The waltz of titles never ends.
Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, officially became Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday, Friday March 10.
A title held by his father Philip, until his death in June 2021. Logically, his wife Sophie is therefore now Duchess of Edinburgh, losing her previous title of Countess of Wessex.
But against all odds, their daughter (and eldest) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 19, will not take over the county of Wessex.
This one goes to his brother James, four years his junior.
Blame it on an old inheritance rule that favors boys to the detriment of girls.
In video, the emotion of Prince Edward when he presents his wife as a “duchess” for the first time
Indeed, until a few years ago, the rules of succession of the British Crown were based on the principle of
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cognatic primogeniture with male preference”, established in 1701 with the “Settlement Act”.
Concretely, if a king had several heirs, the first boy within the siblings was designated to succeed him on the throne;
it was only in default that the Crown returned to the girls.
Since then, the royal family has changed this rule deemed archaic and sexist.
The text "Succession to the Crown Act", adopted in 2013 by the Parliament and entered into force two years later, thus established a strict cognatic primogeniture.
Result: no more distinction is made between men and women.
This means that Princess Charlotte (7) is ahead of her little brother, Prince Louis (4), in the line of succession.
However, the change in the rule of succession does not affect the situation of the children of Prince Edward, the latter having been born before the law was changed.
This is why it is James Mountbatten-Windsor (born in December 2007) who inherits the county of Wessex, and not his older sister Louise.
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Lady Louise, the "secret weapon of the monarchy"
Fifteenth in line to the throne, after her brother James, Lady Louise was born on November 8, 2003 in Frimley, County Surrey.
Due to her premature birth, she suffered from esotropia, a form of strabismus corrected in 2006, then in 2013. As such, she is very committed to the blind and visually impaired, ambassador of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
Very intelligent, the niece of King Charles III has been following specialized studies in English, history, politics and theater since September 2022 at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, like Prince William and Kate Middleton in the past.
According to the English press, it will be necessary to count on Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
It is even said of her that she is the “secret weapon of the monarchy”.