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Title inheritance law change 'overdue', says baronet's wife

Lady Nall Lady Nall and Sir EdwardLady Nall
Lady Nall and her husband Sir Edward Nall, of Hoveringham Hall, fear they will not be able to hand on the family title to their daughter

A baronet's wife has written to the prime minister calling on him to abolish a law that will stop her 16-year-old daughter from inheriting the family's title.

Lady Helen Nall, from Hoveringham Hall, Nottinghamshire, said the law of male primogeniture is "shockingly overdue for change".

Lady Nall's letter has been signed by MPs, celebrities and peers.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson described the issue as "complex".

Lady Nall Hoveringham HallLady Nall
Hoveringham Hall is a Georgian country mansion, with an accompanying estate of 110 acres

Lady Nall, whose husband is Sir Edward Nall, said their only child Georgie would not be able to inherit the baronetcy when her father passes away as the law stands.

"The title will go to the next male relative," she said.

"This is an ancient law, it dates back to Norman times and it's way out of date.

"It's shockingly overdue for change. It needs to be abolished."

Lady Nall's letter, which was sent to Boris Johnson last month, attracted 455 signatures of support including actor Bill Nighy, former newspaper editor Charles Moore, members of the armed forces and MPs.

"About half the signatories were men," she said. "Many were individuals who have not really got any axe to grind. It all helps lend weight to the argument for change."

Bill Nighy
Actor Bill Nighy was among more than 200 men who signed the petition

Lady Nall said the issue - recently brought to the headlines by Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of Princess Diana - affected about 450 women.

"The bill we would like to see put through by the government is that current sons who are the heirs won't be dislodged by older sisters," she said.

"Nobody wants to rip up the system - what we want is women to have an equal part of it."

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ITV The cast of Downton AbbeyITV
Downton Abbey famously saw Cousin Matthew inherit over his three female cousins

The Downton Abbey law

  • Under the principle of male primogeniture, sons, nephews and uncles take precedence over daughters, nieces and aunts when a title is passed on to the next generation.
  • New rules on royal succession came into force in 2015 to remove male bias, meaning that Princess Charlotte is currently fourth in line to the throne.
  • In 2013, the Equality (Titles) Bill was introduced in the Lords with a view to allowing equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages but it was voted down.
  • Male succession has proved a popular plot device in fiction, most famously in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey, with the ITV drama having carried a storyline about the Earl of Grantham's title passing to a distant relative he had never met, instead of one of his three daughters.
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Sir Edward's title was conferred on his father - a former MP - in 1954.

Under current law, the title will pass to Sir Edward's brother.

Lady Nall said she understood the issue affected just 0.01% of UK families.

"It is niche but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be put right," she said. "We ought to be putting this archaic law into the history books which is really where it belongs now."

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "This is a complex issue and any reform needs careful consideration and wider engagement, and should not be brought forward in a piecemeal way."

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