Dutch PM Says Government Family Can Marry Same -Sex And Not Lose The Throne

PM Belanda Mark Rutte. (Wikimedia Commons / EU2017EE Estonian Presidency)

JAKARTA - The Prime Minister of the Netherlands named the Dutch royal family, including the heirs to the royal throne, without losing their rights, with the Netherlands being one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage.

In a written response to questions from lawmakers, Prime Minister Mark Rutte wrote on Tuesday, "The Cabinet does not see that the heir or the King should abdicate if he wants to marry a person of the same sex."

Citing Euro News 13 October, questions arose after the publication of a book over the summer about the heir to the throne entitled, 'Amalia, Duty Calls'.

The book refers to Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria or Princess Amalia, the eldest child of King Willem-Alexander and will turn 18 on December 7. He graduated from high school in June and announced that he planned to take a gap year before entering university.

He also denied the 1.6 million euros annual allowance he was entitled to upon reaching the age of 18, stating in a letter to PM Mark Rutte earlier this year he felt "uncomfortable (receiving the money) as long as I don't do anything about it. in return, and while other students are having a much harder time, especially in this period of the coronavirus."

Illustration of the winter holidays of the Dutch Royal family in 2016. (Wikimedia Commons/Vorsten exclusief: De koning als regisseur van de fotosessie)

In his letter to members of Parliament, PM Rutte did not answer definitively on the question of succession in the case of same-sex marriage, on whether a child born after a sperm donor or through a surrogate mother can be called a 'lawful heir.'

"Modern family law offers ample scope for civil life to establish or have established family law relationships," wrote PM Rutte.

"There is a fundamental tension with the closed succession system in the Constitution, which aims to establish objectively and clearly who will inherit the kingdom. It is inappropriate to anticipate now such succession considerations."

"It depends too much on the facts and circumstances of the particular case, which, as can be seen by looking back in the case of family law, is not the same as the case of succession," he said.

Meanwhile citing Reuters, Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, has not yet commented on the matter, and little is known about her private life.

However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said times have changed since one of his predecessors last discussed the issue in 2000. Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001.

"The government believes that heirs can also marry people of the same sex," the PM wrote in a letter to parliament.

"The Cabinet therefore does not see that the heir to the throne or the King should abdicate if he wants to marry a same-sex partner," continued Mark Rutte.

To note, unlike ordinary marriages, royal weddings require parliamentary approval. Members of the Dutch royal family sometimes give up their place in the line of succession to marry someone without permission.