Peter Phillips will renounce birthright to marry Autumn Kelly
When the Princess Royal’s son, Peter Phillips, marries his Canadian fiancee, Autumn Kelly, at St George’s chapel in Windsor in May, he will give up any hope of being crowned king of England, Mandrake (The Telegraph) can disclose.
“Peter will renounce his place in the line of succession,” says Canon Ivor Smith-Cameron, a former chaplain to the Queen. “Given that he has slipped down the line after the birth of Prince Edward’s son, I’m sure that he is happy to agree to this.”
Her Majesty’s eldest grandson, who is 11th in line to the throne, has been forced to make the decision because Autumn was baptised a Catholic. It is a provision of the 1701 Act of Settlement, which enshrined the Protestant ascendancy, that monarchs and their heirs are forbidden to become or even marry Catholics.
“My understanding is that although they are marrying in an Anglican church, Miss Kelly will have a Catholic priest present at the wedding,” says Canon Smith-Cameron. “This will ensure that the marriage is recognised by the Catholic Church. I don’t know of any precedents for this in the Royal Family, but there are plenty of precedents for this happening elsewhere, such as in the Guards’ chapel.”
After the couple’s engagement was announced last summer, Autumn’s mother, Kitty, a divorcee, authorised the Church to disclose that her 31-year-old daughter had been baptised a Catholic and was proud of her religion.
Peter, 30, whose father, Capt Mark Phillips, divorced Princess Anne in 1992, will be following the example of Prince Michael of Kent, who renounced his place in the line of succession when he married Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, a Catholic divorcee, in 1978. They married in an intimate civil ceremony in Vienna. (via The Telegraph)
February 17th, 2008 08:26
Congratulations for both of you, Autumn & Peter for your marriage at 17 May in windsor castle! my prayer to both of you are always happiness ever after Amien
February 17th, 2008 08:59
I wish them well.
February 17th, 2008 10:09
I wish them a happy ever after. Though I think in this day and age, banning Catholics from the Throne is outdated and irrelevant. Especially in a country which is trying to establish equality between all races and religions.
What would they do if one of the Queen’s grandchildren wanted to marry a black person or a muslim? Discrimination isn’t allow in society and therefore shouldn’t be allowed in the Royal family either.
February 17th, 2008 22:11
I have a question:do you have to be the royal familys religion or just not catholic.
February 18th, 2008 18:08
Thank goodness Peter is marrying a catholic girl with the Queen’s approval. I hope William can marry any religion like his cousin too!
February 18th, 2008 18:51
If charles can marry someone who’s been divorved and still be king,and they say she will automatically become queen. why does peter have to give up his right to the throne.he’s 12th in line couldn’t they just let him keep his spot. it’s like he’s being punished for being inlove. are they still forbidden to marry someone of color.
February 18th, 2008 19:27
JENNY - Peter Phillips is marrying a devout Catholic. That’s kind of a no-no with the Royals who are Protestant and of course, the Queen is considered Defender of the Faith. So, just like Prince Michael of Kent many, many years ago who also married a Catholic, Peter has to renounce his right to the throne. Actually, for him it’s no big deal since Princess Anne has always said, “My children are not royals, they just happen to have a grandmother who is the Queen” and it was Princess Anne who did not want her children (Peter and Zara) to have royal titles.
As for Charles being allowed to remarry, yes he was divorced but Diana is no longer alive and it was all handled thru the Archbishop of Canterbury, Parliament and on and on. I’m know there was alot of negotiating and if you recall, Princess Anne was also divorced, remarried Tim Laurence (although in a Scottish church) and she still retains her place in line for the throne. It’s more the Catholic thing than anything else. You have to trace this all back to Henry VIII and his breaking away from the Catholic Church because they forbade him from divorcing and we all know Henry had quite a few wives that went the way of divorce, death or beheading.
As for being allowed to marry someone of color, I don’t know if they would forbid it publicly (I doubt that very much) but privately would be a different matter perhaps. Although the way William and Harry are in terms of being independent-minded and headstrong, as long as the girl had a good background, was a member of the Church of England, and whatever other qualifications were needed, they could probably pull it off. The older Royals however are known for their predjudices and Anti-Semitism especially the late Princess Margaret and of course, Prince Philip. Charles does not seem to be that way at all however.
February 18th, 2008 19:31
William will not be allowed in the near future to marry any girl of a different religious background, especially a Catholic. He could marry her, but he probably won’t be King unless the rules change long after the Queen has passed away. You have to remember that William is 2nd in line to the throne - therefore, he as King will be Defender of the Faith although Prince Charles is so open-minded that he himself wants to be called Defender of all Faiths - one of the reasons I like Charles so much. Peter is far removed from ever being King and even he had to renounce any claims to the throne.
February 18th, 2008 20:37
Lydia,how can charles be king if he’s not willing to defend just his own church. doesn’t that mean he really does’nt believe in the church he could one day be a king of.