Liechtenstein changes succession rule to allow women to ascend the throne

Liechte stei has a ou ced that it has cha ged oyal successio ules to allow wome to asce d the th o e.

The decla atio was made o the atio al day of the ce t al Eu opea cou t y, which has a populatio of just 44,000.

Liechte stei ‘s cu e t ule , P i ce Ha s-Adam II, has bee the head of thei oyal family si ce 1989. The ule cha ge will ot affect his hei , He edita y P i ce Alois, who was his fi st-bo .

Alois has ca ied out most official oyal duties fo the last two decades.

“The o de of successio is bei g cha ged f om male p imoge itu e to absolute p imoge itu e,” the House of Liechte stei said i a stateme t.

“This mea s that i futu e the fi st-bo child, ega dless of sex, will become hei to the th o e a d late p i cess o p i ce of Liechte stei .”

The cha ge will ot affect Liechte stei ‘s successio li e fo ow – it will o ly apply to desce da ts of the fou child e of He edita y P i ce Alois a d his wife, He edita y P i cess Sophie.

I a stateme t, Alois said: “With this cha ge i the law, we wa t to e su e that both the P i cipality of Liechte stei a d the P i cely House a e led by the pe so who has bee best p epa ed fo this espo sibility.”

Liechte stei is a ti y, doubly-la dlocked cou t y tucked away betwee Switze la d a d Aust ia, whose ule e joys sweepi g political powe s, u like ma y of his cou te pa ts i Eu ope.

I 2011, B itai cha ged its successio laws to allow fi st-bo daughte s of a mo a ch to i he it the th o e.