UK royal succession laws changed

28 October 2011 Last updated at 05:50 ET

Sons and daughters of any future British monarch will have equal right to the throne, after Commonwealth leaders changed succession laws.

The leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is head of state unanimously approved the changes at a summit in Perth, Australia.

It means a first-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take precedence over nger brothers.

The ban on the monarch being married to a Roman Catholic was also lifted.

Under the old succession laws, dating back more than 300 years, the heir to the throne is the first-born son of the monarch. Only when there are no sons, as in the case of the Queen’s father George VI, does the crown pass to the eldest daughter.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced the changes, saying the historic rules were “at odds with the modern countries that we have become”.

“Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Cameron had said the marriage of Prince William this year meant the issue could not be deferred any longer.

In her opening speech to the summit, the Queen did not directly mention the royal succession laws, but said women should have a greater role in society.

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