Primogeniture Being Challenged in Britain

Aristocracy in Britaincontinues to follow the antiquated rule of primogeniture much to the chagrin ofthe oldest daughters.

Primogeniture allows titlesand estates to pass only to male heirs and has been the law of the land inBritain for centuries until recently. After Parliament passed a law allowing the monarchy to be passed to themonarch’s firstborn, no matter the sex, new legislative proposals allowing peeragesto pass to the oldest child rather than the oldest son are gaining steam.

Some of Britain’s Ladieshave begun an online petition in support of these proposals.  However, many ladies are afraid of an ensuingfamily feud if they were to fight against what is essentially sexdiscrimination.

See LizaCampbell, Son and Heir? In Britain,Daughters Cry No Fair, The New York Times, June 22, 2013.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professorof Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.