A battle of the sexes is brewing within the House of Wessex, after it was discovered that Prince Edward and his wife Sophie’s eldest child, Lady Louise, will be skipped over for a peerage because she’s a girl.
WATCH: Sophie Wessex tells parents ‘not to feel alone’ during this pandemic
The Queen’s youngest son, Edward, will inherit the Duke of Edinburgh title when Prince Philip, now 99, dies – but on Edward’s passing, it will then be handed to his firstborn son James, Viscount Severn.
“It’s a truly outdated law and now that they’ve realised how it will have to work, I’m sure Edward will do everything in his power to get it changed,” says a source.
It helps to have the highest power in England behind you, with the insider saying Louise, who is 16 and currently 13th in line to the throne, is one of the Queen’s most beloved grandchildren.
“The Queen and Louise often go horseriding alone together, and they’ve bonded,” says a source.
“She helped change the rules for Wills and Kate [so that] if their firstborn was a girl, [she] would have been queen even if she had brothers, so I can’t see her not supporting Lady Louise to be the Duchess of Edinburgh one day.
Despite the royal snub, there was a call for change last year, which would make it possible for women to succeed hereditary titles and see that they are not overlooked, Express reported.
The bill, entitled the Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) bill, passed its first stage in Parliament, but in March 2019 failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of session.
What’s more, it appears there may be another roadblock to overcome – Prince Charles, who reportedly wants to “slim down the monarchy” to core royals.
The news comes after Sophie recently made a bombshell revelation about Louise and James, in which she said they are unlikely to take up official royal titles or duties in the future.
Speaking candidly to The Sunday Times, the countess said that it is “unlikely” that Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn will use their HRH titles when they turn 18.
“We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living,” she said in the recent interview.
“Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
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