Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg
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Foreign policy
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The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg (descendants and heirs of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, agnatically, now a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon-Parma, itself a cadet branch of the House of Capet) constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau,[1] family of the sovereign Grand Duke.
The medieval duchy of Luxembourg was elevated to a grand duchy in 1815; William I of the Netherlands ascended the grand ducal throne as its first holder. William, through his Prussian mother, was a descendant of the medieval heiress Anne, Duchess of Luxembourg, as was William's wife, his first cousin. The territories of the grand duchy, taken (including the ancestral castle of Luxembourg) from occupying French forces in the first stages of the fall of Napoleon, had been ceded to William by his first cousin King Frederick William III of Prussia, who was Anne's heir-general. In breach of the traditional line of succession of Luxembourg, the great powers of Europe agreed that the grand duchy would be inherited in the male line of the House of Nassau.
The male-line descendants of Grand Duke Adolphe held the titles Prince(ss) of Luxembourg and Prince(ss) of Nassau, with the style of His/Her Grand Ducal Highness.
The male-line descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte who are the children of a reigning Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duke hold the titles Prince(ss) of Luxembourg and Prince(ss) of Nassau with the style of His/Her Royal Highness (HRH). Male line descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte who are not the children of a Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duke are Prince(ss) of Nassau with the style of His/Her Royal Highness (derived from their status as male-line descendants of HRH Duke Robert of Parma). The title Prince of Bourbon-Parma was relinquished by Grand Duke Jean in 1986, but he and his relatives kept use of the style His/Her Royal Highness.
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Religion [edit]
Grand Dukes Adolphe (1817-1905) and William IV (1852-1912) were Protestants. William married the Catholic Marie Anne of Portugal, believing that a country where the vast majority of people were Catholic should also have a Catholic monarch. In 1907. Willliam declared the Protestant Counts of Merenberg to be non-dynastic and named his own (Catholic) daughter, Marie-Adélaïde (1894-1924) as heir to the grand ducal throne. In 1919, Marie-Adélaïde abdicated in favour of her sister, Charlotte (1896-1985), who was also a Catholic. Charlotte's descendants have reigned in Luxembourg ever since.
The Grand Ducal Family [edit]
Grand Duke Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg is the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He was born on April 16, 1955. He was married on February 14, 1981 to Maria Teresa Mestre and became grand duke when his father, Jean, abdicated on October 7, 2000. Their children are:
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HRH The Grand Duke
HRH Princess Marie Gabriele
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- Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's eldest son, born on November 11, 1981. He is the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau and holds the title Prince of Bourbon-Parma. He was married on October 20, 2012 to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy (b. February 18, 1984)
- Prince Félix of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau, born on June 3, 1984.
- Prince Louis of Luxembourg, born on August 3, 1986. He is Prince of Luxembourg and Prince of Nassau. He was married on September 29, 2006 to Tessy Antony, who was born on October 28, 1985. Upon marrying, Prince Louis renounced his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne.
- Prince Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny of Nassau was born out of wedlock in Switzerland on March 12, 2006.
- Prince Noah Guillaume of Nassau was born on September 21, 2007 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
- Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, born on February 16, 1991.
- Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, born on April 16, 1992.
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg is the current Grand Duke's father. He was Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000, when he abdicated. Born on January 5, 1921, he became grand duke when his mother, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, abdicated in 1964.
Extended family [edit]
- Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, the Grand Duke's eldest sister, was born on February 17, 1954. She was married on February 6, 1982 to Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, who was born in 1954.
- Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's brother, was born on May 15, 1957. He was married on 27 May 1987 to Hélène Vestur, who was born in 1958. On 26 September 1986, Prince Jean renounced his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne. His children were styled as Count(ess) of Naussau until given the title HRH Prince(ss) of Nassau on November 24, 2004. Prince Jean and his wife divorced in 2004 and, in March 2009, he married Diane de Guerre in a civil ceremony in Roermond, the Netherlands.[2]
- Princess Marie Gabriele Cécile Charlotte Sophie of Nassau, Prince Jean's eldest child and only daughter, was born out of wedlock on September 8, 1986.
