Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Guillaume and Stéphanie Attend Info-Handicap Conference

Photo: Gerry Huberty / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
On the 29th, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie attended a conference to support Info-Handicap. The focus of the event was to provide information about offering workplace support for employees with disabilities. Also in attendance were the Minister of Family Affairs Corinne Cahen, the Minister of Education Claude Meisch, the Minister of Equal Opportunities of Lydia Mutsch, and the Minister of Labor Nicolas Schmit.

Info-Handicap is asking attendees to consider ways to support those with disabilities in the workplace  in advance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on December 3rd. 2016 also marks the 10-year anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

A little more from Wort and the Cour website.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Luxarazzi 101: Natan

You don't need to be a big fashionista to know that Natan is the favourite fashion house of the ladies of the Grand Ducal Family. If you ever need to hazard a guess as to who they - or any Benelux royal ladies, really - are wearing, your chances are pretty high if you pick the designs by Edouard Vermeulen. It also is no secret that quite a few of his designs aren't the most loved by us. Why that is? Well, it's not his designs per se but many of them just don't suit the ladies of the Grand Ducal Family as they don't tend to give the most of shape.
Still, neither Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Princess Alexandra, Princess Tessy or Archduchess Marie-Astrid seem to mind too much. Actually, you can also throw Princess Sibilla into the mix even though I don't have photographic evidence to prove it right now. It sometimes feels like about every third item in their wardrobes is by the Brussels-based design house, which Edouard Vermeulen took over the 1984.
Inspired by the wedding of his brother, the former interior designer turned to fashion in the early 1980's buying the fashion house, originally opened in 1930, in the Avenue Louise in 1984. Since then, some of the most famous creations included no less than three royal wedding dresses: The ones of Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians and Princess Claire of Belgium. While the big job for the 2012 Luxembourgish wedding went to Elie Saab, Natan dressed Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Alexandra, Princess Tessy, Archduchess Marie-Astrid as well as the flower children for the occasion.
Maybe I am too hard on the Natan designs at times. For a long time, in my head I grouped most badly fitted, shiny outfits as to be by the fashion house. It, however, turned out, that some of them were also by other designers. And the time I actually saw one of his creations live, it didn't look as shiny as on many pictures. So what do you think, yay or nay?

Monday, November 28, 2016

It's a Boy for Félix and Claire

Prince Félix and Princess Claire welcomed their second baby, a little boy, during the night. The yet unnamed brother of Princess Amalia was born at 3:59am on November 28, 2016, at the Clinique générale Beaulieu in Geneva.

According to a press release by the cour grand-ducale, Prince Félix stayed at the side of his wife in the delivery ward. Both Princess Claire and the baby are doing well. In accordance with the house law, the young boy is a Prince of Nassau, but not of Luxembourg. Only the children of the Grand Duke and the Hereditary Grand Duke are prince or princesses of Luxembourg.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, as well as Mr and Mrs Lademacher and both families are delighted with the news. As is Team Luxarazzi: Congratulations to the happy parents and the big sister!

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Prince Paul-Louis at Bal des Débutantes

Photos: BestImage / Le Bal / Jacovides / Borde / Moreau

Look who is all grown up now (and yes, I feel like my own grandma saying that)! Prince Paul-Louis, oldest son of Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla, danced the night away at the 24th Bal des Débutantes in Paris this weekend. The ball, which is as famous for its fashions as it is for being a get-together for the rich and famous, has garnered an array of celebrity daughters as well as offspring of politicians and aristocrats to make their debut into society since 1992. Four years ago, it was Paul-Louis' cousin Prince Carl de Nassau who found himself in the dancefloor's spotlight. Back in the 1990's Prince Wenzeslaus was also among the cavaliers.

Prince Paul-Louis participated in the debutante ball as the partner of Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. As daughter of Prince Charles-Emanuel and Princess Constance, she is a great-granddaughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma, brother of Prince Felix of Luxembourg (as in Grand Duchess Charlotte's husband). This makes Paul-Louis and Zita third cousins. (There's also another connection: Zita's uncle Prince Eric was married to Countess Lydia of Holstein-Ledreborg, a daughter of Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Luxembourg and thus first cousin of Prince Guillaume.) 

More visuals of le Bal are available at Purepeople.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Maria Teresa and Stéphanie Open International Bazaar

All photos: Laurent Blum / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
Right on the heels of the Red Cross Bazaar always comes another bazaar that usually brings out a changing variety of members of the Grand Ducal Family and this year was no different. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie opened the International Bazaar earlier this afternoon and made their way around about 60 stands showcasing clothing, jewelry and food from some 50 nations from A for Argentina to V for Venezuela. 

