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Sister act made clear
Under the Act of Settlement 1701, the throne of England was settled on the "heirs of the body", which under English common law implies male- preference primogeniture.
The act also required the monarch to be Protestant and banned those who had married Roman Catholics from ascending to the throne.
The vote to end male primogeniture took place on 28 October 2011 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia. It was also agreed that marrying a Roman Catholic should no longer disqualify a person from ascending to the throne.
The actual monarch, however, must continue to be a Protestant - that provision in the Act of Settlement has not been repealed. UK prime minister David Cameron said: "The monarch must be in communion with the Church of England because he or she is the head of that Church."
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 has been repealed: only the first six persons in line to the throne now require the sovereign's approval to marry. And as the monarch's eldest son will no longer...