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    October 28, 2011

British Royal Succession Rules Revamped

   VOA News
   Leaders of Commonwealth nations in Perth, Australia, Oct. 28, 2011.
   Photo: AP
   Leaders of Commonwealth nations in Perth, Australia, Oct. 28, 2011.

   Member nations of the British Commonwealth have agreed to repeal a
   centuries-old rule that favors sons over daughters to take the royal
   throne, even if the daughter is the oldest born.
   The agreement was reached Friday on the sidelines of the 54-nation
   Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the western Australian city
   Perth. The meeting brings together all nations once linked to the
   former British Empire.
   The leaders of 16 nations which have Queen Elizabeth as their monarch
   also agreed to scrap the rule that bans the heir to the throne from
   marrying a Roman Catholic.
   The changes were offered by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who
   called the rules outdated and senseless.
   The rules have been under scrutiny since the marriage earlier this year
   of Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne, to Kate
   Middleton.
   The three-day Commonwealth meeting opened Friday in Perth amid concerns
   about the group's relevance in the 21st century. The 85-year-old Queen
   Elizabeth told the leaders in her opening remarks the meeting "promises
   to bring new vibrancy" to the grouping.
   Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged her counterparts to make
   this year's meeting memorable for giving the Commonwealth "the
   direction it needed at a time of global uncertainty and risk."
   The leaders will discuss such issues as climate change, the high rate
   of child brides in many Commonwealth nations, and laws that criminalize
   homosexuality.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.