Official Ceremony Marks National Day

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / @CourGrandDucale

It's Nationalfeierdag and the Grand Ducal Family was out in quite a force this morning to mark the Grand Duke's official birthday. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Félix and Princess Claire, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, Princess Alexandra as well as Prince Sébastien all attended the (new-ish) official ceremony taking place during the midmorning hours of national day since last year.

This year, the secular ceremony took place at the Salle de concerts Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte, also known as the Philharmonie Luxembourg. After the Grand Ducal Family including the Grand Duke arrived to the strains of the Wilhelmus, they made their way into the building where they joined members of the government and parliament, members of the town council of Luxembourg, the members of the Council of State, members of the judiciary, the heads of administration and the diplomatic corps for the official ceremony featuring speeches by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the President of the Chamber of Deputies Mars di Bartolomeo as well as the Grand Duke himself. They also awarded orders and such to deserving citizens.

After the official ceremony, 21 canon salutes were fired from the Fetschenhof to honour the Grand Duke (or so I read. Weren't those always 101 canon salutes before? Austerity measures in Luxembourg? Need to investigate!).