Princess Anne falls victim to 'preposterous' system once again - and it's got this royal expert suggesting radical change
Despite every scandal that's surrounded her younger brother Andrew, he still takes precedence over her in one way
The British monarchy wouldn't be the same without Princess Anne and yet despite being one of the most hard-working royals, she's just been pushed down the line of succession yet again. On 4th August Princess Eugenie became a mum for the third time and the arrival of her daughter means Anne is now 19th in line.
Meanwhile, the baby's grandfather Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains higher than both Anne and Prince Edward who are working royals. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond finds this "preposterous" and thinks the succession "should be revised and shortened".
"There's something rather ridiculous about the hard-working and popular Duke of Edinburgh being knocked down the succession line to make way for Eugenie's third baby," she told the Mirror. "And it's preposterous to think that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is still eighth."
His place in the succession also makes him technically one of the King's Counsellors of State which many people wouldn't be happy about. Jennie believes "the heir and their children should be enough" but "perhaps, for safety, just make it the first five".
That would mean just Prince William, George, Charlotte, Louis and Prince Harry if it was capped to five right now. Although this wouldn't make any difference to the Princess Royal or Prince Edward it seems to make more sense to Jennie than having a list of mainly non-working royals.
Andrew isn't even a prince any longer, as he was stripped of his title last year. He vehemently denies all allegations of wrongdoing against him but his connection to the late Jeffrey Epstein continues to land him in headlines.
Earlier this year, Jennie also suggested that Andrew's daughters and grandchildren should be removed from the succession along with the Sussexes to streamline things.
"Personally, I think they should also remove Harry and his children, plus Beatrice, Eugenie and their children from the line of succession," she said.
This would be a radical change and the removal process is complex. An Act of Parliament would have to be passed and legislation would also require the approval of every other Commonwealth Realm where King Charles is Head of State.
However, some shifts are easier. Princess Anne has been bumped down six places since 2020, but the reason she's so low in the first place is due to an old rule.
The line of succession has existed for over three centuries and until the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, older sisters were leapfrogged by younger brothers. The Act retrospectively applies to royals born after 28th October 2011, so it didn't help Anne but it was a huge step.
According to royal author Russell Myers, Prince William "raised the issue" with Queen Elizabeth "in the lead-up to his wedding". In William & Catherine, he explained, "If they were to have a daughter, he believed that she should maintain the right to become Queen if he and Catherine then went on to have any sons."
Their firstborn ended up being a son, but this Act is why Charlotte will always come before Louis. The Princess Royal will continue to be pushed lower and although being 19th in line might seem "ridiculous" for someone as senior as her, Anne is the kind of royal who isn't too fussed about these sorts of things and focuses on the job instead.
