Marrying someone of the same sex is not an impediment to accessing the throne in the Netherlands

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(Reuters) -

In the country that pioneered the legalization of same-sex marriage, the crown princess has the right to marry a person of either sex without giving up her right to the throne, the prime minister said on Tuesday. from the Netherlands.

Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, has not commented on the matter, and little is known about her personal life.

The issue arose after recently published books argued that the country's rules preclude the possibility of a real same-sex couple.

• Countries where unions between same-sex couples are legal

But Prime Minister Mark Rutte said times have changed since one of his predecessors last addressed the issue in 2000.

"The government believes that the heir can also marry a person of the same sex," Rutte wrote in a letter to Parliament.

"Therefore, the cabinet does not consider that an heir to the throne or the king should abdicate if he wants to marry a same-sex couple."

Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001.

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Rutte indicated that an unresolved question remains: how a gay marriage would affect the subsequent succession of the children of the royal couple.

And there's no point trying to decide that now, he said.

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"It depends a lot on the facts and circumstances of the specific case, as is notable in the changes that family law has had over time," he wrote.

Unlike ordinary marriages, royal marriages need the approval of Parliament.

Members of the royal house of the Netherlands have on occasion renounced their place in the line of succession to marry someone without permission from Parliament.

Netherlands