In a historic announcement, the princely house of Liechtenstein declared on Saturday the establishment of gender equality in the line of succession to the throne. From now on, the throne will be inherited by the firstborn child, whether male or female, according to reports from AFP.
The statement from the princely house highlighted a shift from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This means that the firstborn among the children, irrespective of their sex, will become the heir to the throne and thus a prince or princess of Liechtenstein.
This decision was made by the princely house and was revealed on the country’s national day.
Liechtenstein, a constitutional monarchy, has been ruled by Prince Hans-Adam II since 1989. However, his son, Hereditary Prince Alois, has acted as regent since 2004.
Hereditary Prince Alois von Liechtenstein explained, “We want to ensure that both the principality of Liechtenstein and the princely house will be led by the person who is best prepared for this role.” He added, “This concerns the sons or daughters of the sovereign who grow up in Vaduz and are familiar from a young age with the particularities of the principality and the princely house.”
Prince Alois and his wife, Princess Sophie of Bavaria, have four children, with the eldest, Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria, born in 1995. Currently, he has no children, and if he does not have direct descendants, the first princess of Liechtenstein could potentially be his sister, Marie Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata.
The Liechtenstein princes, originally from Lower Austria, purchased the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg in 1699 and 1712, respectively. In 1719, these two regions were united and elevated to the status of a principality within the Holy Roman Empire.
The small principality has a population of only 40,000 residents, situated between Switzerland and Austria.
