Liechtenstein's ruling family revealed on Saturday that it would abandon centuries of male-only royal succession in favour of absolute primogeniture, granting firstborn children the right to inherit the throne irrespective of gender.
The announcement came on August 15, the Alpine microstate's national day.
"The order of succession is being changed from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture," the House of Liechtenstein declared.
"This means that in future the first-born child, regardless of sex, will become heir to the throne and later princess or prince of Liechtenstein."
The reform secured backing from the requisite two-thirds majority of eligible family members. Concrete drafting work had begun late last year, though the matter had been debated within the dynasty for decades.
Hereditary Prince Alois explained the thinking behind the shift: "With this change in the law, we want to ensure that both the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Princely House are led by the person who has been best prepared for this responsibility."
The principality, nestled high in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria, has been governed by the same dynasty for over three centuries. Its current monarch, Prince Hans-Adam II, 81, has held the throne since 1989 and is the 15th reigning prince of the house.
In 2004, on the very same national day, August 15, Hans-Adam transferred the bulk of his political responsibilities to his eldest son, Alois.
This mirrored a family tradition: Hans-Adam's own father, the late Prince Franz Joseph II, had similarly handed over executive authority in 1984, five years before his death.
Alois, 58, and his wife, Hereditary Princess Sophie, are parents to four children: Prince Joseph Wenzel, 31, Princess Marie Caroline, 29, Prince Georg Antonius, 27, and Prince Nikolaus Sebastian, 25. Since the eldest child is male, the immediate line of succession remains unaffected by the reform.
The new rules took immediate effect but are not retrospective. Princesses already born will not leapfrog younger brothers in the succession; the change applies solely to future descendants. Should Prince Joseph Wenzel's firstborn child be a daughter, she would become the first woman ever to stand as heir to the Liechtenstein throne.
The principality's monarchy wields far greater authority than most of its European counterparts. The reigning prince retains the power to veto legislation and referendum outcomes, dismiss the Government, dissolve Parliament and appoint judges. In 2012, voters overwhelmingly endorsed these sweeping prerogatives, with 76 per cent rejecting a proposal to curb the royal veto.
Liechtenstein has a track record of moving slowly on gender equality. It was the last country in Europe to extend the vote to women in national elections, doing so only in 1984 after male voters narrowly approved the measure in a referendum backed by Hans-Adam.
Liechtenstein's decision brings it into line with the majority of European monarchies. Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium all adopted absolute primogeniture during the latter decades of the twentieth century, while Denmark, Luxembourg and Britain followed in subsequent years.
Britain enacted the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, ending the convention by which younger sons displaced elder daughters. The reform applied to those born after October 28, 2011, meaning Princess Charlotte kept her place ahead of Prince Louis, the first British princess in history to rank above a brother.
Several European nations now have women as heirs apparent, among them Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, Belgium's Princess Elisabeth and the Netherlands' Princess Catharina-Amalia.
Only Spain and Monaco still operate systems favouring male heirs. In Monaco, Prince Jacques is heir despite being born mere minutes after his twin sister, Princess Gabriella.
The reform stands in sharp contrast to Japan's approach to a similar question. This summer, the Japanese Parliament passed legislation permitting distant male relatives aged over 15 to be adopted into the imperial line of succession, the first amendment to the core text of the Imperial House Law since 1949. The move was driven by anxiety over a shrinking pool of male heirs within the 16-member imperial family, which comprises just five men and 11 women.
Yet the Diet declined to open the throne to women, leaving Emperor Naruhito's only child, Princess Aiko, ineligible to succeed him. Recent polling suggests most Japanese citizens would welcome a female empress.
Crown Prince Akishino, the emperor's younger brother and next in line, offered a rare personal reflection last week. "I believe there is no difference between men and women" when it comes to fulfilling imperial duties, he said.
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