Luxarazzi

We Are On A Break

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 20:27:00 +0000

Dear readers, times flies when you are having fun - but as Luxarazzi is turning ten this year, we have decided to take an extended hiatus. It wasn't an easy decision for us as it has been an amazing ride this past decade and along the way, we - the people behind Luxarazzi - became good friends wherever around the globe we live(d). However, ten years also mean a lot of changes in our offline lives: New jobs, new towns, new babies, new responsibilities, new passions. Balancing it all and the running of a royal blog can be tough sometimes and being realistic, we decided it is best to take a break for now.

Thank your for all your support and loyalty throughout the years!

Luxarazzi 101: Prince Consort Felix - Later Years

noreply@blogger.com (emily) — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 20:14:00 +0000

For the first three parts of our biography series about Prince Felix,

please have a look here, here and here.

***

It was clear to Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix the minute they returned to Luxembourg after the end of World War II that much work needed to be done to heal the Grand Duchy and its people following the war. The first few years meant nearly endless touring of the country, meeting with inhabitants who needed help, and commemorating those who had lost their lands, loved ones, and lives in the devastation.

Felix (far left) at the 1945 Metz liberation vigil

Felix and his family had experienced some of that pain in that they temporarily lost their home. Château de Berg was commandeered by the Nazi occupiers who refurbished it into a girls' school. The home was not suited to house the Grand Ducal Family until extensive renovations had been completed, so for several years Felix, Charlotte and the children lived at Château de Fischbach. While that property had also been used (and looted) by the Germans, its floor plan had not been altered significantly and was thus inhabitable.

Charlotte and Felix concentrated their activities on ceremonies honoring the war experience in Luxembourg, as well as repairing the resulting war damage. One of his chief duties during this time was to assist in the repatriation of deportees, survivors of concentration camps, and other Luxembourg citizens displaced by the war. In late 1945, Felix attended a vigil marking the liberation of Metz as well as the funeral of American General George S. Patton in Luxembourg City. Felix was also a regular attendee at the annual Memorial Day service in Hamm, Luxembourg, honoring American servicemen who lost their lives during the war.

The Prince Consort also received several honors for his own service during the war and its aftermath. Felix was granted the French Croix de Guerre by General Marie-Pierre Koenig and the Silver Star Medal and Legion of Merit Award from the US Armed forces in 1945. The following year Felix was created a Knight of the British Empire by King George VI of the United Kingdom. He later received the Luxembourg War Memorial Cross in 1949. In 1950, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Avis in Portugal, and became a Knight of the Order of Seraphim in Sweden in 1951. Felix was granted the American Legion Gold Medal in 1957 and the Badge of Honor from the National Society of Belgian War Crosses a year later.

During these years Prince Felix also began to resume some of his pre-war service within the Grand Duchy. He served as Commander-in-Chief and Inspector General of the Luxembourg Army from 1945 to 1967. Felix also resumed his position as head of the Luxembourg Red Cross in 1947, a position he held until 1969.

In the last years of the 1940s and into the 1950s, Felix and his family settled into a more peaceful life. Felix and Prince Jean participated in a hunt in the Netherlands hosted by Prince Bernhard in December 1948. In January 1949, Felix helped to organize a series of celebrations honoring the thirtieth anniversary of Charlotte's reign. Felix also received much of the art stolen from Villa Pianore during the war this year after it was recovered from Dornsberg Castle.

Felix and his grandchildren, circa 1962

Meanwhile, Felix's children were growing up - and falling in love. Youngest child Alix was the first to marry in 1950, followed by Marie-Gabrielle (1951), Hereditary Grand Duke Jean (1953), Elisabeth (1956), and Marie-Adelaide (1958). (Prince Charles married a few years later, in 1967.) By 1968, Felix's children had made him a grandfather 27 times over.

As Felix's children were now adults, he began the process of taking a less active role in the direct management within the Grand Duchy. Felix resigned his seat on the Council of State to be filled by Hereditary Grand Duke Jean in 1951. However, the Prince Consort still kept up a very busy calendar of official and personal events. Felix dined with General Dwight D. Eisenhower during a visit to Luxembourg in January 1951. Felix and Charlotte attended the funeral of King George VI in London in 1952, as well as that of George's mother Queen Mary the following year. The couple also paid a state visit to the Netherlands in 1956. The Prince Consort was present with Charlotte at the dedication of the American Military Cemetery at Luxembourg on July 4, 1960, and the two visited France and dined with President Charles de Gaulle in February 1961.

But this relatively busy and peaceful time was marked with personal tragedy for the Prince Consort. Felix's disabled elder brother Giuseppe died in 1950, with Felix at his side. His youngest brother Gaetano died in 1958. The year 1959 was a particularly difficult one for Felix, as four members of his family died within the first six months. His elder sister Maria Teresa died in January, followed by sister Marie Adelaide the following month. Felix's mother died at Château de Berg in May of 1959 at the age of 96. Maria Antonia had lived in Luxembourg with her son's family since the end of World War II. Felix's brother Elias died just over a month later in June. Elias had long served first as head of the Bourbon-Parma family on behalf of two disabled brothers (Enrico and Giuseppe) and in his own right from 1950-59.

Felix with Charlotte, c. 1963

Charlotte abdicated the grand ducal throne on November 12, 1964, in favor of Hereditary Grand Duke Jean. She had ruled Luxembourg for over 45 years, with Felix serving as her consort for all but a few months of that reign. The couple continued to live at Château de Fischbach, which had been their home since 1945. They were joined there by Princess Elisabeth and her daughters Anita and Sophie, and later by Prince Charles, Princess Joan, and their children Charlotte and Robert. Charlotte and Felix celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1969 among their many children and grandchildren. The two received the Cross of the Order of Resistance to commemorate the event.

Felix died on April 8, 1970, at Château de Fischbach after several months of increasingly ill health. His remains lay in state for three days at the Grand Ducal Palace. Felix's military funeral on April 11 was attended by several members of European royalty and heads of state.

Fourteen years after the Prince Consort's death, his great-grandson, the second child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, was named Félix in his honor. The following year, in 1985, Grand Duchess Charlotte died of cancer at the age of 89. She is buried beside her husband in the crypt at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Weekly Roundup: Palais Tours, a Swedish Visit, and a Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 22:11:00 +0000

July 6 to July 19, 2019

This week's Roundup will actually cover the previous two weeks, as last week, ahem, completely slipped our minds. It turned out, though, that not much is going on during the summer holidays.

Last week marked the annual event during which school children have the opportunity to visit Palais grand-ducal. Organized by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO), the Palais welcomed 555 students from 23 schools across Luxembourg. Starting July 13th and running through September 5th, the Palais grand-ducal will be opened to the general public for guided tours.

Photo: © C.Chaton / Cour grand-ducale

On July 12th, Prince Félix joined Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden for a tour of a water treatment plant on the Swedish island Öland. The plant was developed using technology from the Luxembourg-based company Clean-Tech APATEQ.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Also on the 12th, Grand Duke Henri delivered a speech at the opening event for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which was held in Luxembourg from the 12th to the 13th.

Weekly Roundup: Audiences, Tennis, and a Statement

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 20:35:00 +0000

June 29 to July 5, 2019

Photo: Luxembourger Wort / wort.lu

On Tuesday, July 2nd, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume was at Wimbledon to cheer on Luxembourg athlete Mandy Minella in her match against Kiki Bertens.

Photo: llv.li

On the 3rd, Hereditary Prince Alois received the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Titov, who paid a courtesy visit to Schloss Vaduz. While in Liechtenstein, the Deputy Minister highlighted the 25 years of diplomatic relations between the countries, and both sides agreed about the importance of continued diplomacy.

Additionally, in light of the recent political scandal in Liechtenstein, with the dismissal of Councillor (and former Foreign Minister) Aurelia Frick, Hereditary Prince Alois commented on the potential for further fallout. He noted that he wasn't concerned about significant impact, particularly from an international perspective.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

On the 5th, Grand Duke Henri received in audience the Assemblée Parlementaire de l’Organisation pour la Sécurité et la Coopération en Europe (OSCE). The organization's 28th annual session is being held this year in Luxembourg, from July 4th through July 8th.

