As the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge progresses, it has been reported that the Prince of Wales, currently first in line for the throne, has met Whitehall officials to share his concerns about fast-tracked changes to the UK’s constitution.
Prince Charles is reported by the Daily Mail to have raised his fears of “unintended consequences” of the Government rushing through a change in the laws of succession to the throne, although Buckingham Palace has neither confirmed nor denied the Mail’s allegation.
In a private meeting with Richard Heaton, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, the Prince reportedly voiced concerns over what would happen if his grandchild, due next year, were to marry a Roman Catholic.
The legislation will end the principle of male primogeniture, so that the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will succeed to the throne, regardless of whether the baby is a girl or a boy.
The planned reforms, presented by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, would also allow the couple’s first-born to marry a Catholic, although not to be one, without having to renounce the right to succeed.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced last month that the Government has received final consent from all the Commonwealth realms to press ahead with a landmark bill to end the centuries-old discrimination against women in line to the British throne at the soonest possible opportunity.
When Mr Clegg made his announcement, he said that the Succession to the Crown Bill will make our “old fashioned rules fit for the 21st Century” and will write down in law what was agreed by Government back in 2011.
This confirmation means that the Government will seek to introduce the Bill in the House of Commons at the earliest opportunity allowed by the parliamentary timetable.