Down the pecking order

But Prince Andrew can now remarry without asking for Queen’s permission

One of the consequences of yesterday’s birth is that the Duke of York – should he desire to do so – can now marry for a second time without having to ask for permission from the

Queen. Prince Andrew slips down to seventh in the line of succession to the throne and in so doing does not need his mother’s permission to marry. The same 2013

legislation that ended the right of younger males to succeed over older female siblings also brought to an end the need for all descendants to seek the monarch’s

permission if they have plans to marry. According to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, only the first six people in line to the throne require the Queen’s consent. The

Duke lives at the Royal Lodge at Windsor under the same roof as his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York. They remain close, although friends dismissed the

idea that the couple could marry for a second time, pointing out that the Queen is on friendly terms with the Duchess of York and would never have stood in their way had

they expressed a wish to re-marry. The previous law, which was enshrined in the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, stated that anyone in the royal succession

was required to gain the consent of the monarch before getting married.

The Act stated that “a descendant of King George II may marry only with the consent of the sovereign”.