It's official. Following a change in ascension rules, boy or girl, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be the next heir to the British throne.
The leaders of the 16 governments with Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state have unanimously agreed to change the laws in their realms to allow this.
Under current laws, the immediate heir is the first-born son of the monarch. Going forward, the immediate heir will be the first-born child of the monarch.
That means if Prince William and Kate Middleton have a girl as their first child, she will be the future queen, regardless of whether one or more sons follow.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said, "Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen."
Cameron personally applauded the move, adding that the UK stresses gender equality in all facets of life, making this a logical change to their traditions.
Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Charles, is next in line for the throne, followed by Will. The royal hunk will be the king of more than a dozen countries.
Those nations are Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Tuvalu, Barbados, Grenada, Solomon Islands, St. Lucia and the Bahamas.
[Photo: Fame Pictures]