Luxembourg: Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume to become Lieutenant-Representative in October 2024

In his speech on Luxembourg's national day 23 June 2024, Grand Duke Henri announced that his eldest son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, is to become Lieutenant-Representative (regent/acting head of state) in October 2024. In this way the Hereditary Grand Duke will have some time to prepare for his role until the day comes when his father decides to abdicate.

The then Hereditary Grand Duke Henri was appointed Lieutenant-Représentant of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean by decree of 3 March 1998 (published in Memorial on 4 March 1998) and became Grand Duke when his father abdicated on 7 October 2000. Before becoming Lieutenant-Représentant, Henri was an ex officio member of the Council of State from 1980.

Article 42 of the Constitution of Luxembourg says:

The Grand Duke may have Himself represented by a Prince of the blood, who shall bear the title of Lieutenant of the Grand Duke and who [shall] reside in the Grand Duchy.

This representative shall take an oath to observe the Constitution before exercising his powers.

Luxembourg: Birth of Hereditary Grand Ducal couple's second child

The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg yesterday - 27 March 2023 - announced the birth of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's second child, Prince François:

Birth of H.R.H. Prince François

Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are delighted to announce the birth of their son at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg on Monday, 27th March 2023 at 10:04 am.

The newborn Prince will be named François Henri Luis Marie Guillaume. He weights 3.575 kg and measures 53 cm.

Princess Stéphanie and her child are both healthy and well.

The Crown Prince, the Crown Princess and his brother Prince Charles are looking forward to introducing Prince François to you.

The pregnancy was announced in late September 2022. Prince François, who was born as no. 3 in the line of succession to the Grand Ducal throne, is the sixth grandchild of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

The current line of succession:

1. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume (b. 1981)
2. Prince Charles (b. 2020)
3. Prince François (b. 2023)
4. Prince Félix (b. 1984)
5. Princess Amalia of Nassau (b. 2014)
6. Prince Liam of Nassau (b. 2016)
7. Princess Alexandra (b. 1991)
8. Prince Sébastien (b. 1992)
9. Prince Guillaume (b. 1963)
10. Prince Paul Louis of Nassau (b. 1998)
11. Prince Léopold of Nassau (b. 2000)
12. Prince Jean André of Nassau (b. 2004)
13. Prince Robert (b. 1968)
14. Prince Alexandre of Nassau (b. 1997)
15. Prince Frederik of Nassau (b. 2002)

I have earlier commented on the revision of the succession law (the Nassau Family Pact) and how it should be or might be understood, see my blog articles of 29 June 2012 and 23 June 2011. The key word is still "erstmals" in article 24 of the Family Pact. It could be interpreted as saying that as of now the daughters of Prince Guillaume, Prince Charles and Prince Robert don't have succession rights, but I am not 100 % sure of this. I still haven't found an authoritative source that explicitly says if they are in line or not. The readers are more than welcome to join the discussion!

Luxembourg: Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie to become parents again

The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg announced today that the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie are expecting their second child. The baby is expected in April 2023.

Communication du Maréchal de la Cour

Leurs Altesses Royales le Grand-Duc et la Grande-Duchesse ont l’immense joie d’annoncer que le Grand-Duc héritier et la Grande-Duchesse héritière attendent Leur deuxième enfant.

La naissance est prévue pour le mois d’avril.

Le Grand-Duc, la Grande-Duchesse ainsi que les membres des deux familles s’unissent à ce grand bonheur.

The couple's first child, Prince Charles, was born on 10 May 2020. The future prince or princess will become Grand Duke Henri's 6th grandchild.

HRH Prince Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg

The Grand Ducal Court announced this morning the birth of Prince Charles, the firstborn child of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie:

THE MARSHALL OF THE COURT COMMUNICATES

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are delighted to announce the birth of their son at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg on Sunday May 10 2020 at 5:13.

He will be called Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume.

The child weighs 3,190 kg and is 50 cm.

The Crown Princess and her child are both doing well.

The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess look forward to introducing him to the people of Luxembourg.

The pregnancy was announced on 6 December 2019. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume married the then Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in 2012. Prince Charles is no. 2 in the line of succession to the Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg.

The coat of arms of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

The coat of arms of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg was published by Grand Ducal decree 31 October 2012 in Mémorial, the Legal Gazette of Luxembourg (No. A 236, 9 November 2012).

The proposal to the new arms was given by the Heraldic State Commission (Commission héraldique de l’Etat) on 17 July 2012, with authority in act 23 June 1972 concerning national emblems.

Luxembourg: Official wedding book on the market 27 October 2012

The grand wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy has just taken place. If you still haven't got enough of the wedding, rest assured that the official wedding book - and a DVD - will be on the market already on Saturday 27 October. The book and DVD costs 21 Euro and can be ordered from Editions.lu. The author is Stéphane Bern. You can chose between a French or a German version.

I am not sure if the publisher has picked the best photo of Princess Stéphanie, though. Concerning the bride's title, I am still waiting for the decree which will make her Hereditary Grand Duchess. Nothing on Leguilux yet, and the official website of the Grand Ducal Family has not been updated since the wedding. The new member still has to wait for her own entry.

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy married

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume was married to the Belgian countess Stéphanie de Lannoy at the City Hall in Luxembourg on Friday 19 October 2012. A gala dinner took place at the Grand Ducal palace in the evening.

The religious ceremony took place in the Notre-Dame Cathedral today at 11 p.m., followed by a reception at the Grand Ducal palace. I was only able to follow the events on the Norwegian TV channel NRK1 up to bride's arrival at the cathedral. The weather was great and the crowd was  impressive. The TV commentators could have been more informative when commenting on all the royals arriving for the wedding, though.