Photo: Laurent Blum / Luxemburger Wort
The International Bazaar of Luxembourg is an independent, secular, voluntary, charity organisation that traces its origins back to a series of small church bazaars that began in the early 1960's.   Post-war Luxembourg was growing in its engagement in European affairs and the country was teeming with foreign born residents, particularly young European officials and their families. These creative individuals produced a number of new organisations, including the International Bazaar. 

The first Bazaar was held in connection with the Anglican Church of Luxembourg to raise money for the church and for charity. After its first year, the Baazar moved further into the Luxembourg community being held on Rue Notre-Dame in 1961 under the joint patronage of American and British ambassadors and staffed by volunteers of many nationalities.   The 1962 Bazaar raised 75,000 Luxembourgish francs for the Clinique d'enfants, Fondation Jean-Josephine Charlotte, bringing the event to the attention of the Grand Ducal Family. In 1967 the Bazaar was placed under the high patronage of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte and continues under the high patronage of Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa today. 

Photo: Laurent Blum / Luxemburger Wort
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were accompanied by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and his husband, the President of the Chamber of Deputies Mars di Bartolomeo, as well as the mayor of Luxembourg Lydie Polfer. The profits from the bazaar will benefit 86 charities from Luxembourg and around the world with a special focus on the "Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Hanoi", which helps Vietnamese street children and underage victims of human traffickers. So should you be in or around Luxembourg this weekend, it is definetely worth checking out all the stalls. The bazaar will close on Sunday evening with a concert by the Israeli-Luxembourgish jazz band „Beam“. 

More visuals are available at Wort.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Celebrates School Jubilee

Photo: École Privée Fieldgen / Michel Mercatoris / Cour grand-ducale
Last night, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie attended an academic session celebrating the 125th anniversary of the École Privée Fieldgen. The Minister for Education, Children and Youth Claude Meisch was also present for the occasion. The Catholic private school, which was founded by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine of Nancy, includes both classic and technical branches for secondary education.

A couple more photos available from the Cour.

Wanted: New Writers for Team Luxarazzi

That’s right! You read correctly, we are currently looking for new writers to join Team Luxarazzi for the 101 series! So if you have a Nobel Prize in Literature, worked with Shakespeare or other big names in one capacity or the other, or simply have a passion for writing and the world of royalty, write us an e-mail to become a writer for Luxarazzi. 

Whether you have an interest in history or traditions, fashion or jewellery, castles or genealogy, legal matters or mechanisms of the monarchy - as long as it is in relation to Luxembourg and/or Liechtenstein we are open to all kinds topics. Of course we also always have a few ideas up our sleeves so if you would like to join but don't have an idea what to write about, we will probably be able to provide you with a topic. Both blogging newbies or already experienced royal bloggers are welcome to Team Luxarazzi!

Friday, November 25, 2016

Grand Duchess Hosts Victims of Abuse

Photo: RTL / RTL.lu
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. To mark the occasion, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa hosted victims of violent abuse for a conference-luncheon at the palais grand-ducal today. Among them were six women from Luxembourg who suffered violence in their relationships, different organisations who help female abuse victims, as well as French author Morgan Seliman who wrote the book Il m'a vole ma vie (He stole my life) about her experiences.

Interview with Guillaume and Stéphanie for "De Mains de Maître"

Photo: RTL / RTL.lu
De Mains de Maître - Of Master Hand: That's the name of an exhibition that will take place from December 1 to 5 at the 19 Liberté, the former ARBED building, in Luxembourg City. The exhibition will highlight talented young craftsmen and art designers from the Grand Duchy. The idea behind the the exhibition comes from no other than the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess who launched the initiative together with the Chamber of Trade and the Ministries of Economy and Culture. In an interview with RTL Radio, Guillaume and Stéphanie spoke about the idea behind the exhibition.

The couple's involvement follows in the footsteps of a long-time commitment of the Grand Ducal Family to the local skilled crafts and trades, which started with Grand Duchess Charlotte. Already Grand Duke Jean made it a priority to hand out the diplomas for Luxembourg's master craftsman each year. It has since been continued by Grand Duke Henri and, for the last couple of years, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. The Hereditary Grand Duchess tells that they first had the idea for the exhibition during visits to a number of local companies last year and that they have since found many open doors for it. 

"Craftsmanship is part of Luxembourgish history and Europe's history really. We shouldn't forget that Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo also were craftsman in addition to world famous artists. Everything in this country's history - the castles, the fortresses, in the city, the palais grand-ducal and the Cathédrale - was built by craftsman and we should be proud of that", Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie says with her husband adding, "Craftsmanship connects the past, present and future - many of the companies are family-owned. The idea of a master teaching his apprentice, the continuity - it's a challenge to combine the tradition with the challenge modernity entails."