Weekly Roundup: Another Party in the Garden, Nature Visits and More

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 19:19:00 +0000

June 22 to 28, 2019

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

This week was much influenced by Luxembourg's National Day which took place last weekend. For our coverage please have a look at our posts about the National Day events, the gala and the fashion during all the events. The National Day events continued with a second garden party on Monday this week hosted by the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. More pictures.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

On Tuesday, the launch of the white paper about the "Stand Speak Rise Up!" conference hosted by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa was announced. The white paper is available here.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

On Wednesday it was audience time in the Grand Duchy as Grand Duke Henri received the directorate general of the Caisse Médico-Complémentaire Mutualiste, a supplemental health insurance supplier, as well as representatives of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

On Thursday, Grand Duke Henri got to be bus driver for a day as he visited the transportation company Sales-Lentz Group. (Well, sort of - he simply toured their facilities and got to sit down in some fancy busses and more.)

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

Continuing his run of fun activities that day, the Grand Duke also visited the valley of the river Syre and the birdringingstation Schlammwiss. Parts of the valley are run by the the Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur - natur&ëmwelt, the Grand Duke is patron of. Plenty of photos at the cour.

Photo: IKR

There weren't an awful lot of Liechtenstein news this week apart from Hereditary Prince Alois receiving several new ambassadors to the country to be presented with their letters of credence. The new ambassadors came from Benin, Saudi Arabia, Chad, Bulgaria and Vietnam.

Fashion Focus: National Day Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Heaven) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 21:10:00 +0000

Fashion Focus is back! This is our first post in 2019 and there are two explanations for that. First of all, there hasn't been much to cover when it comes to fashion before this National Day weekend. Second of all, we wanted to respect the period of mourning for the late Grand Duke Jean. I can't say the Fashion Focus posts will be back on a regular schedule because it will depend on the activities of the grand-ducal family. So I think the next Fashion Focus will be published when I have enough information to write about in a full post. Now, let's start this Fashion Focus edition with a few fashion ids from earlier this year.

On 22 May, the Grand Ducal couple, the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple and Prince Louis opened the 4th edition of the exhibition 'Révélations' in Paris. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a Lanvin coat.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Lanvin

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore a Hobbs dress with an LK Bennett bag.

Photo: Hobbs

Photo: LK Bennett

For the closing of the Octave, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a new coat while Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore an old dress and repeated accessories. Princess Claire wore a dress by Zimmermann.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Zimmermann

On 18 June, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa gave a garden party for the forces vives. Maria Teresa wore a green lace outfit by Carolina Herrera.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Carolina Herrera

On 21 June, Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Prince Felix, Prince Louis, and Princess Alexandra attended a reception for residents of Colmar-Berg. Maria Teresa wore a red Carolina Herrera wrap top.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Carolina Herrera

22 June marked the start of the National Day weekend. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the Château de Bourscheid while Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie attended celebrations in Esch-Sur-Alzette. Stephanie wore a new yellow Natan dress with her Russell and Bromley clutch.

Photo: Guy Wolff / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Photo: Lutz.nl

Photo: 1stDibs

In the evening, the Grand Ducal family attended the torchlight parade. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore an Etro long coat with her Sergio Rossi shoes.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Photo: Farfetch

Photo: Sergio Rossi

Princess Alexandra wore an Etro ikat print jacket while Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore the same outfit as earlier in the day.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Photo: Farfetch

On 23 June, the Grand Ducal family celebrated the National Day. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a new Lanvin dress with Prada pumps.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Lanvin

Photo: Prada

While she changed her earrings for the Te Deum, she wore mismatched Isabel Marant earrings at the Philarmonie.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: MyTheresa

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore a beautiful pink dress by Paule Ka (with thanks to Avery) with her Sophie Habsburg clutch and Rupert Sanderson pumps. Her hat was created by Sylvia Martinez for Les Folies Bibis and it is made of porcelain.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Harrods

Photo: Sophie Habsburg

Photo: Rupert Sanderson

Photo: Sylvia Martinez

Princess Alexandra wore a suit that was first worn by her mother in 2003.

This wouldn't be a proper Luxembourg national day without some clothes sharing/recycling going on... Maria Teresa anno 2003, Alexandra earlier today. pic.twitter.com/rfGzHI1xOn
— Svenja · Castleholic · Luxarazzi (@SydneyLux) June 23, 2019

In the evening, the family attended the gala dinner. Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa wore a Paule Ka gown, belt and bolero (with thanks to @ImperialJPNFan) and I think she might have worn her Prada silver pumps. I don't know anything about Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's outfit and Princess Alexandra wore a top that was first worn by her mother in the 1980s.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Paule Ka

Photo: Lyst

Photo: Prada

What did you think of this year's national day fashion?

Tiara Galore and Dashing Gentlemen: National Day Gala

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 20:00:00 +0000

All photos: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale

Today is Luxembourg's National Day and, saving the best for last, the Grand Ducal Family rounded off the day with the traditional gala events a.k.a. the only sure time of the year we get to see the grand ducal ladies in tiaras - and today was no different. Everyone who attended the day's events minus Prince Félix, who probably had to head back to wife and kids, was present for the evening event as well.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa sported one of her go-to tiaras, the Belgian Scroll Tiara, together with pearl earrings that we believe date back to the days of Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie adorned her red gown with the Nassau Floral Tiara and one of the Nassau Rose Brooches as well as some mystery ruby earrings she previously sported in Cannes. Fun fact: I believe this is actually a tiara premiere for the Hereditary Grand Duchess. If my memory serves me right, she has not worn this tiara before.

Princess Alexandra topped of her dress that is older than this lovely lady herself (well, part of it at least) with the Turquoise Tiara, necklace and earrings as well as a major diamond ring.

Of course the gentlemen of the Grand Ducal Family also were their dashing selves this evening. While Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Prince Sébastien sported their military uniforms, Prince Louis was in white tie.

Among the invitees for tonight's gala were members of the government, the bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, the Council of State, representatives of the judiciary, heads of the administration and foreign ambassadors - and they all looked to have a jolly good time!

National Day Weekend in Luxembourg

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 15:41:00 +0000

The Grand Ducal Family was busy this weekend celebrating Luxembourg's National Day. As every year, while the official holiday and celebrations took place today (Sunday), the celebrations already kicked off yesterday with the traditional visit to Esch-sur-Alzette by the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess, a visit to Château de Bourscheid by the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess as well as the torchlight parade.

Visit to Esch-sur-Alzette

Photo: Guy Wolff / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

At around 5pm yesterday, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were greeted at the Place de la Résistance in Esch-Sur-Alzette by the town's officials. After the laying of a wreath of flowers at the war memorial, they made their way to the city centre of Esch. In front of the town hall the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess watched a parade of the associations and clubs of Esch-sur-Alzette. After a short reception hosted in the honour of the royal guests at the town hall and an appearance on the balcony, the Hereditary Grand Ducal Couple made their way to the Escher Volleksfest, a public fair celebrating National Day, where they mingled with the people and lit a fire together with young scouts. More pictures and videos at Wort and RTL.

Château de Bourscheid

Photo: Gerry Huberty / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Meanwhile, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa paid a visit to the newly renovated Château de Bourscheid. After learning about the castle and its almost 1000-year-long history, the couple mingled with the people and took part in a celebratory ceremony that saw emergency and rescue services rewarded for their duties. The also paid a visit to House Stolzemburg, which is part of the castle. More pictures and videos at Wort and RTL.

Torchlight Parade

Photo: Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Then the two grand ducal duos reunited and was joined by another few family members, namely Prince Félix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra and Prince Sébastien, for the traditional torchlight parade and fireworks on the eve of the Grand Duke's official birthday. The torchlight parade features firefighters, scouts and basically everyone who is old enough to hold it carrying (surprise, surprise) torches. In addition there are folklore and musical groups and associations performing. The torchlight procession is part of the street festival taking place in the city on the day prior to the National Day. The pre-celebrations were rounded off by a fireworks display watched by the Grand Ducal Family from the balcony of the Place de la Constitution. More pictures and videos at Wort and RTL.

Official Ceremony

Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale

This morning, the long day of festivities for National Day started with practically almost already traditional official ceremony. First introduced in 2013, the secular ceremony took place at the Salle de concerts Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte of the Philharmonie Luxembourg this year. Just like last night, the Grand Ducal Family was out in quite a force to mark the occasion only missing Princess Claire. As part of the ceremony, the Grand Duke, President of Parliament Fernand Etgen and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel gave speeches and presented honorary awards to deserving Luxembourgers, including two Luxembourgish soldiers killed earlier this year during an explosion of a WWII bomb presented to their families. More pictures and videos at Wort and RTL.

