Line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg

Present monarch: HRH Grand Duke Henri (since October 7, 2000), born 1955

1. HRH Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, eldest son of the Grand Duke, born 1981
2. HRH Prince Félix of Luxembourg, second son of the Grand Duke, born 1984
3. HRH Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, only daughter of the Grand Duke, born 1991
4. HRH Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, fourth son of the Grand Duke, born 1992
5. HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, brother of the Grand Duke, born 1963
6. HRH Prince Paul Louis of Nassau, son of Prince Guillaume, born 1998
7. HRH Prince Léopold of Nassau, son of Prince Guillaume, born 2000
8. HRH Prince Jean André of Nassau, son of Prince Guillaume, born 2004

Prince Louis, the Grand Duke's third son, renounced his right of succession for himself and his heirs. Prince Jean, the current Grand Duke's younger brother renounced his right of succession for himself and his heirs on 26 September 1986, therefore he and his sons are not listed. Had this line become extinct, the line of succession would have gone to the heirs-male of one of the sisters of Grand Duchess Charlotte, namely her youngest sister Princess Sophie, whose grandson, Prince Ruediger of Saxony, would have become first in line. He, however, is the product of an unequal marriage, as are his three sons.

Succession law

History

The constitution of Luxemburg states that the crown is hereditary in the house of Nassau according to the pact of 1783 (the Nassau Family Pact), the Treaty of Vienna made in 1815, and the Treaty of London of 1867.

In April 1907 William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, decreed (approved in July 1907 by legislature of Luxembourg and thereafter enacted) amendments to the House law of Nassau: the Grand Duke's eldest daughter would succeed (that provision is identical with the effect of the 1783 pact), and after her, her issue in male line born of marriages that abide by the house laws; in default thereof, the Grand Duke's next daughters in similar fashion. Thus, issue of the Grand Duke's daughters received succession rights only in strict agnatic line - a male-line male descendant of a younger daughter would have had preference over female descendants of elder daughters. (Conceptually, this is not the so-called Semi-Salic principle, since in that system, upon extinction of one daughter's male-line issue, the closest heir of the last one of that line succeeds, which means first a descendant in female line of that daughter and not yet descent from younger daughters.) This law of succession in Luxemburg followed a special order among male lines issued from Grand Duke William IV's daughters.

Absolute primogeniture

Salic law was abandoned in favour of absolute primogeniture on 20 June 2011, allowing any legitimate female descendants within the House of Nassau to be included in the succession by order of birth, starting with the children of Grand Duke Henri.

External links

• "Droits de succession". Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. http://www.monarchie.lu/fr/monarchie/droits-de-succession/index.html.  (French)