Queen Elizabeth II was less than eager to back a landmark shift in royal tradition, one that paved the way for princesses to inherit the throne on equal footing with princes.
According to Power and the Palace, a new book by royal correspondent Valentine Low, the late monarch showed little enthusiasm for the rule change, which was introduced in 2013 under ex Prime Minister David Cameron.
The reform ended centuries of male preference primogeniture, ensuring that the firstborn child of a monarch regardless of gender would be heir to the throne.
Until then, a younger son would automatically leapfrog any older sisters in the line of succession.
Cameron is said to have pushed for the legislation urgently, keen to have it in place before the birth of Prince William and Princess Kate’s first child, later revealed to be Prince George.
Though Buckingham Palace did not stand in the way of the move, Low’s account suggests the Queen herself was not particularly invested in rewriting the rules of royal inheritance.
Cameron raised the matter during a Commonwealth summit in Perth in October 2011, telling Gillard: “William and Kate are getting married, there’s going to be kids, shall we sort this out?”
The palace, insiders suggest, was not opposed to the change but it made clear that responsibility lay firmly with government.
A source recalled: “I always thought the signals from Buckingham Palace were that if it was the wish of the duly elected prime minister of the day, and the realms can be sorted out, we will not stand in its way.”
The key condition, officials stressed, was ensuring the agreement of the other 15 Commonwealth realms where the monarch is head of state. With that support secured, the centuries-old rule of male-preference succession was finally rewritten.
“I didn’t get the sense there was any great enthusiasm from the palace and the Queen herself,” one source told Gb News.
That shift in 2013, pushed through ahead of the birth of George, meant their daughter Charlotte would not be overtaken by a younger brother in the line of succession.
Today, Princess Charlotte sits just behind Prince George and ahead of Prince Louis.