Liechtenstein's Princely House Quietly Approves Reforms Expanding the Prince's Power
Key Takeaways
- •Prince Alois of Liechtenstein can veto laws, dismiss the government, dissolve parliament, appoint judges, and reject legislation approved by referendum.
- •The prince's powers derive from a 2003 constitutional revision approved by voters and were upheld in 2012 when about three-quarters of voters rejected an initiative to curb the royal veto.
- •The new House Law reforms give the prince greater discretion over dynastic membership and authority over family names, titles, and coats of arms.
- •The Family Council will grow from three to five members, but the prince now only needs to consult it on pardons rather than obtain its consent.
- •The reforms were approved by the dynasty itself under its own private law, not by parliament or the public, underscoring the monarchy's unusually strong position in Europe.
Is Liechtenstein a functioning monarchy in practice? Recent reporting suggests the answer is yes.
Internal documents reviewed by the Financial Times show that, three days earlier, behind the walls of Vaduz Castle, Europe's wealthiest ruling dynasty quietly approved an overhaul that strengthens the authority of a prince who already wields extraordinary power over his 42,000 citizens, while reducing some of the rights and checks exercised by his relatives in the Princely House of Liechtenstein.
Even before the changes, Prince Alois could veto legislation, dismiss the government, dissolve parliament, appoint judges, and reject laws approved by referendum. Those sweeping powers are rooted in a 2003 constitutional revision that Liechtenstein's voters themselves approved by referendum, and they survived a direct challenge in 2012, when roughly three-quarters of voters rejected an initiative to curtail the prince's veto. In June, the Catholic prince said he would veto a citizens' initiative to legalise abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, even if voters backed it.
The latest changes to the House Law go far beyond succession. According to the internal documents, the prince gains greater discretion over who belongs to the dynasty and explicit authority to set rules on family names, titles, and coats of arms. The Family Council, a body of relatives that oversees dynastic affairs, will expand from three to five members, but loses an important check: the prince will no longer need its consent for pardons, only to consult it.
Notably, the reforms were approved not by parliament or by the public, but by members of the dynasty itself — a reminder that while Liechtenstein is a parliamentary democracy with elected institutions, the princely house regulates its internal affairs through its own private law, largely outside public oversight. The episode also illustrates how unusual Liechtenstein remains among European monarchies, where royal powers have generally been reduced to ceremonial roles over the past century.
More from Paul Caruana Galizia at the FT. Via Marginal Revolution.
