محاولة لتغيير قواعد توريث العرش الملكي في بريطانيا

Hello and welcome to BBC Xtra English!

In the run up to the Royal wedding, there has been talk of reforming some of the laws surrounding the British royal family.

There are a number of laws which appear to be discriminatory.

One of them is to do with succession and gender.

The status quo means if Prince William's first child is a girl her chances of being Queen are greatly reduced if she has a younger brother because he would automatically take precedence over his older sister.

The British Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, believes the bias against royal women should end:

Mr. Clegg accepts it can't happen overnight; not least because it would require fresh legislation in the fifteen other

Commonwealth countries where the Queen is Head of State.

The second law is to do with religion.

The 1701 Act bans the British monarch from being a Roman Catholic or marrying one.

One critic has described this law as "state sponsored sectarianism".

Officials close to the Deputy Prime Minister have stressed "this isn't a political priority at all".

However it is likely that people will be debating this tricky issue when Kate Middleton gives birth to her first child; especially if it's a girl.

What do you think of monarchies? Write to us in English!
ما رأيك في الأنظمة الملكية؟ اكتب لنا بالإنجليزية

Reforming
إصلاح
Laws
قوانين
Discriminatory
تمييزي
Succession
توريث
Status quo
الوضع الراهن
Precedence
أولوية
Bias
انحياز
Legislation
تشريع
Monarch
عاهل
Roman Catholic
الروم الكاثوليك
State sponsored
برعاية الدولة
Sectarianism
طائفية
Political priority
أولوية سياسية