Royal Baby

When Will There Be a New Royal Baby?

In certain quarters speculation about a new royal baby announcement began almost as soon as the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton had taken place. Of course it is quite normal when a young couple marry for their friends and families to expect that there might be a new baby within a year or so of the wedding and the normal conversations take place; who will the baby look like, will it be a boy or a girl, what will it be called and when will the mother go back to work.

Not that there is as yet any sign of a royal baby and as yet no discussions about possible royal baby names and all that the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said publicly is that they are “looking forward” to having children.

Royal Baby

But there is a very big difference between this young couple and the rest of us and that is that one of their children will, in time, accede to the throne of England. The question is which one? Will it be the first born, whether it is a boy or a girl, or will it be the oldest son as has been the custom for over 400 years?

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has decided that the tradition of male primogeniture, where a baby prince would take precedence over older princesses, is outdated and discriminatory in the 21st Century. Changing this centuries old tradition has required the unanimous consent of the Commonwealth and of Parliament and the amendment or repeal of four laws, the first of which, the Bill of Rights, was passed in 1688.

The Queen of England is apparently in favour of the first new royal baby becoming the heir to the throne irrespective of its gender and will probably be pleased that the matter has been settled settled sooner rather than later. This has changed the order of succession within the British Royal Family as the Princess Royal and her children have moved up above her two younger brothers and theirs.

As far as when we mightexpect a royal baby is concerned, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are both still young and there is plenty of time, but one of the main purposes of a royal wedding is to produce an heir so they might not leave it too long. Two years would be about right. This would allow the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to take place in 2012 without the media distraction of a new royal baby and give the young couple a bit of time to get used to their new life together.