This princess has just overseen a major change to royal history as she and her husband oversee an alteration to succession laws that will brig a tiny nation into the 21st century. But this royal, called Sophie, has another strange succession claim to her name. For this princess who is pretty much unknown outside the country she now calls home might have been in line to claim the throne Charles III now has as his own. Enter Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.
Sophie is second in line to the British throne according to the Jacobite Succession, the alternative line of rulers that has taken shape since King James II was deposed in 1688. James lost his crown for a number of reasons. He wasn’t that good at reigning but he was also a Catholic at a time when the ruling classes were decidedly Protestant. He was removed in favour of his Protestant daughter, Mary II, but despite going into exile, he never lost hope of regaining his throne. That claim was passed down to his son and grandson who both took a tilt at taking the crown. Their supporters, the Jacobites, also kept the claim going. And even when the direct line from James II died out, the alternative royal succession didn’t.
It just passed to other parts of the family and now rests with Franz, Duke of Bavaria who, according to the Jacobite Succession, could be King Francis II of Great Britain (King Francis I has already reigned, you just missed it, it was early 19th century in this alternate royal reality). Franz has no children so his heir is his brother, Max. And Max’s heir is the eldest of his five daughters – Sophie. Which means that this Princess of Liechtenstein is number two on the list of Jacobite successors.
To be fair, Sophie and her family have always said they have absolutely no intention whatsoever of pursuing the claim. Support for the Jacobite Succession has also petered out from its heyday when challenges from the Stuarts were big problems for the British throne.
Besides, there’s the small problem of Britain’s succession laws to get around. Catholics still aren’t allowed to take the throne, the only faith group barred from succeeding. Although it might seem an anachronism in the 21st century, Princess Sophie could be stopped in her tracks from any potential claim by the Prime Minster waving the law at her.
Sophie is pretty busy, anyway. Her husband Prince Alois, has been regent of Liechtenstein for over twenty years and she has a wide range of public duties and patronages including being President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross.
And on their country’s national day, they announced a huge change for Liechtenstein. From now on, the country will adopt absolute primogeniture which means, for the first time, that women will have equal rights to men when it comes to inheriting the throne. No more first born daughters can be passed over by younger brothers. It won’t be retrospective meaning that Alois and Sophie’s daughter, Princess Marie Caroline, can’t leapfrog the two younger brothers who outrank her.
However, their eldest son, Prince Joseph Wenzel, 31, will now see his own firstborn, boy or girl, follow him directly in the line of succession.
And Princess Sophie knows quite a lot about succession laws, having been born in direct line to another throne had certain rules and twist of history not intervened.
Lydia Starbuck is a pen name of June Woolerton who has written extensively on royal history. Her book, A History of Royal Jubilees, is available now. She is also the author of a popular cosy mystery, All Manner of Murder.
