Friday, December 28, 2018

Weekly Roundup: Christmas and Beyond

December 22 to 28, 2018

'Tis the season and Team Luxarazzi hopes that you spent a wonderful couple of days with your loved ones. Naturally, there hasn't been much going on royal-wise over the last week, so lucky for you, we missed a few things in our last Weekly Roundup so there's something for this week to share.
Photo: Tatjana Schalzger / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / Vaterland.li
In the spirit of Christmas, the International Peace Light arrived at Schloss Vaduz in Liechtenstein on December 19. Now in its 32nd year, the Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign was originally organised by the Austrian Broadcasting Company (ORF) and was part of a large charitable relief mission for children in need in Austria and abroad called Light into Darkness. Since then it has greatly expanded and the light is now travelling from Bethlehem, where it is lit by an Austrian child in the Natavity Grotto, to more than 30 countries each year. Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were on hand to receive the light. More pictures...
Photo: Klaus Schädler / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / Vaterland.li
Already on December 8, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in attendance for the 250th anniversary of the parish of Triesenberg. After a mass at the local parish church, a reception was held in the municipality. More pictures...
Photo: Liechtensteiner Volksblatt / Volksblatt.li
Prior to Christmas, Hereditary Prince Sophie also made her traditional advent visits to the different retirement homes and the hospital of Liechtenstein. She was on tour for several days, pictures of one of the visits here.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
Grand Duke Henri gave his traditional Christmas speech broadcasted on December 24. You can view the speech here and read the full speech here.

In an interview with Radio Liechtenstein, Hereditary Prince Alois talked about the country's upcoming 300th anniversary celebrations, among others. The full interview is available here.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Weekly Roundup: Two Baptisms of sorts and credentials.



This week it is double weekly roundup! I apologize for missing last week's roundup post. I just bought a new house, and the process was very time consuming (and stressful).

On December 12, the Grand Duke started off the week by receiving the credentials of the new ambassadors of Switzerland, Iceland, Kazakhstan, and Estonia.

Cour Grand-Ducale
The same day the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess sent a telegram of condolence and solidarity to President Macron after the tragic attack in nearby Strasbourg.

The Grand Duke stayed busy the next day by receiving the members of the new Chambre des Deputes.

Cour grand-ducale/Claude Piscitelli
Later the same evening the Grand Duke and Princess Alexandra attended the Christmas Gala of the SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde. The gala included a performance by the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, which is under the patronage of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. Princess Alexandra had the honour of baptizing a new E Flat bell that belongs to the orchestra. 

Cour grand-ducale/Marion Dessard

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess wrapped up the week by awarding prizes at the end of the biennial De Main De Maîtres.


Cour grand-ducale/Claude Piscitelli
In other family news, Archduchess Juliana of Austria was christened. The young archduchess is the third daughter for Archduke Imre and Archduchess Kathleen. The baptism took place in Combloux, Haute-Savoie, Switzerland. The godparents are Archduchess Marie-Christine and Fr. Will Conquer. Photos of the event and a lengthy interview with Archduchess Kathleen appear in the recent Pointe de Vue. 

Anne du Castel
In Liechtenstein news, to help celebrate 300 years of of the Liechtenstein a chocolatier from the principality has created an anniversary tin with treats inside. Prince Hans-Adam received the first box from representatives of Hoi-Laden Vaduz. The bronze box features all 12 of Liechtenstein's reigning princes. It was also noted that next year more about the history of the family and the reigning princes will be made available online at the website of the princely family.


Tatjana Schnalgzer
Prince Constantin was named to the Austrian Council for Sustainable Development. The goal is to help strive and aid in the implementation of UN agenda 2030 for sustainable development. The council was formed during the summer and is already working toward their goal. 

Everyone here at Luxarazzi would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope that the new year brings you many blessings.



Saturday, December 8, 2018

Fashion Focus: October 23rd-December 7th



On October 29th and 30th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa was on a humanitarian mission to Lebanon. On the first day, she wore her teal Paule Ka dress with a matching Bottega Veneta clutch.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue / tous droits réservés

Photo: Paule Ka

Photo: Tradesy
She also chose a Bottega Veneta clutch later that day with an old jacket.
Photo:© Cour grand-ducale / Paul Schirnhofer / tous droits réservés


Photo: Bottega Veneta

On the second day, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa debuted a new Giorgio Armani jacket.
Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue / tous droits réservés

Photo: Vogue Runway

On November 11th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in Paris and in Luxembourg. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a white wool coat from Lanvin.
Photo: ©Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Lanvin




On November 28th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa was in The Netherlands to attend the forum "From Words to Action: repairing the wounds of wartime sexual violence". She wore a new Etro coat (with thanks to VK).

