Persian Realm

300 years of English Constitutional tradition comes to an end as Commonwealth nations approved changes to the rules of succession to allow first-born daughters to inherit the British throne. The changes to the outdated laws would also allow heirs who marry Roman Catholics to inherit the throne.

Royal succession gender rules change

Female members of the Royal Family will be given equality with men in rules of succession to the throne.

It comes as historic constitutional changes were agreed unanimously by the 16 nations of which the Queen is monarch.

PM David Cameron on the Royal Succession Reforms–Sky News

Heralding an end to over 300 years of English Constitutional tradition, Commonwealth nations today approved changes to the rules of succession, which passed the Crown to the oldest male heir, to allow first-born daughters to inherit the British throne.

"We will end the male primogeniture rule so that in future the order of succession should be determined simply by the order of birth," British Prime Minister David Cameron said after a summit of the 16 Commonwealth countries of which Queen Elizabeth II is head of state.

The changes to the outdated laws would also allow heirs who marry Roman Catholics to inherit the throne.

"We have agreed to scrap the rule which says that no one that marries a Roman Catholic can become monarch," Cameron said at a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard here.

Cameron said the changes would apply to descendents of the Prince of Wales and they will not be applied retrospectively.

NOTE: Note: The demand to revise the sexist laws itself was never suggested by the British Monarch either but rather by a British subject, Kieth Vaz (a Yemenese born to Indian Parents) who happens to be a Labor MP (see here). Tory Prime Minister David Cameron studied the proposition and it is he and not the Queen who as acting Prime Minister subsequently submitted the official demand to the British Parliament and the Commonwealth. So the revision of the Laws of Succession is not the result of the “democratic” belief or opinions of the Monarch nor of any other member of the Royal Family but rather derives from the will of the Political establishment. As such were it not for them and given the democratic nature of the current institutions in Great Britain things could have very well remained unchanged.

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EQUAL RIGHTS / EQUAL RISKS
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Gender Equality doesn’t necessarily guarantee good governance. As Much as Queen Elizabeth Ist reign can be deemed as a Golden Age ( during which the Theater flourished with Shakespeare), that of Queen Mary is remembered for it’s tyranny amidst religious intolerance.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The sequel follows Queen Elizabeth's (Cate Blanchett) reign of England as she matures and faces marital expectations, an assassination plot, and the Spanish Armada.

Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary" (1516-1558)

Clip from the History File series, which discusses the life and reign of Mary I of England, also known as "bloody mary"

(NOTE : To WatchDouble Click Here)

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SALIC LAW & SHAKESPEARE
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Salic law was abody of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century. Although Salic Law reflects ancient usage and practices, the Lex Salica likely was first compiled only sometime between 507 and 511.

The best known tenet of Salic law is agnatic succession, the rule excluding females from the inheritance of a throne orfief. Indeed, "Salic law" has often been used simply as a synonym for agnatic succession. But the importance of Salic law extends beyond the rules of inheritance, as it is a direct ancestor of the systems of law in many parts of Europe today. (Read More Here)

Harry is advised of the Salic law claim to the throne of France
Scene from Laurence Olivier's 1944 movie "Henry V" (137 min). (Based on the play "The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battle Fought at Agincourt in France" by William Shakespeare)

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SWEDEN AMENDED CONSTITUTION IN 1979

WHICH TOOK EFFECT IN 1980
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Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (born 14 July 1977) is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant (after Margaret,Christina and Ulrika Eleonora).Born as a Princess of Sweden, she was designated Crown Princess in 1979 (SFS 1979:932) ahead of her younger brother. Her first place in succession formally went into effect on 1 January 1980 with the parliamentary change to the Act of Succession that introduced equal primogeniture. Victoria iscurrently the only female heir-apparent in the world (though there are several females who are heiresses-apparent of an heir-apparent) and is usually styled HRH The Crown Princess.

