Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge’s baby will make history.
Their child, whether they welcome a boy or a girl, will be third in line to the throne and will one day be King or Queen.
The ancient rules of male primogeniture meant that younger male siblings took precedence over their older sisters when it came time to ascend the throne. But new laws, set by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, mean that male heirs will no longer be given priority in the royal line of succession.
The change was agreed upon back in October by the 16 Commonwealth countries of which the Queen is head of state.
“Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our Queen,” Mr Cameron said.
Queen Elizabeth was subject to the male primogeniture laws, but became Queen because she had did not have any brothers.
The push for the law change gathered momentum after the royal wedding last year, with the old laws viewed as out of date and discriminatory to any daughter the couple may have.
The change will see amendments to some of Britain’s key constitutional documents and will refer to children born into the royal family after October 2011.
This means the current generation of royals will not be affected, including Princess Anne, who will still be placed below her two younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, in the royal succession.
