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Most of all, the job of ruling comes with just as many - if not more - responsibilities than perks. Just think about how little you hear about Prince Andrew and Prince Edward nowadays. Plus, belonging to the latter part of the list means you endure much less public scrutiny. Remember Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend in The Crown? King Edward VIII even abdicated to marry the woman of his choice, divorcée Wallis Simpson. The Queen still has to approve the marriages of anyone within the top six, which worked out okay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but hasn't always historically. While it might seem like a demotion, getting farther away from the crown can come as a blessing in disguise. If or when Prince George has kids of his own, then everyone else below him would get bumped down a tier, and so on. Prince Edward's children, Princess Anne, and Princess Anne's children and grandchildren then follow. Here's the current order of the first 10: He becomes the new number five, Prince Harry has moved down to sixth, and everyone else after him also goes down a notch. So how does this latest royal addition actually affect the order? Even though Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed a boy, she stays in fourth behind Prince George and asserts her rights as big sis. Even though her parents decided to have another child, the newest baby's sex wouldn't affect her place in the line. While the new legislation didn't retroactively alter the order (sorry, Princess Anne), one royal in particular experienced an immediate impact: Princess Charlotte. After the PMs announced their unanimous support for the switch in 2011, the shift from what's called male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture officially took effect with the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
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To get the monarchy with the times, all of the prime ministers of the 16 Commonwealth realms (including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) had to agree to change the rules, and thankfully, they did. That's why to this day Queen Elizabeth's younger sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward come before their older sister Princess Anne. For hundreds and hundreds of years, the rules favored males, putting any son ahead of older daughters. The arrival of the royal baby marks an important change to the order of succession. Harry might be forging a new path, but he will always have a place in the line of succession.He is here! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a son today, and the newest prince has already entered British history by becoming fifth in line to the throne - and he's just a few hours old! I'm right on the edge of the Royal Family, so it wasn't going to affect anyone, but I did want to explain.” The duchess recalled: “I wanted to speak to her personally. It's not clear what process took place when Prince Michael gave up his position in line to the throne, but when the Duchess of Kent decided to convert to Catholicism, she spoke to the Queen about it. (David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)Ī report as the law was being reviewed noted: "The Queen at her Coronation promised, for example, to 'maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law' and to 'maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England'." Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick, seen here in 2018, also gave up his place in the line when he converted to Catholicism.