Thursday, October 18, 2012

Speech by the Prime Minister

Luxembourg's prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker held a speech on national TV tonight adressing the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy.

Good evening,

People have lives. And so do nations. Occasionally – though not very often – the lives of people and the lives of nations cross paths. We are presently experiencing such a moment in Luxembourg.


When the Hereditary Grand Duke and Stéphanie de Lannoy exchange their wedding vows on Friday and Saturday, this is first and foremost an important, if not the most important, day in their very own personal lives. They are about to embark on a future together and our best wishes accompany them on this long journey. Prince Guillaume – whom we have known for quite some time seeing as he grew up in our midst and whom we have embraced in our hearts because of his nature and personality – has found a lady who suits him. She suits us too, because her uncomplicated character, her natural charm, her keen intelligence and her sound education will make of her a hereditary grand duchess more beautiful than any picture we could have painted.

The marriage of these two individuals, however, also marks an important day for the ebb and flow of our country. Our Constitution provided us with a constitutional monarchy, a form of government that we get along with well. Prince Guillaume will one day become our head of state. When our future head of state gets married, he carries the dynasty into the future, thereby securing it. Which is why the marriage of our Hereditary Grand Duke and future Grand Duke to our future Hereditary Grand Duchess and future Grand Duchess represents not only a civil and religious act between two people, but also an act of state. It is an act of state because it directly involves all of us as citizens of this country. By celebrating the Hereditary Grand Duke and his future wife, we are also celebrating ourselves. I know: not everyone here at home sees it this way. But when the history of our country takes an important step forwards, this step must be accompanied with dignity, dignity both at home and to the outside world. Because others are watching us. While we do not inflate ourselves, we need not make ourselves smaller than what we are.

I am confident the future Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie will see the Luxembourg people endorse the choice of the Hereditary Grand Duke. She will henceforth become part of the national landscape with her gentle presence underlined by intelligence and candour. I would also like, on this occasion of the royal wedding, for us all to spare a special and heartfelt thought for the mother of the future Hereditary Grand Duchess. We do not shape ourselves on our own, we are also the children of our fathers and mothers. We would have loved to have welcomed the mother of the future Hereditary Grand Duchess in our midst.

On behalf of the government I would like to extend my very best wishes to the hereditary grand-ducal couple – and, with them, to us as a nation. I would also like to include the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess in my wishes, as well as Princess Stéphanie’s father and Grand Duke Jean, who is delighted to witness the history of his noble house being continued in harmony.

Long live our new hereditary grand-ducal couple!


Long live our grand-ducal family!


And long live our nation!



Source: RTL

4 comments:

  1. I Will be at the wedding in the cathedral on the 20th! I can't believe it. I am still deciding what to wear but it will be fantastic. I hope I get to be close to where the action happens. I was thrilled when I got my invite and immediately booked my transport and hotel. Such an experience ! I shall write to you to tell you how it was.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That would be lovely! Have a lot of fun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. SydneyLux was that a response for me?

    ReplyDelete
  4. There was another comment by Anonymous on this post yesterday, but I can't see it now. Strange...

    ReplyDelete