The full interview, in which Guillaume and Stéphanie reveal that neither of them is very good with their hands, is available at RTL both as a video and audios.

Grand Duchess Celebrates Doctors Without Borders

Photo: Alain Rischard / Tageblatt / Tageblatt.lu
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended a dinner last night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Luxembourgish branch of the Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders. Also present for the occasion was the Minister for Health, Lydia Mutsch. The Médicins Sans Frontières are an international humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization (NGO) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases.  In 2015 over 30,000, mostly local, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, logistical experts, water and sanitation engineers and administrators provided medical aid in over 70 countries.

More photos at Tageblatt.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Hello Liechtenstein, Anybody There?

This could pretty much be the motto in relation to everything princely in the past couple of weeks... It's never really stormy news-wise in the Principality but the last weeks have been awfully quite, haven't they? Here are a few snippets we missed though there also don't seem to be a lot of pictures of there and finding out about them included loads of digging.

Do you remember that time Hereditary Prince Alois went to Switzerland recently? Turns out Hereditary Princess Sophie and his uncle Prince Philipp were with him to open an exhibition of the Princely Collections of the House of Liechtenstein in Bern.

Hereditary Princess Sophie also met with the Vice-President of the International Red Cross, Christine Beerli, earlier this month. In her capacity of President of the Liechtenstein branch of the organisation, she also received a cheque over 5000 Swiss francs from the Association of Swiss People in Liechtenstein. She was also present when the Red Cross was gifted with defibrillators by the organisation "Hand in Hand" and honored regular blood donors in the last few weeks.

Hereditary Grand Duke Visits Ancestral Home in Germany

Photo: Weilburger Tageblatt
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume visited the German town of Weilburg today to commemorate his great-great-great-grandmother Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie, who died 100 years ago today on November 24, 1916. Weilburg, of course, in the ancestral home of the branch of the House of Nassau which has been ruling the Grand Duchy since 1890. The wife of Grand Duke Adolph died in nearby Königstein im Taunus, also located in the old Duchy of Nassau, and was laid to rest at the ducal crypt next to the Schloss in Weilburg. Naturally, the traditional Bürgergarde, founded on the occasion of Grand Duke Adolph parents' wedding, was also present for the event as were local politicians including mayor Hans-Peter Schick.

And yes, this is possibly and probably the post with the most links to Luxarazzi 101s in the history of this blog. We cordially invite you to get lost reading up on the history of the Grand Ducal Family, some of it before they even became grand ducal. In case you haven't had enough, you can also check Wort for more pictures of the day. You may also want to have a look back at the times when (not only) members of the Grand Ducal Family visited Weilburg in 2012 and 2013.

Stéphanie Celebrates 125 Years of Diplomatic Relations with Russia

Photo: Charles Caratini / Cour grand-ducale
Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel together with Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs of the Russian Federation, were among the guests for a concert last night by the orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre under the direction of famous maestro Valery Gergiev. Gergiev, who is also the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic, is Luxembourg's honorary consul in St. Petersberg. 

The concert at the Philharmonie de Luxembourg took place to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations between the Grand Duchy and Russia. The Hereditary Grand Duchess, who wore a repeated Diane von Furstenberg jumpsuit, of course, speaks Russian and lived in Moscow for a year where she studied the language, literature and the violin. She later wrote her master's thesis at Humboldt University in Berlin on the influence of German romanticism on Russian romanticism with a focus on E.T.A. Hoffmann and Pushkin.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Inaugurates Scienteens Lab

 Photo: Christophe Olinger
Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie began a busy day by opening the new "Scienteens Lab". She was accompanied by the Minister of Higher Education and Research. 

Stephanie is the patroness of the "Scienteen Lab", which aims to bridge high school students and the University of Luxembourg. A key goal of the program is also to promote scientific education within the Grand Duchy. The program offers short courses and workshops in the areas of mathematics, physics and biology. Students are also offered holiday workshops and internships. They gain practical experience in the technologically advanced lab under the direction of scientists. Teachers may also take life-long learning courses at the lab while engaging in advanced research. The lab engages in exchanges with other laboratories in the region. The successful program is fully booked up for this year.

The Minister, while expressing his enthusiasm for the project, noted that Luxembourg needs more scientists. The program's coordinator says that the program give students a taste of science and shows them that there many are careers in research.

Wort has a few more photos of Stephanie at the event.

