Liechtenstein opens princely succession to women

Liechtenstein’s princely family has decided that the first-born child, regardless of gender, will eventually become the country’s reigning prince or princess, SRF reported on Saturday, Liechtenstein’s national day. Until now, the succession had been limited to male members of the family.

The family approved an amendment to its house law with the required two-thirds majority of all eligible voters, according to a statement. The change gives all female descendants of the princely family the same participation rights as male descendants in matters governed by the house law.

It also replaces male primogeniture with absolute primogeniture. In future, the first-born child of the princely house, regardless of gender, will become heir to the throne and later serve as Liechtenstein’s prince or princess.

“With this change to the law, we want to ensure that both the Principality of Liechtenstein and the princely house are governed by the person best prepared for this task,” Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein said in the statement.

He said this would generally be the sons and daughters of the reigning prince or princess who grow up in Vaduz and are familiarised from a young age with the particularities of the principality and the princely house.

The princely family describes the house law as an autonomous family statute adopted by the family itself and anchored at constitutional level. According to the family’s website, the House of Liechtenstein comprised slightly more than 120 members in March 2021.

The prince of Liechtenstein, or potentially a reigning princess in future, is the head of state, head of the House of Liechtenstein and chair of the princely foundations. Hans-Adam II is currently prince. As part of an early succession plan, he delegated the exercise of sovereign powers to Hereditary Prince Alois on August 15, 2004, and appointed him as his deputy.

Alois is married to Duchess Sophie of Bavaria. They have four children: three boys, including their first-born son, Prince Joseph Wenzel, and one girl.

In 2019, Alois opposed the possibility of women becoming reigning princesses of Liechtenstein in an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He said the princely family was opposed for reasons of stability, arguing that the long-term predictability of the house law and constitution was more important than the question of gender. He also said it was not easy to change a system that had worked for centuries.