The Young Fogey: Britain and Commonwealth nations in discussions over law of succession

The Young Fogey (no not that one, this one) reports in a television interview that there are very discreet discussions going on between No. 10 and the governments of the sixteen Commonwealth Nations that recognize the British Monarch as their head of state over possible changes in the laws of succession.  According to the Statute of Westminster any change in the law of succession would have to be agreed on unanimously by all of the member states.  Two changes in particular are seen as enjoying enormous public support.  The first would be to strip the preference for male succession in favor of the first born child of the sovereign, irrespective of gender.  Currently it is the first born male child with a female succeeding only if there is no son.  And the second would be to remove the prohibition against Roman Catholics from succeeding to the throne.  This prohibition has been in place since the overthrow of James II, a Catholic, in the (not so) Glorious Revolution of 1688 in favor of his daughter and son in law Mary and William (II/III) of Orange who were Protestants. 

While the changes under discussion are popular according to polls, implementing them would be tricky.  If unanimous consent were not obtained it could create a situation where in the future one of the Commonwealth states could wind up with a different monarch than the rest.  It is also feared that republicans in some countries, especially Australia, might seize on any proposed changes as an opportunity to abolish the monarchy altogether.

Neither of these proposed changes would affect the current line of succession.