Perth Agreement

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Perth Agreement: a simple summary

In October 2011, leaders from 16 Commonwealth realms met in Perth, Australia. They agreed to reform how the throne is passed on to Elizabeth II’s heirs.

What changed
- Absolute primogeniture: for those born after 28 October 2011, the eldest child would usually become monarch, regardless of gender.
- Catholic rule unchanged: the monarch still cannot be a Catholic or be married to a Catholic.
- Marriage consent: the monarch’s formal permission to marriages would be limited to the first six people in line to the throne.
- The line of succession in each realm is still governed by a mix of old laws and modern rules, and any changes require agreements across the realms.

How it was done
- The United Kingdom drafted legislation, but the other realms had to pass their own laws or use existing ones to apply the changes.
- By 2012–2015, most realms had agreed and several passed laws. Some realms did not need new laws because their constitutions already allowed the changes.
- The reforms took effect on 26 March 2015 in the United Kingdom and seven other realms (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).

What happened in practice
- The first people affected were children born after the changes were agreed in 2011.
- In Canada, a court challenge questioned the process, but the changes were still implemented.
- The reforms were designed to keep the different realms connected while allowing each to update its own laws.