Grand Duchess Celebrates 10 Years of LuxFLAG

© 2016 Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli 

Yesterday the Grand Duchess and the Minister of Finance attended an event to mark the 10th anniversary of LuxFLAG. Maria Teresa is the honorary president of the organization. LuxFLAG is a financial labeling organization that promotes sustainable financial practices in the areas of micro-finance, the environment and climate change. The organization has 13 billion in funds under their label and all funds must meet a strict criteria. Among the criteria are high standards of sustainability and social responsibility. These are causes near and dear to the Grand Duchess' heart. During her speech she commended the organization for adding credibility to Luxembourg's financial sector in these areas. She stressed that universities and management institutes should do more than prepare students for financial success. She stated that they must prepare students for the ethical dilemmas they will inevitably face. She also pointed out that people, not money, are the center of economic activity.

The cour has several nice photos.

Grand Duchess Celebrates 10 Years of LuxFLAG

© 2016 Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli 

Yesterday the Grand Duchess and the Minister of Finance attended an event to mark the 10th anniversary of LuxFLAG. Maria Teresa is the honorary president of the organization. LuxFLAG is a financial labeling organization that promotes sustainable financial practices in the areas of micro-finance, the environment and climate change. The organization has 13 billion in funds under their label and all funds must meet a strict criteria. Among the criteria are high standards of sustainability and social responsibility. These are causes near and dear to the Grand Duchess' heart. During her speech she commended the organization for adding credibility to Luxembourg's financial sector in these areas. She stressed that universities and management institutes should do more than prepare students for financial success. She stated that they must prepare students for the ethical dilemmas they will inevitably face. She also pointed out that people, not money, are the center of economic activity.

The cour has several nice photos.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Guillaume Celebrates Junior Firefighters

Photo: Louis Spautz
On Saturday Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume was out and about at the Centre Culturel de la Schéiss celebrating the 50th anniversary of the junior firefighters in the Grand Duchy. Also present for the event were a number of not very junior looking firefighters as well as Minister Dan Kersch. Nevertheless, this was probably an event right up Guillaume's alley considering that I seem to recall an interview in which he revealed that he dreamed of being a firefighter when he was a young boy. Here's hoping the Hereditary Grand Duke came closer to that dream than just cutting the cake last Saturday...

More pictures at the cour.

Prince Guillaume Celebrates Birthday of Honorary Court Marshall

Photo: Sylvain Jolibois
Already a few months ago, on June 20 to be exact, Honorary Court Marshall Guy de Muyser celebrated his 90th birthday. Turns out that there was a grand ducal guest at the party, which took place at some point after that: Prince Guillaume, youngest brother of the Grand Duke, was among the well wishers. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Guy de Muyser became the principal private secretary of Grand Duke Jean in 1969, a year later he was made Maréchal de la Cour. In 1981, he became Luxembourg's ambassadors to the Soviet Union in Moscow.

Luxarazzi 101: Princess Amalia of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach


Amalia as a young woman
With Prince Félix's and Princess Claire's second little one due any day now, let's have a look at the woman many thought their first child was named for as little Amalia is not the first well-known Princess Amalia with ties to Luxembourg. There was also Amalia of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the wife of Prince Henri - or Hendrik - of the Netherlands. As governor and first lady of Luxembourg, Henry and Amalia were much beloved for their charity and connection with the people. Let's learn a little more today about Amalia and her impact on the Grand Duchy, shall we? We shall.

Amalia Maria da Gloria Augusta was born on March 20, 1830, in Ghent, then located in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  She was the youngest child of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Princess Ida of Saxe-Meiningen.  Through her father, Amalia was the granddaughter of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.  Her mother was the sister of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Amalia was named for an elder sister who died in infancy eight years before the younger Amalia's birth.

At the time of her birth, Amalia's father was a commander in the Dutch Army serving in the province of East Flanders. Amalia, her siblings, and their mother were forced to flee first to The Hague and then to Britain at the outbreak of the Belgian Revolution, which began just a few months after Amalia's birth; Prince Bernhard stayed behind in Brussels with his troops. The family were guests of King William and Queen Adelaide, whose coronation was held that same year.  

Amalia spent several years with her family in Britain, where she was educated with her closest sister, Anna. Amalia eventually became fluent in three languages (German, French and English) and had a deep appreciation of both theater and music. Her mother Princess Ida, well-loved for her charitable work in both Belgium and Germany, influenced a similar sense of duty in her daughter.  

