Liechtenstein changed its centuries old royal rules on Saturday to allow firstborn women to inherit the throne and become ruler.
A small European nation called Liechtenstein made a big historical change to its royal rules on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The royal family announced that women will now be allowed to inherit the throne and rule the country. For hundreds of years, old laws said that only male children could inherit the royal crown and become the supreme leader of the nation.
Under the old system, if a king had an older daughter and a younger son, the younger son would take the throne while the daughter got skipped entirely. The new update completely removes this old practice. From now on, whichever child is born first in the royal family will become the future leader, whether that child is a baby boy or a baby girl.
The important announcement took place during the national day celebrations in Vaduz, the country’s capital city. Prince Alois, who handles the daily duties of running the government, shared the good news during his official speech to the public. He explained that members of the royal family voted on the decision earlier in the week and approved the change with a large majority.
Liechtenstein sits in central Europe, nestled quietly between Switzerland and Austria, and is home to about forty thousand people. Unlike many other European kings and queens who mostly attend ceremonies, the royal ruler of Liechtenstein holds real political power, including the ability to sign laws and help choose judges.
Royal leaders made this decision to bring gender equality into the monarchy and make sure the country is prepared for modern times. The leadership wanted to make sure that the absolute best person gets trained to lead the country, regardless of whether they are a male or female. In his official statement, Prince Alois said, “The line of succession will be adjusted from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture”.
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He further explained the meaning in simple terms, stating, “That means that in the future, the first-born child will, regardless of sex, become the heir to the throne and later the princess or prince of Liechtenstein”.
Highlighting the main goal behind updating the long standing rule, Prince Alois also noted, “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“.
He added that “all female descendants of the Princely House will be granted the same participation rights in matters governed by the House Law as male descendants”.
The current setup at the top of the royal family will not change immediately because the new rules only apply to future children born into the family. The current head of state is Prince Hans Adam II, and his eldest son, Prince Alois, remains next in line to take over.
Prince Alois already has a thirty one year old son named Prince Joseph Wenzel, who will follow him as ruler. However, future generations of royal daughters will now have full equal rights to wear the crown. This major update brings Liechtenstein in line with other royal nations across Europe that made similar equal rules years ago.
