not push through. This constitutional change would not greatly affect the current position of the children of the Queen since the heir-apparent is a male (Prince Charles) and so with the Prince of Wales successors since his eldest is a male too. But this act would finally take effect on the future children of Prince William, if his eldest would be a girl, she would be automatically the heir-apparent.

Granting this law on succession change, I could not help but think what if this change was implemented during the reign of Queen Victoria?

Victoria's eldest child was a girl, Princess Vicky, who married the future Emperor of Germany, Frederick III. Historians said that Vicky was far wiser and responsible than her younger brother who would become King Edward VII. But could she be permitted to marry a foreign ruler if she was the future Queen of England? 

There would be only two outcome. Since those times the practice was arranged marriage, Vicky might ended up with a royal Prince but not a future ruler and her descendants would be the current royal family of Britain and not Edward VII's descendants. Germany, who was bitterly fighting against England in two World Wars, would never have an Emperor named William II ( an eldest child of Princess Vicky and Frederick III). But Vicky's reign would have been short lived because she died in 1901 seven months after Queen Victoria's death due to brain tumor. 

In this latest development in the rules of succession, if Prince William's eldest child would be a girl, then she would be joining other European tots who will someday succeed to the throne as Queens. And alas!Almost all future European crown heads are females due to equal line of succession.

Aside from Britain, European countries which embraced this equality act are Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands, Spain is yet to decide, but Prince Felipe's children are all girls and one of them might possibly succeed him if Princess Letezia could not produce a son.

The royal family of the Netherlands 

Princess Catharina (front right) would be the next Dutch monarch after her  father, Prince Wilhelm-Alexander

HRH Princess Elisabeth (middle), the eldest child of Prince Philippe of Belgium and Princess Mathilde

Due to equality law of succession, the 10-year-old Princess will become the first female monarch in Belgian history

Future Queens include: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands, Princess Ingrid of Norway, Princess Victoria of Sweden and Infanta Eleanor of Spain. Denmark's future monarchs are all males: Prince Frederick and his eldest child, a boy, Prince Christian.