Henry and Amalia around the time of
their engagement
Amalia and Henri first met in Madeira, a Portuguese island, in 1847, while vacationing there with Ida, Anna, and Queen Adelaide. Henri, the third son of King Willem II of the Netherlands, was staying there with his older brother Alexander, who was recovering from an illness. At that time the possibility of a marriage between the two was not discussed; Amalia was only seventeen at the time and more interested in her cousin, Georg of Saxe-Meiningen.  But Henry remembered Amalia, and the friendly relationship between the two cousins became stronger in the following years.  

In 1852, Prince Bernhard was finishing up a three-year military appointment in the Dutch East Indies. He was preparing to visit King Willem to report on his time there when Ida died suddenly of pneumonia. Bernhard brought his grief-stricken daughters Anna and Amalia along on his debriefing trip to the Netherlands in hopes of lifting their spirits.

However, Bernhard had also been approached by Willem on a possible engagement between Henri and Amalia. Their marriage would be part of a triple union between the Netherlands and Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as Henri’s sister Sophie married Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Amalia’s cousin. In addition, Amalia's uncle Karl Friedrich was married to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, the sister of Dutch Queen Anna Pavlovna, both of them daughters of Tsar Paul I of Russia.

The engagement between Amalia and Henri became official on July 7, 1852, shortly before the former returned to Weimar.  The couple strengthened their relationship by exchanging letters, and by visits to Weimar from Henri. Ten months after their engagement, Amalia and Henry married at the Stadtschloss in Weimar on May 19, 1853.

The couple maintained homes at Lange Voorhut Palace (purchased by Henri in the 1840s, now home to the M.C. Escher Museum) in The Hague, Soesdijk Palace near Baarn, and Château de Walferdange in Luxembourg, where Henri had served as governor of the country since 1850. Following her mother's example in Weimar, Amalia devoted herself to charity work and improving the lives of the citizens in each of the communities where the couple lived, particularly children. Although the couple never had children of their own, Henri and Amalia were popular due to their interest in and generosity toward children.  

Among Amalia's chief interests were expanding and improving education within Luxembourg, which had been neglected in previous years. She was an admirer of Friedrich Froebel, a German early childhood educator who developed and promoted the concept of kindergartens. Amalia had known Froebel since her teen years when he visited the court at Weimar. Amalia in turn helped encourage the use of kindergartens within Luxembourg.

Amalia in the 1860s
Amalia was also interested in infrastructure within Luxembourg and the Netherlands. She was a supporter of the restoration of historical buildings within the Grand Duchy, as well as encouraging Henri's interest in expanding rail service within the country.  The couple was also successful in bringing rail service to the village of Soestdijk (near Soestdijk Palace) in the Netherlands.  

Amalia also traveled widely with her husband. The two traveled to Russia on a diplomatic visit, spending time with his cousin, Tsar Alexander II in 1867. The couple made the trip to seek support from Alexander during the Luxembourg Crisis, a question over the absorption of Luxembourg into either French or German hands that was threatening war between the latter two countries. Amalia and Henri did indeed receive Alexander's support, and he was allegedly swayed by Amalia's pleas. In the end, the Grand Duchy was not incorporated into either Germany or France and instead achieved independence.

In 1869, Henri and Amalia traveled to Egypt to represent the Netherlands at the opening of the Suez Canal. The two were the first royal representatives in a parade line through the Canal aboard the royal yacht.  In commemoration of the event, Amalia also received a set of pearls from the Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, the Turkish viceroy of then-provincial Egypt. The current whereabouts of these pearls are unknown.  

Amalia's statue at Amalienpark

Unfortunately, Amalia was to live only a short time after her travel to Egypt. She died on May 1, 1872, at her Luxembourg home of Château de Walferdange following a sudden illness.  She is buried in the Royal Crypt at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, Netherlands. A medallion was issued to commemorate Amalia's funeral.  

Several monuments of Amalia still exist in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, attesting to her popularity.  Avenue Amalie in the city of Luxembourg and Amaliastraat in The Hague are two streets named in her honor.  Also in Luxembourg City is a park bearing her name - Amalienpark, where a statue of the princess was erected in 1876. Henri attending the unveiling of the monument that year on October 31, along with his sister Sophie. This statue is the oldest public memorial in the city.  

Six years after Amalia's death, Henri married Princess Marie of Prussia, a grandniece of German Emperor Wilhelm I. The marriage came about in hopes of Henri providing an heir to the Dutch throne; his older brother, Willem III, had two sons, but neither had children. Henri, however, died of the measles just five months after the marriage leaving Marie a childless widow. Willem's sons predeceased him, but a second marriage produced a daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded him in the Netherlands, while the Luxembourgish throne famously passed to another line of the House of Nassau after his death.