- Prince Constantin Jean Philippe Marie Albert Marc d'Aviano of Nassau, Prince Jean's eldest son, was born on July 22, 1988.
- Prince Wenceslas François Baudouin Léopold Juraj Marie Marc d'Aviano of Nassau, Prince Jean's second son, was born on November 17, 1990.
- Prince Carl Johann Marie Félix Julian Marc d'Aviano of Nassau, Prince Jean's third son and youngest child, was born on August 15, 1992.
- Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, the Grand Duke's youngest sister. She was born on May 15, 1957. She was married on 20 March 1982 to Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, who was born in 1947.
- Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's youngest brother, was born on 1 May 1963. He is Prince of Luxembourg and Prince of Nassau. He was married on September 8, 1994 to Sibilla Sandra Weiller (the daughter of Donna Olimpia Torlonia dei principi di Civitella-Cesi and Paul-Annick Weiller, and great-granddaughter of Alfonso XIII of Spain), now Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg.
- Prince Paul-Louis Jean Marie Guillaume of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's eldest son, was born on March 4, 1998.
- Prince Léopold Guillaume Marie Joseph of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's second son, was born on May 2, 2000. He is the twin brother of Princess Charlotte.
- Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine Maria da Gloria of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's only daughter, was born on 2 May 2000. She is the twin sister of Prince Léopold.
- Prince Jean André Guillaume Marie Gabriel Marc d'Aviano of Nassau, Prince Guillaume's youngest son, was born on July 13, 2004.
- Princess Elisabeth Hilda Zita Marie Anna Antonia Friederike Wilhelmine Louise of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's aunt, was born on December 22, 1922. She married Franz Ferdinand Friedrich Ernst Joseph Karl Leopold Mauritius Hubertus Maria, Duke of Hohenberg (September 13, 1927–August 15, 1977), on May 9, 1956.
- Princess Marie-Adélaïde Louise Thérèse Wilhelmine of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's aunt, born on 21 May 1924, died 28 February 2007. She was married on 10 April 1958 to Marie Karl Josef Erdmann Jakob Edwin Lazarus Andreas Alois, Count Henckel von Donnersmarck, who was born on November 7, 1928.
- Princess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's aunt, was born on 2 August 1925. She was married on 6 November 1951 to Knud, Count of Holstein-Ledreborg, who was born on 2 October 1919.
- Princess Charlotte Phyllis Joelle Marie of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's first cousin, was born on 15 September 1967. She was married in 1993 to Marc Victor Cunningham, who was born on 24 September 1965.
- Prince Robert Louis Francois Marie of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's first cousin, was born on 14 August 1968. He is Prince of Luxembourg and Prince of Nassau. He was married on 29 January 1994 to Julie Elizabeth Huston Ongaro, now Princess Julie of Nassau, who was born on 9 June 1966.
- Princess Charlotte Justine of Nassau, eldest child and only daughter of Prince Robert, was born on March 20, 1995.
- Prince Alexander Théodore Charles Marie of Nassau, elder son of Prince Robert, was born on April 18, 1997.
- Prince Frederik Henry Douglas Marie of Nassau, younger son of Prince Robert, was born on March 18, 2002.
- Alix Dowager Princess de Ligne, the Grand Duke's aunt, was born on 24 August 1929. She is a Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau and Princess of Ligne. She was married on 17 August 1950 to Antoine de Ligne, 13th Prince de Ligne who was born on 8 March 1925.
Summary family tree [edit]
Arms [edit]
A complete armorial is given at the Armorial de la Maison de Nassau, section Lignée Valramienne at the French Wikipedia, and another one at Wapen van Nassau, Tak van Walram at the Dutch Wikipedia.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Droits de Succession: Ordre successoral". Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. Maréchalat de la Cour. 6 June 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
- ^ Special wedding in Roermond
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