Military Parade

Photo: Guy Wolff / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Next up on the day's agenda was the military parade which took place in the Avenue Kennedy this year. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and, for the second time now, Prince Sébastien, were on hand to witness the occasion. Apart from Luxembourg's armed forces, the parade also included police personnel and members of the rescue services.

Te Deum

The Grand Ducal Family then continued to celebrate National Day by attending the Te Deum mass at the Cathédral Notre-Dame de Luxembourg this afternoon. The Te Deum used to be the focal point of the National Day festivities but was replaced by a secular ceremony a few years ago. It's still held but in slightly smaller fashion in the afternoon. As it has been for a while now, the Te Deum was an interreligious one, concelebrated by the Catholic Archbishop of Luxembourg, the chief rabbi of Luxembourg and the imam of the Muslim community. The Te Deum just ended a few minutes ago so no pictures as of yet.

What's left? The National Day Gala of course! We will have a separate post hopefully full of glittering tiaras, wonderful gowns and dashing gentlemen later today, so stay tuned!

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, a Podium Concert, a Garden Party and More

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:10:00 +0000

June 15 to 21, 2019

Photos: Gabi

Last weekend, Prince Otto of Castell-Rüdenhausen and Sophia Mautner von Markhof celebrated their religious wedding at the former Augustinian Abbey Church in Waldhausen im Strudengau, Upper Austria with the reception and party taking place at nearby Burg Clam, the home of the family of the bride's mother, the Counts of Clam-Martinic. Among the guests for the nuptials were Princess Anunciata, Princess Astrid and Prince Josef. Many thanks to Gabi for kindly providing us with pictures.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Samuel Kirszenbaum

On June 15th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa an event celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Château de Chambord. The event included a tour of the exhibition entitled "Chambord 1519-2019: Utopia at Work." The Grand Duke was made honorary president and gave a speech in which he noted the importance of the estate and also mentioned his own family connection to Château de Chambord: his great-grandfather Robert I, Duke of Parma, was the chateau's last owner.

Photo: Elma Korac / Vaterland / vaterland.li

On the 16th, Hereditary Princess Sophie was in Schaan to attend the award ceremony for year's podium concert series at the TAK (or Veranstaltungen TAK Theater Liechtenstein). The annual series is composed of six concerts and was founded by Lotte Schwarz.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

On the 17th, Grand Duke Henri attended a celebration for the 100th anniversary of BGL BNP Paribas.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

And it's Garden Party time again! On June 18th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa welcomed individuals from the forces vives, including those who work in crafts, finance, industry, insurance, and trade. Additionally, the event included those in trade unions, professional organizations, EU institutions, the Army and Police, among others.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

On June 19th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited Kritzel Fabrik, the workshop of artist Jacques Schneider, who has supported her initiative "Stand Speak Rise Up!", which aims to end sexual violence in areas with conflict. The visit also corresponded with the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Grand Duchess viewed a photographic exhibition and also inaugurated a new signature wall that will be available to the public until September 19th.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Also on the 19th, the Grand Duchess received in audience representatives of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO), who were bringing a check for €38,734.38 in support of the Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse. The money will be used to support the initiative "Stand Speak Rise Up!"

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

On June 20th, Grand Duke Henri and Duchess Maria Teresa held a reception to honor those who had helped with the international forum "Stand Speak Rise Up!" that was held on March 260-27.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini

On the 21st, Grand Duke Henri awarded the Ordre civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau to the 2019 recipients, who included members of the Luxembourg Army, the Grand Ducal Police, a member of the association grand-ducale des Militaires et Anciens Militaires, and staff members of the Cour grand-ducale.

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Dans le cadre de la Fête Nationale, Leurs Altesses Royales le Grand-Duc et la Grande-Duchesse, accompagnés par Leurs Altesses Royales le Prince Félix, le Prince Louis, la Princesse Alexandra et le Prince Sébastien, ont donné une réception au Château de Berg pour les habitants de la commune de Colmar-Berg. © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue, Lynn Theisen #grandduc #grandeduchesse #luxembourg #nationalday #courgrandducale

A post shared by Cour grand-ducale Luxembourg (@courgrandducale) on Jun 21, 2019 at 3:35pm PDT

Also on June 21st, Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa held a reception at Château de Berg for the residents of Colmar-Berg. Also in attendance were Prince Félix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Sébastien. This event was in connection with the celebration of National Day, and we'll have a separate post on that.

Weekly Roundup: Remembering Grand Duke Jean, Superheroes and a Funeral

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 15:37:00 +0000

June 8 to 14, 2019

Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale

On Saturday, members of the Grand Ducal Family attended a special commemorative mass for the late Grand Duke Jean at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame. This kind of mass is traditionally celebrated six weeks after the passing and also marks the end of the official mourning period for the Grand Ducal Family. The members of the family in attendance for the mass included (from left to right) Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Archduchess Marie-Astrid, Princess Margaretha, Prince Nikolaus, Prince Jean, Archduchess Marie-Christine, Archduke Alexander, Archduchess Gabriella and Princess Astrid.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri was on hand for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre National de Radiothérapie François Baclesse. The Centre is a non-profit institution that participates in the public health service. It supports patients with radiotherapy indications for curative or palliative purposes, in a multidisciplinary context of oncology that involves all public and private hospitals.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

The next day, it was time for Monseigneur le Grand-Duc to receive in audience Frank Engel, head of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV)...

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale

...and pay a visit to an exhibition about Superhjemp, the Grand Duchy's very own superhero comic strip (also recently made into a movie).

Later in the week also saw the accreditation of several new ambassadors to Luxembourg. The new ambassadors of Morocco, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Lithuania and Croatia all presented their letters of credence to the Grand Duke.

Photo: ORF

Also this week, the funeral of Countess Priscilla of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems took place in Austria. The born Countess of Schönborn-Wiesentheid passed away on may 31 at the age of 85. Among the mourners at the funeral were Prince Hans-Adam and Princess Marie as well as Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie.

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, a Luxo-Liechtenstein Meeting and More

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 18:24:00 +0000

June 1 to June 7, 2019

Photo: Stefan of Royal Travel

Summer is here and with it the season of weddings (and our third weekly roundup in a row featuring one)... This time around, it was Prince Casimir of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Alana Bunte who tied the knot. The second son of the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn Fürst Alexander and wife Fürstin Gabriela, who you may recall as a guest from various big events in Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, and the American model married on Saturday at Schloss Sayn in Germany.

Photo: Stefan of Royal Travel

Among the plentiful guests at the wedding were Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla as well as their niece and nephew Princess Anunciata and Prince Josef, children of Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus. Stefan of Royal Travel went to the wedding, you can see more of his wonderful pictures here (and many thanks once again for sharing them with us!)

Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale

This week also saw an official Luxembourg-Liechtenstein meeting as Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie participated in the annual gathering of the heads of state of the German-speaking countries. The other four countries attending include Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium which explains why Queen Mathilde is also in the picture above. (Plenty more at the cour.) This year's meeting took place in Linz, Austria, and included a visit to the Ars Electronica Center.

Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale

On Thursday, Grand Duke Henri paid a visit to the glass blowing workshop Seil in Bendorf. They are currently reproducing a range of historic crystal glasses, blown and engraved with the coat of arms of the Grand Duke. The effort forms part of an initiative launched by the Chamber of Trade to highlight the know-how of Luxembourgish crafts bringing together the tradition of rare trades and those of high technology.

Photo: Laurent Blum / Cour grand-ducale

Earlier today, Friday that is, Grand Duke Henri received in audience Franz Fayot, President of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), and Agnès Durdu, new President of the Council of State, in office since 1 April 2019.

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, an Election, and the Octave

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 May 2019 19:19:00 +0000

May 25th-31st

Photo: Facebook Page of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia

On May 25th, Prince Dushan of Yugoslavia and his wife Valerie De Muzio had their religious wedding at the Church of St. George in Oplenac, Serbia. He is the son of Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein and the late Prince Alexandra of Yugoslavia. Among the guests of the wedding were Prince Alexander and Prince Rudolf, sons of Prince Philipp, as well as several other members of the extended Liechtenstein family.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

On the 26th, members of the Grand Ducal family attended the Pontifical Mass as part of the Octave at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg, and then participated in the closing procession for the event. Included were the Grand Ducal couple, the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple, and Prince Félix and Princess Claire. (As part of the six-week mourning for Grand Duke Jean, they did not make a balcony appearance.)

