If talks are under way to bring the monarchy up to date so that a princess may inherit in her turn in the same manner as male heirs, it’s a move well over due, writes Shirley Tart in today’s blog.

We have had at least three historic queens over the past 500 years, two Elizabeths and a Victoria.

And for centuries, never mind in recent times, it has seemed an anachronism that a daughter of the monarch has had to give way to brothers ­ however many younger ones she has ­ and even their sons.

Our own able Princess Royal is a good case in point. If the changes did go through, she would leap from 10th in line to fourth.

But the more important point is that had she been the Queen’s eldest, she would have inherited.

As for an heir being allowed to marry a Catholic, on the face of it, that too seems late in coming since he can marry someone of no faith providing she trots along to the Abbey now and again.

That move will hit more walls of criticism though. Since the Monarch is still head of the Church of England, the ghosts of Henry VIII and his cohorts will rise again, along with 21st century activists.

A Catholic wife you see, could produce a Catholic heir and … oh well, here we go again.

If we want to modernise our royal family, we have to at least acknowledge and discuss the great anomalies ­ and these are two big ones.

But in an age of non-discrimination and enormous change, we can’t ignore them. Mind you, neither issue will be keeping most people awake at night, re-writing history is surprisingly not high on the agenda for the majority.

Parliament and palaces probably need to remember that as well during their deliberations.

This one needs swift and sensible decision making, not years of political navel-gazing.

By Shirley Tart