Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

[darius]

The cabinet announced that regardless of the sex of the child it would follow it's father in the line of succession.  King George's Letters Patent state that The Eldest son of the Eldest SON of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to HRH otherwise if its a girl it would be Lady ********* Windsor.  I'm pretty sure though that HM would issue new Letters Patent IMO

Marlene had more on her blog today:

"The British government "has received consent from the Commonwealth realms to 'press ahead legislation" to change the succession laws to the British crown. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who is responsible for overseeing these changes said today:

"It is a wonderful coincidence that the final confirmation from the other realms arrived on the very day that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made their announcement. The Government will soon introduce the Succession to the Crown Bill which will make our old fashioned rules fit for the 21st Century. It will write down in law what we agreed back in 2011 – that if the Duke and Duchess Cambridge have a baby girl, she can one day be our Queen even if she later has younger brothers."

...Apart from gender equality, and the removal of the loss of succession rights for those who marry Roman Catholics, the actual legislation has not been made public. We do know that the Act of Settlement will be superseded by the new law.  It also possible that the succession to the throne will be limited to a smaller group of people, perhaps the descendants of George VI or even Queen Elizabeth II."

The full article including some interesting bits about future titles--would the daughter be Princess of Wales eventually? Also, the fact that the anti-Catholic requirement would be scrapped, although not for the Sovereign himself/herself, obviously. And that the Act of Settlement would be scrapped with the loss of many, many dynasts:

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2012/12/legislating-succession.html

Marlene is really the Queen (no pun intended!) of these kinds of details.

Am I alone in feeling that this is on the most part the most needless legislation to ever be produced?  I find it incredible that the British Government have nothing better to do than tinker with these historic Acts of Parliament.  Yes, in principle I agree with the end of male primogeniture however, I fail to see where the public interest lies with scrapping the Act of Settlement.  This Act discriminates against nobody who is not born into or marries into the Royal Family.  What is the point of investing Parliamentary time legislating against having Elisabeth Ferner Beckman at No 87 in the line of succession, or Karina Medforth-Mills at No 92???  It would appear that once the decision was made to get rid of male primogeniture some government flunky decided to have a look at what other damage could be done to the fabric that underpins the Monarchy.  Will these people never realise that a nation is the result of historic laws and traditions; that they are part of the national story?

[grandduchessella]

But doesn't it discriminate? If you're a royal and marry a Catholic, you lose your place. If you're a Catholic who wants to marry into the royal family and not convert, you may do so but your spouse suffers and your children cannot keep their place (remote as it is) and be Catholic. I find it very offensive in this day and age.  It's also not so very ancient as it only dates back to 1701--not too long in all of Britain's history. The tinkering then (1701) messed with tradition moreso than changing it now.

However, the particular changes and their merits or lack thereof should probably be further carried on on this thread:

Government starts effort to change succession law
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=16821.0

[grandduchessella]

It looks like Margaret Rose came from her mother's name Marguerite but no info on the Rose. Anyone?

Supposedly, she was given the second name Rose simply because her parents liked the name and thought it went well with Margaret.  The new baby's grandfather didn't like it.

"The Duchess of York originally wanted the names Ann Margaret, as she explained to Queen Mary in a letter: "I am very anxious to call her Ann Margaret, as I think Ann of York sounds pretty, & Elizabeth and Ann go so well together.  King George V disliked the name Ann, but approved of the alternative "Margaret Rose"."

So, the King DID like it, Rose, but it still doesn't explain where it came from. Perhaps 'the Rose of York' given how her father was the Duke of York at the time? Also, her aunt was named Rose--Rose Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville nee Bowes-Lyon. The Countess stood as godmother to her niece Margaret, as well.

[Alixz]

I'll bet is the from the Aunt.  It's a good thing they didn't go with Ann Margaret as there was (maybe still is) an actress of the same name.

Ann Margaret Olsson born April 28, 1941

Princess Margaret was born in 1930, so long before the actress, but still, when I hear Ann Margaret, she is who I think of.

Did anyone hear about that horrible prank and I posted about earlier?  I heard about it again on the news at 6PM so I guess it is true.

