Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024

Princess Beatrice heartbreak: Shocking reason Bea can’t take over from Prince Andrew

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Princess Beatrice, 31, is the eldest of Prince Andrew, 60, and Sarah Ferguson’s two daughters and while she is a beloved member of the Royal Family she is not a working royal. Prince Andrew was made the Duke of York on his wedding day to Sarah Ferguson, a peerage he will hold onto for life.

Prince Andrew withdrew from public life last year in the wake of a controversial interview about his friendship with dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York is unlikely to return to royal duties for the foreseeable future but he will hold onto his peerage nonetheless.

The special title Prince Andrew received on his wedding day will not pass on to either of his daughters.

That’s because the law of male primogeniture means hereditary titles can only be passed down between men in the UK.

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As Prince Andrew has only daughters and no sons it is possible the dukedom of York may fall out of use on his death or there is a slim chance it could be inherited by one of his male royal relatives.

The Letters Patent for the 1986 creation of the Dukedom of York say the title will be inherited by “heirs male of the body.”

One Quora user suggested Prince Louis could be a likely candidate to be the next Duke of York as Prince William’s youngest son.

They wrote: “The Dukedom of York will be inherited by the oldest legitimate son of the current duke.”

“Of course, the current duke has no sons, so unless that situation changes, the title will go extinct and will be available for the monarch at the time to recreate and confer on whoever they want.

They added: “Of course, the title is usually given to the second son of the monarch, so we would need to know who the monarch will be at the time.

“Given that Prince Andrew is twelve years younger than Prince Charles, it seems likely that when Prince Andrew dies and the dukedom becomes available, Prince Charles will have already died and Prince William will be the king.”

As long as male primogeniture exists in Britain Princess Beatrice will not be the next Duchess of York.

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However, an active campaign to bring an end to this ‘state-sanctioned gender discrimination’ could change Bea’s luck.

Daughter’s Rights founder Campaigner Charlotte Carew Pole is behind a campaign to end male primogeniture in Britain.

There is currently a case in the European Court of Human Rights challenging the Government because only sons can inherit titles.

Ms Carew Pole told Express.co.uk: “It’s hard to see how the Government can continue to object, it’s keeping enough pressure on them to see that it’s a matter that won’t go away.”

She added: “More than anything if we could bring this to an end it sends a very simple but powerful message that nowhere is it OK to treat girls differently, with less importance, than sons.”

Ms Carew Pole believes ‘prejudice against girls’ should be eliminated from every sector of society.

She said: “It doesn’t matter where you are in society, whether you’re a princess is beside the point, prejudice against girls in favour of boys shouldn’t be allowed.

“It is hugely symbolic legislation but Parliament must do as it says and end the last state-sanctioned gender discrimination.”

In the current system, the Queen granddaughters including Lady Louise Windsor, Princess Charlotte and Princess Beatrice are likely to lose out.

The Queen is the longest-reigning monarch in British history and a fine example of female leadership but her female descendants are still at the mercy of a system that favours men over women.

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