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Also on the 26th, the Hereditary Grand Duke, the Hereditary Grand Duchess, and Prince Félix were at the "Ratskeller" electoral office to cast their ballots in the 2019 European Elections.

Photo: © COSL / Cour grand-ducale

On May 27th, Princess Alexandra joined members of the Luxemburg Olympic and Sports Committee in Montenegro for the Games of the Small States of Europe. You'll also notice Princess Nora and Anunciata there, supporting the athletes from Liechtenstein. The event runs from May 27th through June 1st.

On the 27th and 28th, a delegation from the Austrian Constitutional Court, headed by now-appointed Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein (as of May 30th), was in Liechtenstein. During their visit, they were received by Hereditary Prince Alois. No photos of the delegation with the Hereditary Prince just yet.

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, Exhibitions and Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 May 2019 19:11:00 +0000

May 18 to May 24, 2019

On Friday last week, the new mayors (sort of, whatever Vorsteher exactly means in English, it's literally a "presider") of the municipalities of Liechtenstein took their oath at the government building. Afterwards, they were received by Hereditary Prince Alois for a meeting at Schloss Vaduz though no pictures seem to be available.

Screenshot via Hello

On Saturday, Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle attended the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Tom Kingston at Windsor Castle. The bride is a daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and thus a member of the extended British royal family.

Photo: IKR

On Monday, the Liechtenstein embassy in Vienna together with the Art Museum Liechtenstein and the Hilti Foundation hosted a reception for the Austrian art scene at the Albertina, where parts of the Princely Collection of the House of Liechtenstein is currently on display to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Principality. Prince Constantin and Princess Maria-Pia, who is the Liechtenstein ambassador to Austria, were on hand for the occasion. More information at Vaterland.

Photo: Marktgemeinde Maria Enzersdorf

A day later, Prince Constantin attended another event to mark the 300th anniversary of the Principality. At Burg Liechtenstein, the family's ancestral seat south of Vienna, he opened a new treasure chamber which also includes a replica of the Ducal Hat of Liechtenstein.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Meanwhile in Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri received Chief Raoni Metuktire for an audience on Monday. He is a chief of the Kayapo people, a Brazilian Indigenous group from the plain lands of the Mato Grosso and Pará in Brazil. Chief Raoni is internationally famous as a living symbol of the fight for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous culture and is currently on a tour of Europe to fight for his causes.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Later that same day, Grand Duke Henri, who was joined by Princess Alexandra, hosted a reception for Luxembourg's highest ranking diplomats who had travelled back to the Grand Duchy for the annual diplomatic conference. More pictures at the cour.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

On Wednesday, Princess Alexandra made on of her few solo appearances of the year as she attended a conference to celebrate 100 years of woman suffrage in the Grand Duchy. More visuals of the event at the cour.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

That same day in Paris, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, joined by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Prince Louis, opened the 4th edition of the exhibition "Révélations" at the Grand Palais. Luxembourg is this year's country of honour of the exhibition featuring the work of over 400 artists, craftsmen, designers, and manufacturers. The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess are the patrons of the Luxembourgish exhibitions of "Révélations". More photos.

Photo: L'Est Republicain

Also on Wednesday, Archduke Carl-Christian, husband of Luxembourg's Princess Marie-Astrid, paid a visit to Bar-le-Duc, a town in the north-east of France once part of the old Duchy of Lorraine. Archduke Carl-Christian's grandmother, Empress Zita, used the title of Duchess of Bar for official documents. A day earlier, he had participated in a conference in nearby Nancy though I haven't yet found any more details about that. More about the visit to Bar-le-Duc at L'Est Republicain.

Weekly Roundup: Red Cross, Receptions, and Reaching Children in Need

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 May 2019 13:04:00 +0000

May 4th-17th

Photo: Tatjana Schnalzger / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li

On May 8th, Hereditary Princess Sophie welcomed all members of the Liechtenstein Red Cross for the annual activity report. As part of the event, blood donors were honored, and attendees heard about the yearly event that invites children from Eastern Europe to a three-week holiday in Schaan. Hereditary Princess Sophie is the President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross.

Photo: Martin Walser / Tagblatt / tagblatt.ch

Also on the 8th, Hereditary Prince Alois heard from representatives of digital-liechtenstein.li, about their plans for expanding business opportunities in the Principality.

Photo: IKR / Volksblatt / volksblatt.li

On May 14th, Hereditary Prince Alois received Juliane Bogner-Strauss, the Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Families and Youth, for a courtesy visit at Schloss Vaduz.

Photo: llv.li

And on the same day, the Hereditary Prince received the Swiss Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States at Schloss Vaduz.

Photo: Roland Korner / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li

He also received Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, who was in Liechtenstein for further discussions about ratifying the EFTA Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia.

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Eröffnung des Eugen Rosmarie Haus des VBW in Triesen (plus 30 jähriges Jubiläum). Wir haben die PV Anlage zur nachhaltigen Stromversorgung beigesteuert.

A post shared by Verein JugendEnergy (@jugendenergy) on May 11, 2019 at 4:38am PDT

On May 11th, Hereditary Princess Sophie was in Triesen to attend the opening of the Eugen Rosmarie House, which welcomes children in need. The Minister of Social Affairs Mauro Pedrazzini was also present.

Photo: oligreen.com / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li

And finally, Countess Adelheid Coudenhouve-Calergi, née Princess of Liechtenstein, was named the Principality's honorary consul in London. She is the older daughter of Prince Vincenz. The honorary consulate was opened this month and she is the first person to hold that position.

'Äddi Monseigneur' - Being in the Public During the Funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

noreply@blogger.com (Arjan) — Mon, 13 May 2019 18:39:00 +0000

A little more than a week ago, Grand Duke Jean was laid to rest. Our fellow royal watcher and occasional contributor Arjan was in Luxembourg for the day. Make sure to follow him on Twitter here and find his previous reports for Luxarazzi here. Once again a massive thank you to Arjan for sharing his experiences with us!

***

After having been in the public for the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie in 2012 (read my reports here and here), I travelled to Luxembourg again on 4 May for the funeral of Grand Duke Jean.

As soon as I heard of his death, I was considering going to the funeral. Especially when the date was announced (the first Saturday of a week off for me), I decided to go. From my house in the Netherlands, it's a 3-hour drive to Luxembourg - so very doable. And a big reason to go was the obvious fact that this funeral would be attended by members of many European dynasties, both reigning and non-reiging; the late Grand Duke was a former head of state and a beloved member of the Gotha. He was closely related to many Catholic dynasties (Parma, Habsburg, Braganza) and through his late wife Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, who was a Belgian princess as we all know, he got even more family connections with various dynasties. Besides that: Grand Duke Jean was one of the last old skool royals: being born in a totally different world, just a few years after WW1, in a time when royals only married royals (like he did himself; his marriage to Joséphine-Charlotte is considered to be the last arranged marriage in royal Europe). His generation of traditional royals is disappearing now and going to Luxembourg would be my way of saying goodbye to a great man and royal - and also to some extent saying goodbye to a kind of royalty that is becoming rarer and rarer.

I decided not to spend the night before the funeral in Luxembourg - that would save me time and money. So instead, I got up at 3.15AM (!) on Saturday 4 May and I drove off one hour later. The weather forecast was not good: we would get rain and even snow in Luxembourg with only about 10 degrees Celsius. During my drive to Luxembourg, I got a nice sneak preview; when driving through the Ardennes, there was a lot of snow. At some point, I was driving through a winter wonderland! Luckily, when I arrived in Luxembourg, there was no snow, but it did rain - and it did so quite heavily and uninterrupted.