[Maria the Beautiful]

Isn't the rose the most beloved flower in England?  Pehaps that was the reason for the name.   Is there some sort of rule that says those in the line of succession be named after previous monarchs?

[RoyalWatcher]

I'll bet is the from the Aunt.  It's a good thing they didn't go with Ann Margaret as there was (maybe still is) an actress of the same name.

Ann Margaret Olsson born April 28, 1941

Princess Margaret was born in 1930, so long before the actress, but still, when I hear Ann Margaret, she is who I think of.

Did anyone hear about that horrible prank and I posted about earlier?  I heard about it again on the news at 6PM so I guess it is true.

Yes, Alixz, I did hear of it this morning first thing. It was a disgusting prank. What on earth was that nurse not thinking? I hope she is able to retain her position albeit she's probably been transferred off Princess Kate's hospital ward and rightly so. In the US we have a thing called HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) which basically makes it illegal to share one's medical history to non qualified medical practitioners without the patient's explicit signed consent and other protections (it's a very detailed thing actually). I wonder if Britain has something similar in place. If so, then the nurse's job could be placed in jeopardy for disclosing the information she did. The two subjects who pulled this prank should be fired regardless. I have zero tolerance for the media outright violating a person's privacy...as should be known by my previous posts. Is there no decency left in the world? (rhetorical)

[Grace]

Oh, come on, expecting the pranksters to be fired is a bit over the top I think.  They fully expected that the hospital would terminate their call as soon as they claimed it was the Queen and were amazed they were actually put through to the ward the Duchess was in.  The whole thing is just so absurd, it's unbelievable that anyone could really think it was HM!

I agree it was a silly thing to do but the mistake lies fair and square with the hospital - the switchboard operator for not screening the call for starters, the nurse involved if she did not follow correct protocols regarding giving out patient information or with the hospital itself if its privacy rules were lax.

[RoyalWatcher]

Yeah, I suppose the bit about the firing was over the top. Agreed. 

[OctoberLily]

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess on their happy news!  And the best of wishes to Kate so that she may feel better quickly and be able to enjoy this special time in her life!

My picks for names are:

Boy:  Christian Charles Philip Henry

Girl:  Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Caroline

Wouldn't it be fun if one of us hits the mark on this?  

[grandduchessella]

The Duchess has been sprung

[CHRISinUSA]

Can you imagine how utterly embarrassed that nurse must feel today?  She probably hung up from that call in total shock - and perhaps pride - that she had just spoken to "the Queen" and "the Prince of Wales".  I can almost picture her turning to whichever co-worker was nearby and relaying her conversation with the "royals".  Nobody in her life will likely ever let her live this down.

Of course, what she did was flatly wrong, and frankly stupid (I read the transcripts of the call, and it seems that anyone sufficiently educated to have been chosen as private nurse to a member of the royal family would have been able to figure out they were being duped)!  And no doubt their rules state that even if God himself called, you can't release medical information. 

But I know several nurses and how hard and long hours they work.  She could have been exhausted from a long shift, and taken off guard by having an unexpected call from "the sovereign" put through to her.  Poor thing - probably assigned to change bedpans the rest of the week, and no doubt will never be allowed in a VIP ward any longer.

[grandduchessella]

Yes, while she has to face up to her actions, I wonder if these 'pranksters' (and we have tons here in the US on the radio) realize the real-world consequences for some of their pranks. They were thinking of themselves and what a lark it would be. Granted, she's responsible for what she said but these 2 really make me angry.

[Jen_94]

Those are lovely photos! Really love the flowers she is carrying!

About that Prank call, it makes me angry at what they did. So wrong and such an awful, digusting prank.

[Alixz]

I like William so much! He is thoughtful and considerate of his wife. I remember seeing Charles walk ahead of Diana and act as if he were the most important thing in the world even after William was born.

William always makes sure that Kate is cared about and cared for. That man will make a great Dad and and fine King.

[Jen_94]

I like William so much! He is thoughtful and considerate of his wife. I remember seeing Charles walk ahead of Diana and act as if he were the most important thing in the world even after William was born.

William always makes sure that Kate is cared about and cared for. That man will make a great Dad and and fine King.

I completely agree. In photos, you can see he cares for her and looks out for her!