<p>The sticking point of having a Catholic as monarch would be the sovereignty of the country. The whole reason Henry VIII broke away from the Roman church was his insistence that he, and he alone, should be ruler in his own kingdom; that’s why the king (or queen, as now) is head of the church, rather than any theological reason. When his daughter Mary, a Catholic, came to the throne after Edward VI’s death, she did immediately acknowledge the pope as the head of the church, which was not as big a deal then (most of the country was still Catholic). For her the problem was her insistence on marrying Philip of Spain, which caused a brief, unsuccessful rebellion, not so much because he was Catholic either, but because a child of that marriage would have folded England into the Habsburg empire. Sovereignty was at stake.</p>
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<p>Her other problem was her relentless persecution of her own subjects for the crime of being Protestant, including burning a bunch of them at the stake. Which is why we remember her as “Bloody Mary.”</p>
<p>I meant in terms of perceived legitimacy of rule; she didn’t start persecuting Protestants until after she had been accepted as the legitimate ruler of England. In fact, she wasn’t the first to burn Protestants; that was Henry VIII, who killed quite a few people, both for being too radical and for being too Catholic. Once he burned some of each, just to make it clear that he was neither.</p>
<p>After Edward’s death, most people in power at court thought that mary’s Catholicism would translate into lack of support for her rule; that’s why Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen. Specifically, Edward thought that both her illegitimacy (she had never been legitimated after the act of parliament that rendered her illegitimate) and her religion made her unfit to rule. The depth of support for her took everyone at court by surprise, since the entire Council had sworn loyalty to Jane–although many of them claimed afterward that they didn’t mean it. </p>
<p>My point was just that at least originally, theology was secondary to other considerations in determining the heir to the throne.</p>
<p>Last Friday, the Duke and Duchess made an appearance an aid center where relief supplies are being put together to help victims of the African famine, and royal-watchers have been abuzz ever since. </p>
<p>Clue #1: When offered a sample of peanut paste, Kate declined and gave William “a knowing look.” UK doctors have long advised pregnant women against eating peanut-based products. A spokeman said that Kate has no nut allergies.</p>
<p>Clue #2: Kate is famous for fiddling with her hair, but this time, she couldn’t keep her hands off of her tummy. She was observed “touching,” “holding,” “patting,” and even “cradling” her midsection. This new behavior was “continual” and “noticeable.”</p>
<p>Clue #3: (IMO by far the most telling) The Palace, ordinarily swift to put the kibosh on false stories, has been silent, allowing the rumors to swirl for the last 3 days.</p>