I parked my car at Place de Martyrs, just a 10-minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral, where the funeral service would take place. I came prepared: a few days before the funeral, a dear Twitter friend of mine had sent me the 'secret' media guide for the funeral, so I knew where I would want to stand. I knew already that the royal guests would arrive at Rue de l'Ancien Athénée (the grandest entrance, which is actually a side entrance of the Cathedral) and I decided that I would go there first. So the funeral procession would only consist of family members (unlike previous grand ducal funerals, where both family and foreign royalty walked behind the coffin) and they would arrive at the main entrance at the Rue Notre-Dame. My plan was: watching the royal guests arrive and then try to get into the Rue Notre-Dame to watch the funeral procession arrive at the main entrance. It was risky: if that wouldn't work out (because it would be too crowded), I would not be able to see the funeral procession and I would have lost my good spot at the entrance at the Rue de l'Ancien Athénée.

When I arrived at the Cathedral at 8AM, I was surprised that only a handful of people was standing there. Yes: the weather was bad, it was cold and it was early, but I still would have expected more people. Almost immediately, my Twitter friend Stefan saw me and came to me. He had a very good spot, so we held each other company during the hours of waiting.

And it kept raining. And raining. It was depressing: I got very cold: at one point, I couldn't even feel my fingers anymore (okay, that sound dramatic, but you know what I mean). I was worried: if it would keep on raining, the royals would arrive under their umbrellas and it would be difficult to see them (let alone take some pictures).

Some minor royals arrived when it was still raining (but it wasn't that heavy anymore).

Note: the mediatized houses don't interest me that much, so I don't recognize many of them I don't recognize many of the extended Habsburg family.

Hélène Vestur: not a royal but she was married to one (Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the late Grand Duke's second son).

The Duke and Duchess of Castro (the Duke is a pretender of the throne of Two Sicilies). Behind them: Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon (a pretender to the French throne) with his fiancee Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg (a great-granddaughter of Emperor Karl I of Austria and niece of Prince Lorenz of Belgium). On the right in a uniform of the Order of Malta is Count Lancelot d'Ursel.

Seen from the back: Prince Serge and Princess Eleonora of Serbia. Leaving the bus: the Duke of Anjou (another pretender to the French throne) and Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz.

As if by magic, the rain practically stopped. I think some higher power answered my prayers. And the other good news: the buses and vans with the minor royals stopped right before me and they all left at my side as well. Things were different at the wedding in 2012: the buses and vans with the minor royals came from the other sids of the road, stopped before me but the door was at the other side of the bus, so I couldn't see them. Now, things were much better! I began to feel way more optimistic (and I started to feel my fingers too!).

More buses, vans and eventually cars with royals began to arrive now in quick succession.

Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife Duchess Marie-Caroline (born Duchess in Bavaria and sister of Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein).

Archduchess Anna Gabriele of Austria (daughter-in-law of the last Austrian Emperor and Empress) and Archduke István.

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia.

Crown Prince Leka of Albania.

The Duke of Calabria (just like the Duke of Castro a pretender to the throne of Two Sicilies) and his eldest son, the Duke of Noto.

Archduke Karl of Austria, the head of the Austrian Imperial Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Parma (the Duke is a first cousin once removed of Grand Duke Jean). Agnatically, the Grand Ducal Family is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon-Parma.

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece...

... with his mother, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (a sister of the Queen of Denmark).

The Duke and Duchess of Braganza (the head of the Royal Family of Portugal and his wife). On the left: Princess Miriam of Bulgaria (widow of Prince Kardam, the eldest son of the Bulgarian King).

The Prince of Beira (the eldest son of the Duke of Braganza) accompanies Princess Miriam. Behind them: the Duke of Porto, younger brother of the Prince of Beira.

Margarita, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, with her husband Prince Radu.

The aides and ladies-in-waiting of the royal guests who were due to arrive.

Joachim Gauck, former President of Germany, with his partner Daniela Schadt.

Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France.

Prince Hassan (the Jordanian King's uncle), Princess Sarvath and Princess Badiya of Jordan.

Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, the brother of the Moroccan King.

The Princess Royal...

... in the same car as Lady Elizabeth Anson (sister of the famous photographer Lord Lichfield and stepdaughter of Prince George of Denmark)...

.. They were also joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester...

.... and on the left: Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain.

Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.

Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium...

...with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde...

...who were also joined by King Albert II (sister of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, Grand Duke Jean's late wife), Queen Paola, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz...

...They were also joined by Prince Laurent and Princess Léa (widow of Prince Alexandre, half-brother of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte).

King Harald V (first cousin of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte) and Queen Sonja of Norway...

... who were joined by Princess Astrid, the King's sister.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

So now all foreign royal guests were inside. As I planned, Stefan and I (joined by three other people who were standing near us and asked us who all those people were) rushed to the other entrance of the Cathedral at Rue Notre-Dame to try to see the arrival of the funeral cortege. It was quite crowded in this narrow street, but, in the end, we managed to get some good spots.

Grand Duke Henri, surrounded by his family.

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa greeting the banner.

From left: Prince Sébastien, Princess Alexandra, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and (partly hidden) Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, Archduke Carl Christian of Austria (partly hidden), Prince Jean of Luxembourg, Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria (born Princess of Luxembourg), Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (born Princess of Luxembourg) and the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess (partly hidden).

From left: Prince Noah of Nassau, Princess Claire, Prince Félix, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg.

From left: Prince Sébastien, Prince Louis of Luxembourg with his two sons Princes Gabriel and Noah, Princess Claire and Prince Félix.

From left: Countess Marie-Christine (born Archduchess of Austria) and Count Rodolphe of Limburg-Stirum with their eldest son Count Léopold, Prince Sébastien and Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg.

From left: Archduke Christoph, Archduchess Adélaïde, Archduchess Kathleen and Archduke Imre of Austria.

From left: Antonius Willms (husband of Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau), Princess Marie-Astrid (partly hidden), Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein, Archduke Alexandra, Archduke Christoph, Archduchess Gabriella and Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria.

From left: Princess Marie-Astrid, Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein.

From left: Prince Paul Louis, Prince Wenceslas and Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau, Antonius Willms, Princess Marie-Astrid and Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein.

From left: Prince Jean, Prince Léopold, Prince Constantin, Prince Carl-Johann, Prince Paul-Louis and Prince Wenceslas of Nassau.

From left: Prince Jean, Prince Léopold, Princess Charlotte, Prince Constantin, Prince Carl-Johann and Prince Paul-Louis (partly hidden).

From left: Prince Jean, Prince Léopold, Princess Charlotte (partly hidden) and Prince Paul-Louis.

After the coffin and family had entered the Cathedral, I decided to have a look at other spots in the city.

Place Guillaume II was under construction, but some people have been very creative with making sure that the surroundings made for a fitting tribute to the late Grand Duke.

Rue de la Reine, before the Grand Ducal Palace. So strange that almost no one was there anymore.

Quite desolate: the Grand Ducal Palace.

A fitting tribute to the Grand Duke by the Maison de l'Union européenne.

Many shop windows had pictures of Grand Duke Jean, This one was especially beautiful: an old portrait of the Grand Duke with Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.

At Place d'Armes, appromimately 100 to 150 people watched the funeral service on a big screen.

Then, after having been on my feet for many hours (several of them in the cold and rain), I was very hungry! At the Place d'Armes, I found a nice little café. I had a nice spot next to the radiator: I put my feet under it and placed my hands on it. It was heaven. I ate and drank something and then, I was ready to go back to the entrance of the Cathedral at Rue de l'Ancien Athénée to see all the guests leaving. I really hoped I could take better pictures then, because they would be walking toward me and the weather seems to be getting better.

I went back to my former spot, and although there were quite a number of people, I could still get a very good spot. Three rows of people were in front of me, but as I have the advantage of being tall, that was no problem whatsoever for me.

The coffin being carried out of the Cathedral...

... followed by the family.

Count Léopold, Countess Marie-Christine and Prince Sébastien.

Some grandchildren and partners.

Prince Léopold and Princess Charlotte.

The coffin being carried off the stairs on the side to the entrance of the Grand Ducal Crypt, where the Grand Duke would be interred.

After the coffin and family were down in the Crypt, the guests were leaving. And the sun came out just a little bit as well! I was at a perfect spot to watch all the guests again - and I could see them way better than when they arrived.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway with the King's sister, Princess Astrid.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians with their eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth...

... followed by Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz...

... and Prince Laurent and Princess Léa.

Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

The Princess Royal...

... followed by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester...

...and Princess Badiya of Jordan and Countess Mountbatten of Burma...

...and in the back, on the left: Lady Elizabeth Anson.

Countess Mountbatten of Burma got confused: she didn't know in which car to sit...

... She got in this car...

