Mumsnet Talk

or have been agreed to be changed so that if Will and Kate's first child is a girl, she'll be queen. And they can now marry Catholics.

Very good news. About time.

Princess Anne polishing the shotgun and measuring for curtains...

I wish they'd gone for Ottoman style succession. Whoever gets to the Palace first and survives the ensuing fratricide, wins. It could be televised! <places bets on Anne seeing off weedy brothers>

About time too - what took them so long?

There's a better thread in AIBU about this

(sorry)

(go and have a gander)

I've said this before but I think that we should go back to the system where Monarchs used to be chosen as being the best candidate for the job. The Queen claims a line of descent back to Alfred the Great, and if it was good enough for the only monarch ever to be called "great" to be chosen rather than simply inherit the title then it's good enough for our sorry lot.

If we're going to have a (fairly arbitrarily-chosen) family representing us then the least they can do is be gender-neutral.

I was going to be all "wha'? why are you dissing my thread". But I agree, the surrealness of the AIBU thread is better.

Still not good enough though, it's discriminatory against younger siblings who might be BETTER (youngest child over here)

...although Alfred only became King after his father and three elder brothers Aethelbald, Aethelbert and Aethelred (I assume Alfred was named after some ninth-century version of the Baby Names forum persuaded his parents that a leeetle more variety in their DCs' names might not be a bad thing...)

Given what it involves, I don't think any youngest child in their right mind would voluntarily leap forward to take the throne. Always strikes me as a thankless job.

"Alfred only became King after his father and three elder brothers Aethelbald, Aethelbert and Aethelred"

But there were children from his older brothers who should have been king before him, the nobles chose otherwise and made Alfred King. And that was pretty normal up until William the Conqueror, the best candidate could be the oldest child of the current monarch, but it could be pretty much anybody else the nobles saw fit to give the job to. William the Conqueror's hissy fit in 1066 was due to that custom, the King died, the nobles choose who they wanted to be King ignoring the best "related" inheritor and also the King's own promise of it being William.

"I assume Alfred was named after some ninth-century version of the Baby Names forum persuaded his parents that a leeetle more variety in their DCs' names might not be a bad thing."

Alfred's name should probably be written as Aelfred, so it's very similar to his brother's names. The name means "Elf Council", which might in turn be taken to mean "Wise Council". All the names mean something, which is why they're similar. Given the customs of the time in which being the Kings children didn't give you the job it made sense to use your name as advertising as to why you'd be good for the job.

Meanwhile Charles talk to plants.

So bring back the choice of King rather than straight inheritance

Do not go to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes

Or something like that

If Wills and Harry both died childless I reckon Anne and her kids would all say "no thanks!"

"Do not go to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes"

Maybe that's why he burned the cakes, Elrond said they were done but Legolas kept telling him they needed a bit longer.

Yes, I know it would be Aelfred, just being facetious there.

He and his brothers (or at least the next brother up from him, anyway) arranged that between themselves, though, I'd thought, rather than anyone else getting to "choose" exactly? But I do probably remember that from the Ladybird book rather than a reputable historical source...

If we chose a monarch these days Simon Cowell would probably want in on the action which is possibly the only prospect worse than a strictly hereditary monarchy. Or we could have rounds of Apprentice -style applied kinging exercises to argue over...

This reform doesn't apply retrospectively, so if Anne did want to inherit she'd have to take out a lot of relatives.

Will this new rule also apply to other hereditary situations? There are still some titles around that pass to the eldest son.

This is just the Royal Succession. I imagine other inheritances are down to the individual families involved

Seems great to me.

But why do people keep mentioning Anne-she´d still be behind Charles, William & Harry.

I guess they are mentioning Anne because she is the highest-up person to have moved position.

She hasn't moved though. It's only girls born from now. So Autumn Phillips will still come after any future brothers.

oops. Savannah Phillips I mean.

Oh, is that true? Interesting.

Surely India Phillips?

Am glad it's happened, am sorry that it didn't happen before because I'd have looked forward to the possibility of a Queen Anne too. With or without elves.