Catholics can now be King or Queen of England, after 300 year ban

The future in-laws?

The future in-laws?

Downing Street has drafted a new proposal on the succession rules of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Under the new rules, the 300 year old ban on Catholics on the throne would end, and first born daughters would now have the right of succession over younger males.

The 1688 Bill of Rights , the Act of Settlement in 1701 and Act of Union in 1707 – reinforced by the provisions of the Coronation Oath Act 1688 – effectively excluded Catholics or their spouses from the succession and provided for the Protestant succession.

Neither Catholics nor those who marry them nor those born to them out of wedlock may be in the line of succession.

The law also requires the monarch on accession to make before parliament a declaration rejecting Catholicism.

As for me, it’s too late. But I’m thinking maybe if Prince William and Kate Middleton have a daughter (sooner rather than later) than she’d be just about the right age for my son when he gets older. If that worked out I’d certainly get some good tickets to football games in the UK.

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