... and then in this car... In the end, I think she got in the car with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. She did look a bit annoyed!

Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Former German President Joachim Gauck with his partner Daniela Schadt.

Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan.

Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes and her son Crown Prince Pavlos.

Margarita, Custodian of the Romanian throne with her husband Prince Radu, followed by Archduke Karl of Austria and Princess Miriam of Bulgaria.

Queen Anne-Marie and Crown Prince Pavlos.

Margarita, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and Prince Radu.

Archduke Karl and Princess Miriam.

The Duke and Duchess of Braganza.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg and his first cousin Princess Sophie de Ligne, daughter of Alix of Luxembourg

The Duke and Duchess of Parma, behind Princess Anne de Ligne and husband Chevalier Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils de Grâce.

A long row of royals from non-reigning houses, members of mediatized houses and nobles, including several nieces and nephews of Grand Duke Jean such as children of his sisters Princesses Alix, Marie-Gabrielle, Marie-Adelaide and Elisabeth and his brother Prince Charles as well as the Count of Paris.

Crown Prince Leka of Albania.

Crown Prince Leka and Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia.

Prince Alois Konstantin of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg with his wife Princess Anastasia (born Princess of Prussia). On the right: Princess Mathilde of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (born Duchess of Württemberg). Behind: Prince Wauthier de Ligne, nephew of Grand Duke Jean.

The Duke and Duchess of Braganza.

Prince Robert and Princess Sophie de Ligne.

The Duke and Duchess of Parma.

Once again, a number of nieces and nephews of Grand Duke Jean with their spouses.

The Count of Paris.

From left: Duke Franz of Bavaria, Crown Prince Leka of Albania and Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia.

Prince Georg Friedrich and the Prince and Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia sharing a joke with the Prince and Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. The Princess is a first cousin of his late father.

Among the group: On the right, Prince Michel and Princess Eleonora de Ligne with Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis between them, behind Princess Mathilde and Prince Erich of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg, further behind Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg (Charles' daughter) hidden by her husband Marc Cunningham.

On the right: the Duchess of Castro. In the middle: Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon and Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg. Behind them: Duke Wilhem Albert of Urach, on the far left: Princess Sylviane of Stolberg-Stolberg with her husband Prince Jost-Christian (mostly hidden).

In the middle: the Duke of Castro. To his right: Charles-Louis de Potesta, grandson of Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg.

Hereditary Prince Bernhard and Hereditary Princess Stephanie of Baden.

Behind: Archduke István and Archduchess Paola.

From left: Hereditary Prince Bernhard of Baden, Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria with her daughter, Duchess Marie Caroline of Württemberg.

This group includes, among others, Archduchess Beatrice of Austria and husband Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg, Archduke Karl-Peter and Archduchess Alexandra, as well as Archduchess Isabella and husband Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi.

On the right: Archduchess Anna Gabriele of Austria with her daughter Archduchess Catharina.

In the back: the Duke of Anjou (left) and Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz.

In front: Charles-Louis de Potesta.

Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon and Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg.

Duchess Elisabeth, Duchess Marie Caroline (barely visible) and Duke Philipp.

Hereditary Prince Bernhard and Hereditary Princess Stephanie of Baden.

In the middle: Archduke Michael and Archduchess Christiana of Austria.

Prince Serge of Serbia.

Hélène Vestur, the former wife of Prince Jean of Luxembourg, with Kathryn Mechie (the partner of her son Prince Constantin) and Ivana Jamin (the partner of her son Prince Carl-Johann). Ahead of them: One of the sons of the Duke of Croy.

In the front, first and second from the right: Hereditary Prince Carl-Philipp of Croy, the Prince of Beira and the Duke of Porto.

After the royal and noble guests had left, it didn't take much time before the Grand Ducal Family left the Cathedral after the short service in the Grand Ducal Crypt.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, followed by Archduke Carl-Christian and Archduke Marie-Astrid of Austria and Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein.

Prince Jean of Luxembourg and his wife Countess Diane of Nassau.

From left: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Queen Paola and King Albert II of Belgium and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg...

... followed by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Félix and Princess Claire...

... Princes Gabriel, Noah, Louis and Sébastien...

... Princess Alexandra, Countess Marie-Astrid, Count Léopold...

... Count Rodolphe, Archduke Imre, Archduchess Kathleen, Archduke Christoph, Archduchess Adélaïde, Archduke Alexander, Archduchess Gabriella, Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Maria-Anunciata.

From left: Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Princess Claire, Prince Félix, Queen Paola, King Albert II and (partly visible) Princes Gabriel and Noah.

Prince Sébastien and Princess Alexandra.

From left: Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Prince Guillaume, Princess Claire (barely visible), Princes Félix, Louis and Sébastien.

From left: Archduchess Kathleen, Archduke Imre (from the back), Archduchess Adélaïde, Archduke hristoph, Archduke Alexander, Archduchess Gabriella, Princess Maria-Anunciata (barely visible, Prince Josef-Emanuel and Princess Marie-Astrid.

On the right: Princess Marie-Gabrielle.

From left: Princes Wenceslas, Constantin, Carl-Johann, Paul-Louis and Léopold, Princess Charlotte (barely visible) and Prince Jean.

Flags at half mast at Place de la Constitution, with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.

After the Grand Ducal Family had left, I immediately went to my car to go home: I was tired and full of impressions of this memorable day. This funeral was a rare event that made so many members of European dynasties come together. There will not be many gatherings like this one in the future.

I look back on this day with a feeling of nostalgia; to me, it was not only a farewell to Grand Duke Jean, but also to a world of royalty that is disappearing rapidly. Old traditions and customs are altered or abolished. Royalty is not what it was when Grand Duke Jean was young. It's a fact of life: everything changes, and so does royalty. But it does make me a bit sad, especially on a day like this!

Thanks to Stefan, who I met again; it was nice talking to him during the long hours of waiting! Thanks to the ladies at Luxarazzi for allowing me to write again for their wonderful blog. And a special thank you to Svenja, who has helped me identify some German and Austrian royals and nobles.

Weekly Roundup: Returning Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 May 2019 19:49:00 +0000

It's been a fairly slow week in the world of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein events (understandably so, in the former case, due to the mourning for Grand Duke Jean), but a fairly busy week in our non-Luxarazzi lives. So we're putting the Roundup on hold this week, and we'll do a combined post next Friday.

Have a great weekend!

More Official Pictures: The Royal Guests at the Funeral of Grand Duke Jean

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 21:09:00 +0000

Claude Piscitelli / Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale / Guy Wolff / Luxemburger Wort

The Last "Äddi": Grand Duke Jean Laid to Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 20:47:00 +0000

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

It was shortly before half-past eleven this morning when Grand Duke Jean left the palais grand-ducal for the very last time. Representatives of eleven reigning monarchies, countless non-reigning and noble houses, former presidents of Germany, France and Portugal, national and international dignitaries had already taken their place at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg, when Luxembourg's former Grand Duke, who died almost two weeks ago aged 98, made his final journey through the streets of Luxembourg towards the Cathedral.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

The coffin of Grand Duke Jean was draped in a flag based on the Grand Duchy's coat-of-arms prominently displaying the Red Lion. The Grand Duke's mortal remains were carried on a howitzer gun mount, once gifted to Grand Duke Jean by the Irish Guards, towed by a military vehicle of the Luxembourg Army. As 21 canon salutes were fired, the funeral procession including the members of the Grand Ducal Family, military and police delegations, the highest ranking political and other dignitaries, slowly made their way to the Cathedral. It was interesting to note that the three oldest of Grand Duke Jean's great-grandchildren, namely Princes Gabriel and Noah and Count Léopold de Limburg-Stirum, also attended the service.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Grand Duke Jean's coffin was carried into the Cathedral to the sounds of De Wilhelmus, Luxembourg's grand ducal anthem, the lyrics of which are actually about (the love of) Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix, the late Grand Duke's parents. The funeral mass was presided over by Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich and his concelebrants included former Archbishop Fernand Franck and Augustine Kasujja, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Grand Duchy. The Grand Ducal Family was heavily involved in the service with both Archduchess Marie-Astrid and Prince Guillaume giving the readings in French and Luxembourgish respectively. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume (in Luxembourgish), Princess Marie-Gabrielle (in French), Princess Anunciata (in English), Prince Paul-Louis (in Luxembourgish) and Archduchess Marie-Christine (in French) read the intercessions, which they wrote themselves.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Samuel Kirszenbaum

The mass ended with the Sonnerie Nationale and the singing of the national anthem Ons Heemecht. Then came the perhaps most moving part: Grand Duke Jean's coffin was carried out of the Cathedral to the sounds of Highland Cathedral played by bagpipers of the Irish Guards together with the Military Music. It is a song that it very moving in itself and was probably the emotional highpoint of a generally very emotional day. Grand Duke Jean was then privately laid to rest at the Cathedral's crypt alongside his wife, parents, brother and further relatives.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

If you wish, you can (re)watch the funeral service over at RTL. You can find more pictures in our posts here and here and all over the Luxembourgish media, just go on their websites and you will find easily find them. Our "field reporter" Arjan was in Luxembourg today and he will share experiences in the coming days, so make sure to come back. As we noticed that some attendees were missing on the guest list published in advance, we may also come up with a more comprehensive one sometime next week.

