William, Kate's to be born daughter to be given royal title

Queen Elizabeth II of Britain has issued a decree that if Prince William and Kate Middleton have a daughter she will be titled Princess and will be styled as 'Her Royal Highness', removing an anomaly that has been in place since 1917.

The Queen has issued a Letters Patent that granted the title of prince or princess to all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's future children.

The previous royal decree by George V stipulated that a son would become a prince, but a daughter would not become a princess. Under past rules, a girl born to the royal couple would have been known as 'Lady' and not 'Her Royal Highness' as only a first-born boy would automatically become a prince.

But the Queen has now amended the law by issuing the Letters Patent, which does not require parliamentary involvement, in preparation for her first great grandchild. "The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 31 December 2012 to declare that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of Royal Highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honour," an announcement in the London Gazette reads.

The elaborate document transcribed in calligraphy is now kept at Buckingham Palace. The Queen's decree, in specifying that the royal titles are only given to the children of the Prince of Wales' eldest son, means that if William and Kate have a daughter, she will not be entitled to give her own children the title of prince or princess.

The Queen had last issued a Letters Patent to change her grandson Prince William's title following his wedding, granting him the title of Duke of Cambridge.

Royal expert Charles Kidd told the Daily Mirror that the amendment was expected and "seemed logical" to end discrimination against women succeeding to the throne. The UK government has already begun the process of altering the laws of succession to ensure that William and Kate's first child will become monarch, removing the ancient rule of male primogeniture which gave precedence to boys.

Kate, whose pregnancy was announced on December 3, celebrated her 31st birthday yesterday by spending time privately with her husband, who had time off from his job as an RAF search and rescue pilot.