More details about the wedding and photos can be found at the official website, Gouvernement.lu and the local newspaper Wort.lu (German and English versions). See also NettyRoyal and Luxarazzi.

Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy became Princess of Luxembourg upon the civil wedding on Friday. The Grand Duke will soon issue a decree making her Hereditary Grand Duchess. As mentioned earlier, the new member of the Grand Ducal family has obtained Luxembourgian nationality by act 10 October 2012, published in Mémorial 15 October 2012 (no. 221, p. 3014). The preparatory works can be read here.

Norwegian TV coverage of the Grand Ducal Wedding after all

Last month I was told by the Norwegian TV channels NRK and TV2 that neither were going to broadcast the wedding (religious ceremony) of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy on Saturday 20 October 2012.

Today NRK informed me by e-mail that it had decided to cover the wedding after all. The TV guide is still not updated, but the information departement tells that the broadcast will last from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The religious ceremony in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg starts at 11 a.m. 

No coverage of the Grand Ducal Wedding on Norwegian TV

We learned earlier this week that the French TV channel France 2 had dropped its planned coverage of the wedding between Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy on 20 October 2012 for budgetary reasons.

I have been in contact with the Norwegian TV channels NRK and TV2 and have been informed that they will not cover the religious ceremony either. Certainly one can expect that a short glimpse of the ceremony will be shown during the ordinary news shows, but Norwegian royalty-watchers will not be able to watch the wedding in its entirety.

The royalty-watchers might be saved by Swedish TV, but as of now I have no idea if SVT or TV4 will broadcast the wedding or not.

Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy to take Luxembourgish nationality

It can hardly be a great surprise to anyone, but according to Wort.lu yesterday (3 September 2012), Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy is to become a citizen of Luxembourg when she marries Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume.

The bill was filed in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday and is expected to be voted on in early October.

Wort.lu claims that the act will come into force on 20 October 2012, the day the religious celebration takes place in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg. However, I can't find anything in the bill that explicitly states when the act is to come into force. It would also make more sense - at least to me - if the act comes into force on the date of the couple's civil wedding on 19 October. I guess we will know for sure when the promulgated law is being published in the legal gazette (Mémorial).

The bill (no. 6474 (2011-2012) can be read here.

Updated on Wednesday 5 September 2012 at 08:10 (minor correction).

Stamps of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his fiancée

The P&T Luxembourg is to issue a stamp ("special postmark") and a sheet ("block") in connection with the forthcoming wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, eldest son of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The stamps will be on sale from 25 September.

The civil wedding will take place at the Luxembourg City Hall on 19 October 2012, while the religious wedding will be celebrated in the Notre Dame Cathedral the day after.

See also Wort.lu's article Royal love birds to feature on stamps published on 31 August 2012.

Royal wedding in Luxembourg: 20 October 2012

The Grand Ducal Court in Luxembourg (Le Maréchalat de la Cour) announced yesterday, 3 May 2012, that the wedding between Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy will take place on Saturday 20 October 2012. I gather then that both the civil and the religious ceremonies will take place at the same day.

The engagement was announced on 26 April 2012.

 

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy engaged

The Grand Ducal Court of Luzxembourg announced this morning the engagement of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume to Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy:

LE MARECHALAT DE LA COUR COMMUNIQUE :

Leurs Altesses Royales le Grand-Duc et la Grande-Duchesse, ont la très grande joie d’annoncer les fiançailles de Leur fils, Son Altesse Royale le Prince Guillaume, Grand-Duc Héritier, avec la Comtesse Stéphanie de Lannoy.

Palais, le 26 avril 2012

Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker informed his government and and the presidium (Bureau) of the Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) an later held a press conference. We were among others informed that the wedding is expected to take place later this year. The official celebration will take place at  Château de Berg on Friday 27 April. Earlier in the day there will be an official event at the Grand Ducal Palace where the couple will meet the prime minister, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, the government, the Archbishop, the Nuncio of the Holy See, other members of the diplomatic corps, the mayor and the commanding officers of the Police and Army.

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume was born in Luxembourg on 11 November 1981 and is the oldest child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, née Mestre.

Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, who belongs to one of the oldest noble families of Belgium, was born at Ronse, Belgium on 18 February 1984 as the youngest of 8 children of Count Philippe de Lannoy and Countess Alix of Lannoy, née della Faille de Leverghem. Her paternal grandparents were Count Paul de Lannoy and Countess Béatrice de Lannoy, née Princess de Ligne, while her maternal grandparents were Baron Harold della Faille de Leverghem and Baroness Madeleine della Faille de Leverghem, née de Brouchoven de Bergeyck.

Her CV is impressive. Following her primary and secondary education in Ronse, Saint-Odile in France and in Brussels, Countess Stéphanie spent a year in Moscow where she studed Russian language and literature. She later studied Germanic philology at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, before moving on to Berlin, Germany where she finished her master degree, focusing in her dissertation on the German influence on the Russian Romanticism. Then she took a further education course at the Wallonian Commercial office of the Belgian embassy in Berlin, before she started working for an investment company. Among her main interests are classical music - she plays the piano and violin - and literature, as well as sports (swimming and skiing). Besides French, which is her mother language, she speaks Dutch, English, German and Russian. A solid background for becoming Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg!

More details and photos (which are copyrighted and can not be published here) can be found at the official website of the Grand Ducal Court as well as the newspaper Wort.lu.