(Read Sweden’s Act of Royal Succession, 1810-present)

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden:

ABBA Dancing Queen Royal Performance:

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1906 CONSTITUTION MALE ORIENTED
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Unless amended in the Future, Iran’s royal constitution demands a Male Heir. However It took the British Monarchy Centuries to comes to terms with gender equality and it only accepted to revise it’s sexist laws only recently yet some expected the last Shah of Iran’s young dynasty to abide to the same conditions as early as the 1970’s ?

Shah of Iran's Infamous interview with Barbara Walters:

Shah of Iran and Queen Soraya visit Great Britain

The Shah’s mariage to Soraya came to an end given that she was not able to deliver an heir to the throne

Birth of Crown Prince Reza on Oct 31st 1960:
Shah finally has a son with his third wife Farah Diba who was to become the First Persian Queen to be Crowned in Iranian history

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British Republican Outlook
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Al Jazeera Report

George Galloway: “Off With Their Heads »:
Controversial Political commentator George Galloway discusses the Monarchy With Callers
Part I :

Part II:

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IRI’s Press TV Claims Queen Fears

Break Up of the United Kingdom
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IRI’s Press TV Interviews Scotsman Calling the British Royals as Parasites

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HUMOR
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HORRIBLE HISTORIES - The Wives of Henry VIII (Terrible Tudors)

HORRIBLE HISTORIES - The 4 Georges: 'Born 2 Rule'

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OVERTURNING CENTURIES OF ROYAL RULES

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Overturning centuries of royal rules (bbc)

More than a thousand years of royal history will have to change to give daughters and sons equal rights to become Britain's monarch.

What's more, all16 countries which have the Queen as head of state must change their legislation too.

Government experts admit they are still examining just which laws need to alter.

They have drawn up a list of nine dating back 1689 - but they admit it may not be exhaustive.

One problem isthat male primogeniture - which gives younger brothers the right to become monarchs ahead of their elder sisters - is based on many centuries of commonlaw rules of property, not any one piece of legislation.

Legislation being looked at includes: the Bill of Rights 1689, the Act of Settlement 1701,the Coronation Oath Act 1689, the Act of Union with Scotland 1706, 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.

No Henry VIII

But what if equal rights to the throne had existed in the past? History might have beenvery different.

There would have been no Henry VIII nor Charles I. Both had older sisters. Instead of Henry VIII- whose reign saw the setting up of the Church of England - his elder sister Margaret would have been queen if the change had been in force then their father Henry VII was king.

Charles I's reign in the 17th century led to a bloody civil war. But he too had an elder sister, Elizabeth - known as the "Winter Queen" for her brief reign at her husband's side in Bohemia.

In modern times, Queen Victoria's first-born child was a girl - Princess Victoria - in 1840. She married the German Emperor Friedrich III.

Had she become Queen, the crown would have passed to her son - the then German Kaiser WilhelmII.

With Germany and Britain ruled by the same man, World Wars I and II might never have happened.

If it had been implemented for today's royals, equality would have meant big changes for the current line of succession.

The Duke of York- currently fourth in line - slips back to eighth, behind the Princess Royal (his elder sister), her son Peter Phillips, Peter's daughter Savannah, and Zara Phillips, daughter of the Princess Royal.

Marrying a Catholic

The Earl of Wessex falls from seventh position to tenth after the Duke of York and his two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Sweden became the first European monarchy to declare equal rights for male and female children in the line of succession in 1980.

Since then it's been followed by Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Luxembourg.

Tackling the ban on those marrying a Catholic becoming a monarch means changing the Act of Settlement. It was originally drawn up in the reign of William III.

Ill and childless at the time, his sister-in-law Anne had just lost her only child.With no heir it was feared that the succession would fall to the deposed Roman Catholic James II or his offspring.

In the UK the legal changes are not expected to come in for at least another four years - and by then we may well know if, for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they have made any difference at all.

Related Blog on Royal Successions:

UK

British Monarchy To Remove Sexist Rules Regarding Royal Succession

Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Arabia names Prince Nayef as heir to throne

Iran:

WOMEN KNOW YOUR LIMITS: The Shah's Post Mortem Apologies to Barbara Walters and Oriana Fallaci

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