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Who can inherit the British throne

CNN, London :

Prince William's glittering wedding to Catherine Middleton captivated a global audience earlier this year.
But up until now, any daughter born to the Duke and Duchess Cambridge would not have enjoyed an equal right to inherit the British throne. Rules dating back centuries decree that the crown passes to the eldest son and is only bestowed on a daughter when there are no sons.
All this changed at a meeting of the leaders of 16 Commonwealth countries in Perth, Australia, where they unanimously agreed to amend the succession rules.
CNN examines the background to a controversial and long-running debate.
Why has this change come about now?
The issue has been discussed in the UK for many years-and changes have been proposed before-but it requires an act of parliament and the agreement of the 15 other realms where British royalty is the head of state to alter the rules of succession.
Princesses to get fair share of throne
Successive UK governments have failed to find parliamentary time to debate proposals to change the law. A spokesman at UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office said it had often been thought of as "too thorny and complicated to deal with quickly."
The marriage of William and Catherine in April has brought the issue back into focus. David Cameron referred directly to the couple in his speech to Commonwealth leaders Friday, saying the succession rules were "outdated."
"The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he's a man... this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries that we've all become," he said.