Photo: ©Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue


Photo: Harrods
While visiting the Mains de Maitres exhibition with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume on November 28th, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie wore an old jacket with a Miu Miu blue bag. I can't find a stock photo of the bag but the Miu Miu logo is visible in the photos. The couple was joined by several members including Princess Sibilla who wore a burgundy dress from COS.

Photo: ©Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini

Photo: Poshmark


On December 5th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the Prix du Mérite du Bénévolat 2018. She wore the Etro paisley frill blouse that she debuted last October.


Photo: ©Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Photo: Harrods
And finally, a wonderful find by @PolkaPoppins on Twitter, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore this dress from Miss June (a French brand) while having dinner with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron at Cabasson this summer!

Photo: ©Cyril Moreau / Dominique Jacovides / Bestimage

Photo: Miss June

What do you think about these outfits? I don't think I'll have enough material to do another post before the end of the year (unless these ladies decide to surprise us with plenty of events) so I wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance!

Weekly Roundup: Climate Change, a New Government, and More

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Samuel Kirszenbaum
On November 30th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the 15th Entretiens de Royaumont, joining around 1200 other participants as well as more than 40 speakers who discussed this year's theme "To Be a Woman." The Grand Duchess spoke on the topic of "Being a Woman, and Victim" along with Isabelle Thery, Vice-President of the Melun High Court, and Dr. Nagham Hasan, who works with the Yazidi.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Chronicle.lu
On December 3rd, Grand Duke Henri attended the opening events for COP24 (the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Katowice, Poland. He joined representatives from 190 countries to discuss the importance of "changing together" in the effort to fight global climate change.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
And closely connected to his commitment to combating climate change, the Grand Duke also attended events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ecological Movement on December 5th.

Photo: Vaterland / vaterland.li
In Liechtenstein news, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in Seoul, South Korea to see the pieces from the Princely Collection that are on exhibit at the National Palace Museum. The exhibit is entitled "The Liechtenstein Stone - 900 Years of a Reigning Family in the Heart of Europe" and will be on display until February of next year. The couple also took time during the visit to meet with Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Taeho.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
On December 5th, Grand Duke Henri received in audience six outgoing members of government. For these audiences, he also bestowed on the individuals the Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
And later that day, the Grand Duke also swore in the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and new members of government. Following the swearing-in, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess welcomed the members of government at a reception.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
Also on the 5th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended a celebration for 2018's International Volunteer Day, at which she presented the Prix du Mérite du Bénévolat 2018 to Francine Muller-Malherbe.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
On December 7th, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess hosted a reception to honor the participants of humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, in connection with the Luxembourg Army and the Grand Ducal Police.

And to wrap up Liechtenstein news, on December 7th, Hereditary Prince Alois spoke about the UN Migration Pact, expressing concerns about some of its features.

Other news worth mentioning is the recent information about the ruling that came of London regarding Prince Louis's divorce from Princess Tessy, as well as the Prince's positive comments about his estranged wife. No official statement has been made by the Cour yet, so we'll post further if and when one is released.




