Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday said that royals can marry same-sex partners and keep their seat on the throne.
The Washington Post reported that Rutte said Dutch Princess Catharina Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, who is next in line for the throne, could marry someone of the same sex without fear of losing her title.
“The cabinet … 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 wrote in a letter to parliament, according to the newspaper. The new policy reportedly applies to all heirs of the throne.
Amalia has not commented on the letter.
The Netherlands legalized same-sex marriage in 2001, but questions about the policy arose after a recently published book argued that the rule excluded royals, Reuters reported.
Royal marriages need to be approved by the legislature, and members of the Dutch royal family have given up their place to marry someone without permission, according to Reuters.
Members of royal families worldwide have at times hidden their sexuality, though some have come out in recent years.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, was the first British royal to marry a same-sex partner in 2018 when he married James Coyle.
