The retrospective nature of the changes to the rules of succession means it ultimately made no difference whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first born was a boy or girl.
EPA/Tal Cohen
The Crown has become a little less discriminatory with changes to the rules of succession – and descendants of George II who failed to get permission to wed need no longer fear their marriage is void.
Britain’s Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle appear on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, Nov. 27, 2017.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham
This summer in June, the Queen will retrace King John’s steps along the three-and-a-half miles from Windsor Castle to Runnymede to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the revered document that came to…
Carol Ann Duffy with the Queen.
Gareth Fuller/PA Archive
Poetry for the Palace, an exhibition at Edinburgh’s Holyrood House, has been timed (its website proclaims) to mark the halfway point of Carol Ann Duffy’s laureateship. The exhibition places the openly…
There’s no short-cut from the Queen to William and Kate, bypassing Charles and Camilla, but the monarchy is built on more than popularity.
EPA/Andy Rains
Monarchs, it seems, are holding their ground in the modern world. If the amor regis displayed in New Zealand and Australia toward Prince William and family in April is anything to go by, one might conclude…
Philip Murphy, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Royal finances have come under close scrutiny in recent days after the Public Accounts Committee told the royal household it must earn more and spend less – a bit like the rest of the country in an era…
Their child shouldn’t be trapped in the role.
Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Not for the first time in our long lives, Prince Charles and I find ourselves on parallel tracks, our first grandchildren born within weeks of each other. I offer him my congratulations, and hope that…
At least I’m not French … oh, wait.
Mark Richards/PA
The front-page of The Times carried a story today that William could be “Britain’s first king to have proven Indian ancestry”. The story continues inside, along with an advert for the personal DNA testing…
The Times claimed today that Prince William has Indian ancestors.
Vincent Lyon-Dalberg-Acton
An ancestor of Prince William’s from the 19th century was half Indian, according to The Times. This claim is based on analysis of his distant cousins’ DNA. We have such technology today, but how comfortable…
Should William and Kate’s baby get more options, or be stuck as the future monarch?
AAP/Tal Cohen
It’s been a big winter here in Cambridge for fans of the Royal Family. First we had the Duke and Duchess themselves, Will and Kate, making their debut visit to the city, bringing some welcome cheer to…
There has been an outpouring of grief over the death of British nurse Jacintha Saldanha.
EPA/Andy Rain
When you make money by being infamous, as 2DAY FM does, the odds are that eventually your infamous behaviour will land you in serious trouble. That has now happened with the hoax phone call to the King…
2day FM is in hot water after a prank call to Kate Middleton’s hospital went terribly wrong.
AAP/Warren Clarke
The dreadful death of Jacintha Saldanha after she transferred a prank call from 2Day FM to a fellow nurse is a harrowing example of the hurt that can be caused when ordinary people get caught up in media…
Kate Middleton’s path to motherhood, like any woman’s, could take unexpected turns.
AAP
After weeks of speculation about the contents of her uterus, it was revealed overnight that Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is indeed pregnant. However, Catherine is in the early weeks of her…
Queen Elizabeth II has many supporters. But are they getting value for money?
EPA/Chris Radburn
To some, the Queen and her royal family are dear to the heart. To others, there is nothing sillier than following the lives of individuals that parade themselves as royalty. And for many – if not most…
The popularity of the Queen and the Royal Family mean the republic movement is going nowhere fast.
AAP Image/Colin Murty
Nicola Roxon, sworn in last week as the first law officer of the Australian Crown, reportedly plans to reignite the debate on Australia becoming a republic. Former prime minister, Paul Keating has also…
If the republic is going to be put back on the political agenda in 2012, more will need to step up and talk more about the issue publicly.
Flickr/GregTheBusker
The new Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, has made her intention clear to reignite the debate on Australia becoming a republic. On taking up the new position, she took the opportunity to stake out her position…
Who will take over the family firm after Prince William is under discussion by Commonwealth leaders.
AAP/Lyndon Mechielsen
UPDATE: Commonwealth leaders have now agreed that laws will be changed to allow sons and daughters of any future British monarch to have equal right to the throne. The ban on the head of state marrying…