http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=54026
--- Comment #2 from Paul Pluzhnikov <ppluzhnikov at google dot com> 2012-07-19 13:20:40 UTC --- (In reply to comment #1) > I don't think 'mutable' overrides a const declaration specifier. I am not a language lawyer, but I believe the standard disagrees: from INCITS+ISO+IEC+14882-2011-DRAFT.pdf (similar language in INCITS+ISO+IEC+14882-1998.pdf): 3.10 Lvalues and rvalues ... 8 The referent of a const-qualified expression shall not be modified (through that expression), except that if it is of class type and has a mutable component, that component can be modified (7.1.6.1). 7.1.6.1 The cv-qualifiers ... 5 For another example struct X { mutable int i; int j; }; struct Y { X x; Y(); }; const Y y; y.x.i++; // well-formed: mutable member can be modified