Official Photos of the Post-Funeral Reception at the Palais

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 18:04:00 +0000

After the funeral of Grand Duke Jean took place, the Grand Ducal Family hosted a reception at the palais grand-ducal for some of the day's guests. These are the official pictures. For the official pictures of the funeral service, please have a look here.

All photos: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue / Samuel Kirszenbaum

Official Pictures of the Funeral Service for Grand Duke Jean

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 18:01:00 +0000

Grand Duke Jean, who passed away almost two weeks ago, was laid to rest today. It was a sad and moving day for Luxembourg and all followers of the Grand Ducal Family. Before we start our more in-depth coverage of the funeral, we thought we would let photos speak for themselves. So here is a visual look back of the day shared by the cour grand-ducale.

Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli / Sophie Margue / Samuel Kirszenbaum / Luxemburger Wort / Guy Wolff

Who Will Attend: The Official Guest List for the Funeral of Grand Duke Jean

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 08:01:00 +0000

This is the official guest list released by the cour grand-ducale. Like in previous instances, the guest list is an eclectic mix of various languages (mainly French with some German and English thrown in), so some of the styles and titles aren't entirely correct - but we thought you would like to see it nonetheless...

Luxembourg (46)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Grand-Duc et la Grande-Duchesse
Leurs Altesses Royales le Grand-Duc Héritier et la Grande-Duchesse Héritière
Leurs Altesses Royales le Prince Félix et la Princesse Claire
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Louis
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Gabriel
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Noah
Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Alexandra
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Sébastien

Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l'Archiduc Christian et l’Archiduchesse Marie-Astrid
Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduchesse Marie-Christine d'Autriche et le Comte Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum
Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l'Archiduc Imre et l'Archiduchesse Kathleen d'Autriche
Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l'Archiduc Christophe et l'Archiduchesse Adélaïde d'Autriche
Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduc Alexander d'Autriche
Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduchesse Gabriella d'Autriche et Son Altesse Royale le Prince Henri de Bourbon-Parme

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Jean et la Comtesse Diane de Nassau
Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Marie Gabrielle de Nassau et Monsieur Antonius Willms
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Constantin de Nassau et Madame Kathryn Mechie
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Wenceslas de Nassau
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Carl-Johann de Nassau et Madame Ivana Jamin

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Margaretha et Son Altesse Sérenissime le Prince Nikolaus de Liechtenstein
Son Altesse Sérnénissime la Princesse Anunciata de Liechtenstein
Son Altesse Sérnénissime la Princesse Astrid de Liechtenstein et Monsieur Rafe Worthington
Son Altesse Sérnénissime le Prince Josef de Liechtenstein

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Guillaume et Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Sibilla
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Paul-Louis de Nassau
Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Charlotte de Nassau
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Léopold de Nassau
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Jean de Nassau

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Charlotte et Monsieur Mark Cunningham
Son Altesse Royale le Prince Robert de Luxembourg

De Hohenberg (1)

Son Altesse Sérénissime la Princesse Anita de Hohenberg

De Potesta (3)

Le Baron Jean-Louis de Potesta

Monsieur Charles-Louis de Potesta

Madame Elisabeth de Potesta

Henckel de Donnersmarck (2)

Le Comte Heinrich Henckel de Donnersmarck

Le Comte Andreas Henckel de Donnersmarck

Holstein-Ledreborg (10)

La Comtesse Monica de Holstein-Ledreborg et Monsieur Henrik de Jonquières

La Comtesse Tatiana de Holstein-Ledreborg et Monsieur Mark von Riedemann

La Comtesse Lydia de Holstein-Ledreborg

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Marie Gabrielle de Bourbon-Parme

La Comtesse Veronica de Holstein-Ledreborg

La Comtesse Antonia de Holstein-Ledreborg

La Comtesse Silvia de Holstein-Ledreborg et Monsieur John Munro of Foulis

De Ligne (12)

Son Altesse le Prince Michel et Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Eléonore de Ligne

Son Altesse le Prince Henri de Ligne (fils de Henri de Ligne)

Leurs Altesses le Prince Wauthier et la Princesse Régine de Ligne

Son Altesse la Princesse Anne-Marie de Ligne et le Chevalier Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils et Grâce

Son Altesse la Princesse Sophie de Ligne

Le Comte François de Nicolay (fils de Sophie de Ligne)

Leurs Altesses le Prince Lamoral et la Princesse Jacqueline de Ligne

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Rafael d'Orléans-Bragance (fils de la Princesse Christine de Ligne)

D’Autriche (17)

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l’Archiduchesse Yolanda d’Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduchesse Constanza e Auersperg-Trautson

Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l'Archiduc Carl Peter et l’Archiduchesse Alexandra d'Autriche

Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l’Archiduc Istvan et l’Archiduchesse Paola d’Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduchesse Catharina d'Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduchesse Anne-Gabrielle d'Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduc Siméon d'Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l’Archiduchesse Ludmila d’Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l’Archiduchesse Marie-Hélène d’Autriche

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l’Archiduchesse Isabella d’Autriche-Este et le Comte Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi

Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l’Archiduc Carl-Christian et l’Archiduchesse Estelle d’Autriche

Leurs Altesses Impériales et Royales l’Archiduc Michael et l’Archiduchesse Christina d’Autriche

Reigning Houses

Belgique (9)

Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine des Belges

Leurs Majestés le Roi Albert et la Reine Paola

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Elisabeth

Leurs Altesses Royales la Princesse Astrid et le Prince Lorenz

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Laurent

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Léa

Danemark (1)

Sa Majesté la Reine de Danemark

Espagne (2)

Leurs Majestés le Roi Juan Carlos et la Reine Sofia

Jordanie (3)

Leurs Altesses Royale le Prince Hassan et la Princesse Sarvath de Jordanie

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Badiya de Jordanie

Liechtenstein (2)

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Prince Héritier et la Princesse Héritière

Maroc (1)

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Moulay Rachid

Monaco (1)

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince Albert II de Monaco

Norvège (3)

Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine

Son Altesse la Princesse Astrid

Pays-Bas (1)

Son Altesse Royale le Princesse Beatrix

Royaume-Uni (3)

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Royale Anne

Leurs Altesses Royales le Duc et la Duchesse de Gloucester

Suède (2)

Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine de Suède

Ancien Chefs d’Etat (4)

Son Excellence Monsieur Nicolas Sarkozy

Son Excellence Monsieur Joachim Gauck et Mme Daniela Schadt

Son Excellence Monsieur Aníbal Cavaco Silva

Non-Reigning Houses

Grèce (2)

Sa Majesté la Reine Anne-Marie de Grèce

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Héritier Pavlos de Grèce

Roumanie (2)

Sa Majesté Margareta de Roumanie, Custodian of the Crown of Romania et Son Altesse Royale le Prince Radu de Roumanie

Bulgarie (1)

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Miriam de Bulgarie

Heads of Families

Portugal (5)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Duc et la Duchesse de Bragance

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Alonso de Bragance

Son Altesse Royale le Prince de Dinis de Bragance

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse de Maria Francisca de Bragance

Autriche (17)

Son Altesse Impériale et Royale l'Archiduc d'Autriche

De Bavière (1)

Son Altesse Royale le Duc de Bavière

Bourbon-Parme (3)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Duc Charles-Xavier et la Duchesse Anne Marie de Parme

Preussen (1)

Seine Königliche Hoheit Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preussen

Paris (2)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Comte et la Comtesse de Paris

