The tiny landlocked country of Liechtenstein has changed its laws that govern the line of succession in the royal family.
With a population of 440,000 Liechtenstein was the last monarchy in Europe in which women were not allowed to ascend the throne.
However it was announced during Liechtenstein’s National Day celebrations on Saturday that the country is abandoning its system of agnatic (male-only) primogeniture.
It is moving to a model of absolute primogeniture which means that from now on the oldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, will inherit the throne.
The current Prince of Liechtenstein is Hans-Adams, who has reigned since 1989.
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His 58-year-old son and oldest child is Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, who is set to inherit the throne when his father dies.
Male-preference primogeniture in the British royal family was ended in 2013, under which model second-born sons in the royal family took precedence over first-born daughters.
13-year-old Prince George is the eldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, placing him first in the line of succession. But when their youngest child Prince Louis was born in 2018, the change in rules meant that he did not automatically rank higher in the line of succession than his older sister Princess Charlotte.
Charlotte, 11, is the first princess in British history to rank higher than a brother.
The principality of Monaco still practises male-preference primogeniture. When Prince Albert II’s twins were born in 2014, Princess Gabriella was born two minutes before her brother Jacques. But as a male he is first in line to the throne.
The royal House of Liechtenstein said in a statement, “”Dear citizens of Liechtenstein, the ability to combine continuity with renewal is a principle we also uphold within the Princely House.
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“Throughout our centuries-long history, we have benefited greatly from making decisions with a long-term perspective and careful deliberation.
“I am pleased to inform you today of a decision of great importance to our House—one that has been discussed within the family, in part, for decades.
“It entails an amendment to the House Law; concrete work on this began late last year, and on Wednesday, it secured the necessary two-thirds majority among family members entitled to vote.
“This amendment grants all female descendants of the Princely House the same rights of participation in matters concerning the House Law as their male counterparts.
“Furthermore, the order of succession is shifting from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This means that, in the future, the firstborn child—regardless of gender— will become the heir to the throne and, subsequently, the Princess or Prince of Liechtenstein.”
But there’s a twist! The rule change does not apply to current members of the royal family. It will only come into effect upon the birth of any future descendants of Hereditary Prince Alois and his wife Princess Sophie.
The royal couple have four children aged between 31 and 25: Prince Joseph Wenzel, Princess Marie Caroline, Prince Georg Antonius, and Prince Nikolaus Sebastian.
Liechtenstein is a 15-mile country nestled between Austria and Switzerland. It is famous for its fairytale medieval castles and its stunning alpine scenery.
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