Monday, May 23, 2016

Guillaume and Stéphanie Trace Luxembourg Roots in the U.S.

Photo: Sweet Feet Photography
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie are en mission de prospection in the United States of America at the moment. While it remains a mystery what they did for the first few days, the couple arrived safely in Belgium, Wisconsin yesterday. Belgium is the home of the Luxembourg-American Cultural Centre and heart of the Luxembourgish community in the U.S. Ironically, there is also a Luxemburg in Wisconsin though the ties to Luxembourg of Luxemburg don't seem to be as strong as it is the case with Belgium. (Still with me?)

In Belgium, the Hereditary Grand Duke and the Hereditary Grand Duchess visited the Grand Duke Henri Plaza as well as the Roots and Leaves Museum of the Cultural Centre following in the footsteps of Grand Duke Henri, Prince Félix, Prince Louis and Prince Sébastien who did so on a boys-only-and-no-Guillaume-trip in 2009. About yesterday's visit Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume said, "Walking through your town raises an odd feeling inside of all of us. It's very strange, a feeling of deja vu, a sense of familiarity despite all being unknown." 

About 50,000 Luxembourgers left the Grand Duchy between 1850 and 1900 in search of a better life. Interestingly, many of their descendants are now applying for dual citizenship and thus the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess met many fellow countrymen and -women yesterday.

For more pictures and videos of the Wisconsin visit have a look at Sweet Feet Photography, Tageblatt, L'essentiel, WISN and Fox 6.

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