New Royal Baby!

Prince William, wife Catherine, and Prince Harry

So in case you haven’t heard, today we await the birth of Prince William’s and Duchess Catherine’s first child. It is a historic day and a historic birth. Since Prince William is heir to the throne behind his father, this child will be the third in line to the British throne. Here’s where it will be historic. This child will be queen or king in her/his own right regardless of gender. That means even if the royal baby is a girl, she will be queen. Earlier this year, Parliament finally passed a law that allows girls to inherit. So why should we care about  another privileged baby being born? Well, let's turn to history.


Now this is a little confusing because the current queen, Elizabeth II, inherited without issue. However, you have to look at the circumstances regarding her ascension. Her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in favor of marrying American heiress, Wallis Simpson. His younger brother, George VI, became king. George only had girls, two to be precise. The eldest, Elizabeth became queen. Had George or even Edward had sons, the eldest would have been king over Elizabeth. An accident of birth gave England her current queen and she’s still going strong at 87! Her eldest was a boy, Charles, and his eldest (and youngest!) was also a boy, Prince William.

The obsession with having male heirs to the British throne is actually quiet legendary. The only woman to inherit in her own right, Matilda, led England into a nasty civil war. After that, it was the goal of every British monarch to produce a male heir and as history repeatedly showed, the essential “spare”. Many first born sons died early from war or disease. In 1376, Edward the Black Prince died of disease before he could take the throne while only child and the Lancastrian heir, Prince Edward died at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 during the bloody and confusing War of the Roses. This Prince Edward was an only child and finally allowed the York princes, Edward and Richard to inherit the throne. Though, I should note that Edward’s death did not end the Lancastrian line but that’s an article for later. York king himself, Edward IV, had several children where only two were boys, the doomed Princes in the Tower.

The most famous desire for a male heir though is of course Henry VIII. When his long marriage to Catherine of Aragon only produced the Princess Mary and several dead and stillborn children, Henry’s search and desire went through five more women. In the end, he ended up with Mary I, Elizabeth I, and one male heir, Edward VI, who died a teenager. Henry himself was a second son. His older brother, Arthur, died of consumption as a teenager and only having been married a few months. Before Arthur’s death, Henry was being groomed for the religious life.

The search for male heirs is a long and complicated history in Britain. Truly too long for one post. Many of the kings were ill with mental illness or the sons suffered from mental illnesses. Some male heirs were brutal and violent. Lancastrian Prince Edward was said to have gleefully ordered two prisoners of war’s heads chopped off at the young age of ten years old while his father, Henry VI suffered from bouts of insanity and often went catatonic. Second born sons and even third born sons or cousins often felt they had stronger claims to the throne then the current king. It is only the last couple of centuries where things have settled down and the throne has passed peacefully. With the new law in affect, it is highly unlikely we are ever going to see another War of the Roses again.

So as we await news on whether after Charles and William Britain will have another king or this time a queen, let us remember the long and bloody historical battles fought for the throne. And let us remember why this birth is so historic and yet also personal. Personally, I’m hoping for a girl!