Re-ordering the aristocracy

now they don't get much more traditional than Francis fulford of fulford crumbling of the edges passed down through 26 generations and that's just his stately home but although the law on royal succession has been changed to allow Kate and William's new baby to inherit the throne regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl that rule does not apply to the aristocracy and Mr fulford or fulford is amongst those resisting any kind of change as The Honorable ktie Razzle now reports homes of stand to Pro thees have still the upper Britain in 2013 women can run the country they can rule the country but they're still unlikely to inherit the state P certainly damps the fun of the elest son it's not an easy job people look at a house like this and doesn't mean a girl wouldn't be capable families would have daughters daughters daughters daughters daughters just to have a son you are second not only second best but utterly Superfluous to requirements why do we chain for just for the sake of change there are a few squeaking females great a big fuss about something back in um oh 1480 1500 you lived in a great hall and that this is the Great Hall and this is the Great Hall um rather in a kitchen Francis fulford's family have lived in this house for the best part of a thousand years their old school landed gentry your wife and children would sit up had a little chamber up privacy there's no hiding in a chamber these days but the old rules still apply when it comes to who inherits the estate the men always take precedence so Francis fford got the place over his older assistance why change it for no particular reason what is the big reason for changing it cuz it's unfair on women why why is it unfair on women everybody knew the score which meant Francis was the 25th or so fulford to get the house 3,000 acres and more than 20 Cottages is that your children doing something out there yeah with a shotgun probably yeah they go they ping along in line with tradition Arthur fulford will take over from his father he's trying to get some fishing tips twin sister Matilda doesn't get a look in Matilda doesn't mind that at all she has no problem have you asked her I never even I I didn't need to it it's more of a man thing which is terribly sexist that's such a ridiculous comment the concept was you had to be a pretty tough guy to hold places down we don't need Knights to fight on the land you just need someone who's good at managing an estate but it's worked the point is it's worked I say it's work for a thousand years here nearly why Chuck away Traditions that are centuries old just because you want change because if we hadn't chucked away Traditions that are centuries old we wouldn't have had a female prime minister not just a female prime minister but a queen though Francis fulford mocks the new law that means the royal baby will be air to the throne no matter its gender it's some light Bal moment in a bar Cameron had and it's lovely soundbite isn't it we'll do a sound bite modernize um I think it's frankly we a lot more interesting and a lot more bigger problems in this country than farting about with a royal succession Three Counties along in the seat of England's Premier Aristocrat the Duke of Norfolk there's a whiff of Gentile rebellion in the West Sussex air arendel Castle is securely in the hands of its 18th Duke he inherited 30,000 Acres of the finest land in England and London properties worth around1 million I haven't got a lot of um ancestral po portraits but there are one or two interesting ones in here on the very edge of the estate the Earl of Bala the Duke of norfolk's brother-in-law no less inspired by the change to royal succession wants different rules for the aristocracy too he's been the beneficiary his great great uncle the conservative prime minister Arthur balur was ennobled in 1922 and it's passed down the mail line ever since the day I inherited somebody just said Rod I think you'll find it still useful for booking a on the west end and that's about it and is it no not really cuz nobody who takes a booking anymore practically speaks English and certainly doesn't understand titles and over here we have girls yeah little bit closer to you that's the Next Generation yeah the Earl and his wife only have daughters so his title and old family portraits will go to a male relative unless a bill going through the House of Lords to change the automatic entitlement of men in the aristocracy succeeds as Tony Blair would say why hey why shouldn't it change when everything else to do with female rights um has been changed why should this be the one thing that is not Rod's wife lady Tessa is the elder sister of the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of arendel if equality existed in her rarified circles she would have got the castle as eldest child but it went to her younger brother she's far too well bred to discuss being passed over but she's fighting for her eldest daughter to become Countess of ball I was given such pressure from Rod's father to have a a son and it it was very very difficult for me one of my ancestors was Anne berin she was given the most terrible time from Henry because she couldn't produce a son she in fact produced the daughter and look at the wonderful daughter she produced she produced Elizabeth the first so this is about equality in the most privileged section of British Society or is it scratch the surf and it seems we're not quite talking about Revolution son inherits but if not it goes to the eldest daughter so are you still saying that boy should inherit if there is a boy but it's just if there isn't a boy the girl should get it yes so I'm I'm bit halfway house so it's not exactly a gender equality um well it's getting it's getting it accepted and uh it's moving in that direction it's moving in that direction Liza Campbell wants total equality for girls she's the second daughter of the ear of cord and her grandfather fell off a ladder when she was born so horrified was he to hear of another girl perhaps not much has changed in Britain's social Elite since the sense of entitlement in the men is so strong and the responses hostile and sneering one person I discussed it with um ended up the co well the conversation came to an end when he said well you do realize that we will abort the the female fetuses and I just thought I don't know so I don't know how to carry on I don't think we'll wear a hat like that ARA I really can't bear that none of the aristocrats we asked to defend male succession was willing to appear on television which is why we went to plain old Mr fulford Esquire and his 1,000 years of Devon history I mean the fact we don't have an inherited title doesn't mean to say we don't act in the same way as if we did have an inherit title and um some people might say that being fford of foord is rather Grand than being Lord blinkin of somewhere who made his grandfather made his money from war petering um I might say that actually Prime geniture here is about l- held family tradition but the fford take their cue from Britain's aristocratic families even though unlike the titled folk there's no rule laid down that males have to inherit this place if you had daughters no Sons what would you do with great eldest daughter and what about if you had three daughters and then a really very good male nephew oh well that be another issue all together and I'd have to think about that one quite hard wouldn't I the St homes of England being The Heir Apparent of course Arthur can rest easy let's face it he's never been worried but what of this campaign to modernize a system many people believe too Antiquated to bother with Lady Tessa missed out on what could have been her Birthright in an equal World rodick Baler doesn't want his title to slip away from his eldest daughter lady Liza hopes for the next generation of matildas things might just be different but the government shows no sign of wanting to get involved in this particular aristocratic tussle that Bloody Dog B come here otherwise you buzz off but but so whatever the Royals do don't be surprised if male sords are running this place for another Thousand Years

Channel: Channel 4 News

Views: 264,676

Keywords: English aristocracy, UK, Channel 4 News, William and Kate, baby, act of succession, Katie Razzall

Id: cIApFA4Oi80

Length: 8min 53sec (533 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 12 2013