Arenberg (7)

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Duc et la Duchesse d'Arenberg

Son Altesse Royale la Duchesse douairière d'Arenberg

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Prince Henri et la Princesse Daîné d’Arenberg

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Prince Charles-Louis et la Princesse Fiammetta d’Arenberg

Albanie (1)

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Leka II des Albanais

Lobkowicz (2)

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince Charles Henri de Lobkowicz

Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Marie-Françoise de Bourbon-Parme

Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (2)

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince Alois et Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Anastasia de Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

Bourbon (1)

Louis de Bourbon, Duc d’Anjou

Bourbon des Deux Siciles (4)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Duc et la Duchesse de Castro

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Pedro de Bourbon des Deux Siciles, Duc de Calabre

Son Altesse Royale le Prince Jaime de Bourbon des Deux Siciles, Duc de Noto

Yougoslavie (2)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Prince Serge et la Princesse Eleonora de Yougoslavie

Arco (3)

Son Altesse le Comte Riprand d’Arco-Zinneberg et Son Altesse Impériale et Royale la Comtesse Béatrix d’Arco-Zinneberg (Archiduchesse d’Autriche)

Son Altesse la Comtesse Anna Theresa d’Arco-Zinneberg

Bade (2)

Son Altesse Royale le Prince héritier et la Princesse héritière de Bade

En Bavière (3)

Ihre Königliche Hoheit Herzogin Elisabeth in Bayern

Croÿ (4)

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Duc de Croÿ

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince héritier de Croÿ

Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince Marc-Emanuel de Croÿ

Son Altesse Sérénissime la Princesse Xenia de Croÿ

Von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny (1)

Seine Durchlaucht der Fürst Alexander von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny

Von Oldenburg (2)

Leurs Altesses Royales le Duc Paul et la Duchesse Pilar de Oldenburg

Napoléon Bonaparte (4)

Son Altesse Impériale le Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon Bonaparte et la Comtesse Olympia d’Arco-Zinneberg

Leurs Altesses Impériales le Prince Jérôme et la Princesse Licia Napoléon Bonaparte

Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (2)

Seine Durchlaucht Georg Fürst von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg und Ihre Königliche Hoheit die Fürstin von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg

Von Württemberg (3)

Son Altesse Royale le Duc Philipp et Son Altesse Royale la Duchesse Marie de Württemberg

Son Altesse Royale la Duchesse Sophie de Württemberg

Limburg-Stirum (2)

Le Comte Louis et la Comtesse Belen de Limburg Stirum

Looz-Corswarem (2)

Le Comte et la Comtesse Louis de Looz-Corswarem

De Monseignat (2)

Le Comte Bernard de Monseignat et Son Altesse Sérénissime la Comtesse Maria Gabriele de Monseignant

Croÿ-Roeulx (2)

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Prince et la Princesse de Croÿ-Roeulx

Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes le Prince Olivier et la Princesse Isabelle de Croÿ-Roeulx

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1)

Seine Durchlaucht Heinrich Erbprinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn

Ursel (2)

Le Comte et la Comtesse Lancelot d’Ursel

Von Urach (5)

Ihre Durchlauchten Herzog Wilhelm Albert und Herzogin Karen von Urach

Ihre Durchlauchten Fürst Inigo und Fürstin Daniela von Urach

Seine Durchlaucht Fürst Anselm von Urach

Invités particuliers (3)

Madame Hélène Vestur

Countess Mountbatten of Burma

Lady Elizabeth Anson

About My Father: A Heartfelt Letter From Grand Duke Henri

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 May 2019 04:00:00 +0000

Photo: René Scho / RTL / RTL.lu

This letter was published by Grand Duke Henri to remember his late father, Grand Duke Jean, who will be laid to rest today. The letter was published in Luxembourgish and French, this translation was done by us.

About my father

Dear fellow citizens,

today on the day of the funeral of our beloved father, I would like to tell you how much he meant to us, his children, children-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was always there for his family, despite his many obligations he fulfilled with a great sense of responsibility and duty. In this, he could always rely on the support of his wife, my mother, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.

His open and affectionate nature and his ability to approach people impressed everyone who met him. He was an incredibly positive person. He could always be enthusiastic about everything. Up until a few days before he was hospitalised, he insisted to take part in the Forum (about sexual violence) my wife organised or to visit exhibitions.

He was interested in everything that happened in the country. Even the difficult Brexit agreement proposals contained few secrets for him. I am convinced that our father's sincerity and enthusiasm are some of the reasons he reached such an old age. He passed his zest for life on to us, his family, and his humour brought more than one tear of joy and laughter to our eyes. He was our constant support, encouraging us, congratulating us for our actions while fully respecting our choices and decisions.

Of course, the other ambition in his life was the deep love he felt for his country and the great affection for its people, their unity and diversity. The hardships he overcame with so much courage built an unparalleled connection with his mother, the Grand Duchess Charlotte. He believed in the good of humankind and its progress, just as he took great pride in the progress of our country in the past several decades. The affection and plentiful tributes for him by the people of Luxembourg of the past two weeks will remain for me one of the greatest and most memorable experiences of my life.

A few weeks ago, when Grand Duke Jean was hospitalised, we all accompanied and surrounded him. He was the centre of three generations. Two days before his departure, he thanked those who cared for him, then he said goodbye to us. Those were his last words. Once more, he showed the greatness of his soul and his consideration for others. He died with the feeling of a fulfilled life.

We, his children and his family, are particularly proud and happy to have had him as a father.

Merci Papa,

we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us.

Henri

Funeral of Grand Duke Jean: Everything To Know

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2019 19:45:00 +0000

Grand Duke Jean, who passed away on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, aged 98 will be laid to rest at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg tomorrow. He will find his final resting place in the cathedral's crypt alongside his late wife, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, his parents and further relatives.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

Where can I watch the funeral?

Luxembourgish as well as Belgian TV will show the funeral live. Livestreams will also be available online on RTL.lu, the government website as well as other Luxembourgish media outlets. We will provide you with a link tomorrow morning. (Here you go.) The broadcast starts at 10am and will last until 1pm.

What is the schedule?

The mass at the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame will start at 11.15am. The funeral procession will leave the palais grand-ducal at 11am to make its way to the cathedral. The coffin of Grand Duke Jean will be accompanied by members of the Grand Ducal Family as well as national dignitaries, military and police. Royal guests will not take part in the procession but instead leave the palais by car starting at about 10.15am. They will be arriving to the cathedral by the side entrance.

What route will the funeral procession take?
The procession will leave the palais grand-ducal and make its way towards the cathedral via the Rue de la Reine, Rue du Fossé and Rue Notre-Dame where they will enter the cathedral via the main entrance. If you happen to be in Luxembourg, make sure to read these information about parking, road closures and more.

Who will attend the funeral?

No official guest list has been published. Several reigning and non-reigning royal families have announced their attendance. The reigning houses include: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, King Albert II and Queen Paola, Prince Lorenz and Princess Astrid, Prince Laurent, Princess Léa and Princess Elisabeth; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein; Prince Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, Princess Astrid; King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia of Sweden; Prince Albert II of Monaco; Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands; King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain; Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan, Prince Rashid and Princess Badia; as well as the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester from the United Kingdom.

Funeral of Duchess Gabrielle of Croÿ

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2019 19:05:00 +0000

Photo: Westfälische Nachrichten

The funeral of Duchess Gabrielle of Croÿ took place at the Saint Jacob Church in Dülmen, Germany, today. The daughter of Princess Antonia of Luxembourg and Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria passed away on Good Friday, April 19, 2019, at the age of 91 predeceasing her first cousin Grand Duke Jean by a few days. The mourners at the funeral included Prince Sébastien and his cousin Prince Paul-Louis, oldest son of Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla. There may have been more members of the Grand Ducal Family in attendance who were not pictured. Photos at the local newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten.

Hereditary Grand Duke Remembers Late Grandfather in Parliament

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2019 18:45:00 +0000

Photo: SIP

Ahead of the state funeral tomorrow, the Chamber of Deputies held a solemn commemoration in honour of Grand Duke Jean earlier today. Both Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and the President of Parliament Fernand Etgen held speeches in honour of the late Grand Duke. It was Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume who represented the Grand Ducal Family at the event. The whole ceremony can be watched over at RTL with pictures available on the website of the Chamber of Deputies.