THE HAGUE - The Cabinet sees nothing objectionable should a situation arise where an heir to the throne wishes to marry a person of the same sex, said Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday in response to parliamentary questions. He also does not yet want to commit to a stance regarding the order of succession to the throne should children be born out of a same sex marriage.

"The Cabinet believes that the heir can also marry a person of the same sex, and sees no obstacle to a law permitting an heir to marry a person of the same sex. Therefore, the Cabinet does not believe that an heir-apparent, or a monarch, should have to renounce the throne if he/she would like to marry a same-sex partner," Rutte wrote.

It will be up to a future Cabinet and the Houses of Parliament to soon consider the “legal status” of heirs to the throne when considering children born during a same-sex marriage. Rutte said it is not currently useful to hypothesize about such a situation regarding the succession, because the facts and circumstances of such a specific case "can also change over time".

Wim Kok was prime minister in 2000 when he responded to parliamentary questions to say that members of the royal family who want to be on the throne are not allowed to marry someone of the same sex. It is not possible for them because of the royal lineage, Kok said at the time. That was just before the Netherlands legally allowed civil marriage to people of the same sex. The first marriages between women and between men were performed on April 1, 2001 in Amsterdam. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to permit same sex marriages.

The latest parliamentary questions were asked in response to a book about the Princess Amalia, who will turn 18 later this year, in which a hypothesis was presented suggesting she might have to give up the throne if she were to want want to marry a woman.