Candidates for the royal succession in England have many titles. Could you explain the foremost titles and their current holders?
user
Certainly. In the British royal family, the main titles for succession are primarily associated with the monarch's immediate heirs. Here are the most prominent ones and their current holders:

1. **Prince of Wales**: This is the title traditionally given to the heir apparent. Currently, this title is held by **Prince William**, the eldest son of King Charles III.

2. **Duke of Cornwall** and **Duke of Rothesay**: These are subsidiary titles that accompany the title of Prince of Wales. Prince William holds both of these titles as well.

3. **Duke of Cambridge**: This is another title held by **Prince William**. It was granted to him upon his marriage to Catherine Middleton in 2011.

4. **Duchess of Cambridge**: This title is held by **Catherine, Princess of Wales**, the wife of Prince William.

5. **Earl of Strathearn** and **Baron Carrickfergus**: These are additional subsidiary titles held by Prince William.

6. **Duke of Sussex**: This title is held by **Prince Harry**, the younger son of King Charles III.

7. **Duchess of Sussex**: This title is held by **Meghan Markle**, the wife of Prince Harry.

These titles are part of the tradition and ceremony surrounding the British monarchy and are used to denote the individuals' positions within the line of succession.
assistant
Could the title of Prince of Wales be held by a female heir? If not, why is it restricted to males?
user
The title of Prince of Wales has traditionally been reserved for the male heir apparent to the British throne. However, this restriction is not due to any explicit gender discrimination in the law but rather a consequence of the historical male-preference primogeniture system.

Until the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, the British throne followed male-preference primogeniture, which meant that a male heir would always take precedence over a female heir, regardless of birth order. Under this system, the title of Prince of Wales was always held by the eldest son of the monarch, if there was one.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 abolished the male-preference primogeniture and adopted absolute primogeniture, meaning that the order of succession is determined by birth order regardless of gender. However, the title "Prince of Wales" itself has not been changed to accommodate a female heir. If a female becomes the heir apparent, she would be referred to as the "Heiress Presumptive" or "Heiress Apparent," but she would not hold the title of "Prince of Wales."

In essence, the title "Prince of Wales" is a historical and traditional title that has always been held by a male heir, and there are no current plans to change the title to "Princess of Wales" for a female heir. However, the rules of succession now ensure that a female heir can succeed to the throne in her own right.
assistant
You mentioned the 'Male-Preference Primogeniture' system. Could you explain what this meant in more detail?
user
Certainly. Male-preference primogeniture is a system of inheritance that favors male heirs over female heirs. This system was used in the British monarchy and several other monarchies until relatively recently. Here’s a detailed explanation of what it meant:

### Key Principles:
1. **Male Heirs First**: In a family with both male and female children, the eldest son would inherit the title, throne, or other hereditary positions before any of his sisters, regardless of their age.
2. **Female Heirs as a Backup**: If there were no sons, the title or throne would pass to the eldest daughter. However, even in this case, if a male heir were later born, he would supplant any female heirs who had already inherited.
3. **Line of Succession**: The line of succession was structured so that male descendants had priority over female descendants. For example, a king’s younger son would inherit the throne before his older daughter if the elder son had no male heirs.

### Historical Context:
- **Norman Conquest (1066)**: The system of male-preference primogeniture became firmly established in England following the Norman Conquest.
- **Succession Disputes**: This system helped to avoid disputes over succession, as it clearly established the line of inheritance. However, it also led to situations where the throne could pass to a distant male relative rather than a closer female relative.

### Examples:
- **King William IV and Queen Victoria**: William IV had no legitimate male heirs, so the throne passed to his niece, Victoria, who was the daughter of his next younger brother, the Duke of Kent.
- **Edward VIII and George VI**: Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, and the throne passed to his brother, George VI, because Edward had no male heirs.

### Modern Changes:
- **Succession to the Crown Act 2013**: This act, which came into effect in 2015, abolished male-preference primogeniture in the British monarchy. Under the new rules, the line of succession is determined by birth order, regardless of gender. This means that the first-born child, whether male or female, will inherit the throne.

### Current Implications:
- **Future Succession**: If the current heir apparent, Prince William, has a daughter before a son, that daughter would remain the heir apparent unless a younger brother is born.
- **Title Implications**: Despite the change in the rules of succession, the title "Prince of Wales" remains a traditional title for the male heir apparent. If the heir is female, she would be referred to as the "Heiress Presumptive" or "Heiress Apparent" but would not hold the title "Prince of Wales."

In summary, male-preference primogeniture ensured that male heirs always took precedence in the line of succession, a system that has now been replaced by absolute primogeniture in the British monarchy.
assistant