Friday, November 30, 2018

Weekly Roundup: Interviews, Lots of "De Mains de Maîtres" and More

November 24 to 30, 2018

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Cyril Moreau
On Monday, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Princess Alexandra were on hand for the screening of the movie "Moi Nojoom, 10 ans, divorcée" in Paris. The movie, which has already won several awards, deals with the topic of forced child marriage: "A little girl enters a courtroom, looks at the judge straight in the eye and says, “I want to divorce.” Her name is Nojoom, she is ten years old, she was forcibly married to a man who is 20 years older than her, and she escaped. But in Yemen, there is no legal age to marry." Watch the trailer here, more pictures of the screening here.
Photo: Council of Europe
Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in Strasbourg on Tuesday to pay a visit to the Council of Europe including the European Court of Human Rights. The visit marked the 40th anniversary of the Principality's addition to the Council of Europe. In case you are not up to all the details of all the European institutions, don't be fooled: Despite the similar flags, the Council of Europe has nothing to do with the European Union and its European Council. The Council of Europe has 47 member states and its aim is to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
On Wednesday, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the froum "From words to action: repairing the wounds of wartime sexual violence" organised by the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation alongside Dr. Mukwege himself and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in The Hague. More pictures at the cour, the speech given by the Grand Duchess (in English) here.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini
This week was also very much influenced by this year's De Main De Maîtres exhibition - and it even brought out a surprising number of family members! Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie brought along Grand Duke Henri, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla as well as their daughter Princess Charlotte for an informal visit to the exhibition on Wednesday prior to its opening. More visuals at the cour.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini
Later that same time Guillaume continued to make us feel like it's 2009 all over again (#TeamBeard) as he and Stéphanie also visited additional exhibition spaces of De Main De Maîtres, including the workshop of Ezri Kahn. Et mais oui, I totally want Stéphanie to wear that yellow dress! And by the way in case you haven't been a long-time follower of the Grand Ducal Family and are a bit lost right now: The exhibition De Mains de Maîtres (Of Master's Hands) was first initiated by the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess together with the Chamber of Trade and the Ministries of Economy and Culture back in 2016 with the first exhibition taking place in December of that year in Luxembourg to showcase the country's talent in the fields of art, craftsmanship and design. It was a resounding success, has become a regular thing in Luxembourg and has also since been moved abroad. (More visuals.)
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini
Naturally, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess were also on hand for the official opening of this year's exhibition called "Gestes et Merveilles" (Gestures and Wonders) on Wednesday night. Stéphanie gave the opening speech of the event at 19 Liberté.
Photo: Screenshot RTL
To mark the exhibition, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume also gave an interview to RTL, you can watch it here. Guillaume talks about how he surprised he and his wife were about the continued success of De Mains de Maîtres and how much they enjoyed bringing the exhibition to other countries hoping that there will be many more to come.
Photo: SOS Faim / S. Becker
Grand Duke Henri meanwhile attended an academic session to mark the 25th anniversary of SOS Faim. Founded in Luxembourg in 1993, SOS Faim supports sustainable agriculture, in particular by means of inclusive rural financing, to guarantee food sovereignty everywhere and for all. More...
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
To round off this week's activities, Grand Duke Henri attended the closing ceremony of Expogast, the International Trade Show for Gastronomy, taking place in Luxembourg every year earlier today (Friday, that is). More at the cour.

You caught something else this week we missed? Let us know in the comment section below.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Weekly Roundup: Rare Sightings, A Lot of Children and More

November 17 to 23, 2018

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
This week brought us a bit of a rarer grand ducal sighting as Prince Félix and Princess Claire paid a visit to the Red Cross Bazaar on Sunday. The event at the Halle Victor Hugo in the Limpertsberg district of Luxembourg City is always in for a surprise appearance of members of the family and also kicks off the bazaar season so stay tuned who else will show up in the weeks to come. More pictures at the cour.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri welcomed some very special guests at the palais grand-ducal. 14 pupil of the class 4.1 of the Aerzendallschull Medernach got to ask the Grand Duke all kinds of question to mark the UNICEF World Children's Day. Grand Duke Henri told the kids that he drives an electric car, that he usually drives himself and that he plays both the piano and the violin but not very well. The children also got a tour of the palace by the main man himself. More visuals at the cour, RTL has a video.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
Also on Tuesday, the Grand Duke was on hand to attend the event of the week yours truly would have liked to attend herself the most: "The Many Faces of 1918", the presentation of an international anthology on the year of remembrance. The anthology brings together 17 authors from 17 countries because "in some countries it (1918) stands for defeat, the beginning of a civil war, in other countries it represents a loss, for some it equals liberation, victory, albeit perhaps a Pyrrhic victory. In some cases even different points of view may co-exist within one country". Sounds really interesting! More pics at the cour.
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
Meanwhile the Grand Duchess celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Fondation Grameen Crédit Agricole in the presence of Abdul Hai Kahn, Managing Director of Grameen Trust and Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. 
Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
It was the week of the children for the Grand Duke as he visited the school centre Parc Housen on Wednesday to celebrate its 20th anniversary and let's face it, is there anything cuter in royal life than adorable children with self-made flags? No, there isn't. (More pictures.)
Photo: Cour grand-ducale
In much less adorable news, the Grand Duke also met with the new ambassadors of Nigeria, Moldovia, Portugal and Finland at the palais on Wednesday, where they all presented their letters of credence. All the pictures here.

Meanwhile in Liechtenstein, there hasn't been going on much this week apart from Prince Hans-Adam II letting it be known that he doesn't have an opinion on whether the Tour de Ski, one of the most important cross country skiing events, will make a stop in Liechtenstein. Earlier in the week, FIS President Gian Franco Kasper said in an interview that the Fürst was in favour of the event. Why the fuss? There is currently a national referendum going on in the Principality on the matter and the Prince probably wants to stay impartial. More at Vaterland.