The eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince George, is the third in the line of succession to the throne. His claim to the throne, however, is at risk because of a controversial rule.
The young Prince, the great-grandson of Queen Elizabeth, is now six years old. He is expected to be the future king one day in the future. However, there is one rule that risks the chance of the Prince and other royals to take over the throne. Aside from the rule of descent in the succession of the throne, it is also regulated by Parliamentary statute.
The succession to the throne is based on the constitutional developments of the seventeenth century, which paved the way for the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701). The two-act states that a Roman Catholic is specifically excluded from succession to the throne. The Throne only allows Protestant Anglicans to ascend the Throne since the royals are members of the Church of England.
They were part of the church since the 16th century. The Prince needed to give up on his religion and his Christian belief to ensure his claim to the throne. The rule is boldly written on the website of the Royal family. It was written on the Act that only Protestant descendants of Princess Sophia, the Electress of Hanover and granddaughter of James I, are eligible to succeed. It was also written that the Parliament, under the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement, also laid down various conditions which the Sovereign must meet. It was also specified that a Roman Catholic is specifically excluded from succession to the throne.
It was also written that the Sovereign must, also, be in communion with the Church of England and must swear to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland. The laws also emphasized that the Protestant succession is upholder.
A recent act, however, allowed Prince George to marry Catholics without risking his place in the succession. The Act also stopped the limitations that those who marry Roman Catholics are disqualified from the line of succession. The new developments were implemented in all sixteen Realms in March 2015. The next successor on the throne, Prince Charles, can advise new changes in the rules of succession. The ban of Roman Catholics in royal marriage has been lifted, and it is also possible that they will accept Catholic rulers as long as they are in the bloodline of the Family.
