The Dutch crown princess will be allowed to marry someone of any gender without compromising her right to the throne.
Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia recently sparked debate by releasing a book called Amalia, Duty Calls, arguing that the Netherlands’ rules would mean a same-sex royal couple would not be permitted.
Although very little is known about the 17-year-old’s private life, royal marriages require the approval of parliament which means any relationship she wishes to formalise in this way would have to be made public.
In the past, members of the royal house have given up their place in the line of succession so they could marry someone without this consent or because they thought getting it was unlikely.
Responding to questions about the book in parliament, Prime Minister Mark Rutte supported the royal marrying whomever she chooses – regardless of gender.
He said: “The government believes that the heir can also marry a person of the same sex.
“The cabinet, therefore, does not see that an heir to the throne or the king should abdicate if he/she would like to marry a partner of the same sex.”
Rutte added that the world has changed since the topic was last discussed over two decades ago in the year 2000.
He went on to explain that how gay marriage would impact the royal succession is yet to be decided, but that the issue is not urgent and does not require attention at this time.
“It’s just very dependent on the facts and circumstances of the specific case, as you can see by looking back at how family law can change over time,” Rutte explained.
The Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001, 13 years before England made the move in 2014.
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