Overview
- The Princely House announced the change on Saturday and said it will replace male primogeniture with absolute primogeniture so the first‑born child inherits the throne regardless of sex.
- Family members entitled to vote approved the amendment by the required two‑thirds majority after internal deliberation, following the house’s own succession procedures.
- The alteration is preparatory and does not change current leadership: Prince Hans‑Adam II remains head of state, Hereditary Prince Alois continues as regent, and Prince Joseph Wenzel remains the immediate heir.
- Succession matters for state power because the prince in Liechtenstein holds unusual constitutional authorities, including vetoing referendum results, appointing judges and dismissing governments.
- The reform signals wider social change in the conservative microstate that only granted women national voting rights in 1984 and that recently appointed its first female prime minister; it also opens the possibility of a future reigning princess if a first‑born heir is female.