Marriage for all, even crowned heads. The Dutch government this week considered that the heir to the throne also has the right to marry a person of the same sex without losing his inheritance rights. While the Netherlands was the first country in 2001 to legalize same-sex marriage, a book by a constitutional law scholar estimated Crown Princess Amalia, 17, should theoretically be excluded from the succession to the throne if she married. another woman.
The parliamentarians then asked Prime Minister Mark Rutte to comment on the issue after the publication of the book. “The government believes that the heir to the throne can marry a person of the same sex and not renounce his right to the throne,” the Prime Minister stressed in a letter to parliament on Tuesday. Amalia, the eldest daughter of Argentinian-born King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, has not commented on this matter or her private life in general.
What about the succession of the children of a homosexual royal couple?
Gay marriages have been legal in the Netherlands for twenty years, but royal marriages require parliamentary approval. As for the rights to the inheritance of the children of a homosexual royal couple, the Prime Minister admitted that it was a question “a little more complicated”. The Constitution could in this regard “be in conflict with family law”, he declared on television, stressing that the government and the parliament could examine this question if such a possibility arose.
Media commentators praised the move. Mark Rutte’s letter on “an heir to the throne who wishes to marry a person of the same sex is in the spirit of the times”, judged one of them, Frits Wester, quoted by RTL.
The Dutch royal family itself has struggled to adapt to the changes that are taking place. In June, Princess Amalia waived her rights to an annual income of 1.6 million euros ($ 1.8 million) because she felt uncomfortable about receiving that sum before assuming fully his royal responsibilities, other students facing financial difficulties.