A new royal book has claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth was not "overly enthusiastic" about a landmark change to the rules of royal succession, a reform that now impacts Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 overhauled the rules of succession from male-preference ascension to absolute primogeniture, meaning birth order rather than gender determined succession for those born after October 2011, with the eldest child inheriting the throne regardless of gender.
Palace 'not against' reform
According to Valentine Low's tell-all book, titled Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street, neither Elizabeth II, King Charles nor aides at Buckingham Palace demonstrated any particular appetite for the reform.
The constitutional shake-up was driven by former Prime Minister David Cameron, who maintained that the other 15 realms were fully behind the sweeping reform and departure from tradition.
Low writes: "Crucially, the palace was not against it. But they said that the government had to ensure the backing of the other 15 realms."
A source is quoted as saying: "I always thought that the signals from Buckingham Palace were that if it was the wish of the duly elected prime minister of the day, and the realms can be sorted out, we will not stand in its way. I didn't get the sense there was any great enthusiasm from the palace and the Queen herself."
Charles's concerns over the Act
King Charles also took a keen interest in what the new reform would mean for the monarchy's future, reportedly "ambushed" the permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office with probing questions about the Act. He also expressed his disappointment that his eldest child, Prince William, hadn't been consulted on the matter.
The book claimed that Charles was eager to understand precisely what would happen if William's first child turned out to be a girl, particularly in light of the planned Succession to the Crown Bill. His primary concern centred on whether the royal house name of Windsor could be altered if a granddaughter who became monarch married and adopted her husband's surname.
According to reports by Hello!, Charles posed a hypothetical scenario, questioning whether the house would remain the House of Windsor or potentially become the House of Smith, should she marry someone bearing that surname.
The book also suggested that Charles harboured concerns about the monarchy's position if William's first child was a daughter who later became Queen and married a Catholic, given that the monarch serves as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Impact on Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
The rule change ensures Princess Charlotte stays ahead of her younger brother, Prince Louis, in the line of succession, as the children were born following the Act's introduction, which affects those born after October 28th 2011. This differs from Princess Anne's situation, who was overtaken by her younger siblings, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
