Thursday, May 31, 2018

Grand Ducal Couple Celebrates Air Rescue

Photo: Guy Jallay / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
Earlier today, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were on hand to cut some cake (obviously, see above) and thus celebrate the 30th anniversary of Luxembourg Air Rescue. Founded against political opposition and facing financial hurdles in 1988, the Air Rescue is now an important part of Luxembourg's emergency services. The Air Rescue is a private humanitarian organisation saving lives in the Grand Duchy itself, the Greater Region surrounding it and around the world as they participate in disaster relief operations. The Air Rescue Luxembourg also performs the transport of organs for the whole of France.

More pictures are available at Wort.

Grand Duke Receives Four Ambassadors

Photo: Grand Duke Henri with the Ambassador from Slovenia /
© Cour grand-ducale / tous droits réservés
On the 30th, Grand Duke Henri received in audience four ambassadors for the presentation of credentials: Dr. Rado Genorio from the Republic of Slovenia, Maria Jovicevic from the Republic of Serbia; Khaled Aly El Bakly from the Arab Republic of Egypt; and Amandin Rugira from the Republic of Rwanda.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Fashion Focus: May 15th - May 27th

Fashion Friday is back but with a new name! These fashion posts were supposed to be published on Fridays every two weeks but more often than not lately, it is published on Saturdays or Sundays as I'm either very busy or the Lux ladies aren't busy enough for me to make a post. To allow more flexibility, we decided to change the name and these posts will now be named Fashion Focus (with thanks to Bonnie for the suggestion!)

This Fashion Focus is very packed with a lot of IDs as these past two weeks were very busy for the Grand Ducal family!

Let's start with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie to New York.

On May 15th, they attended the Luxembourg-American Business Awards. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore a new Diane Von Furstenberg navy wrap gown.

Photo: LACC / Russ Rowland
Photo: Diane Von Furstenberg


On May 21st, they attended the 2018 opening of Art2Cure. Stéphanie wore a new outfit that I wasn't able to find with her old Castaner wedges.


Photo:  Art2Cure / Alyssa Meadows

Photo: Castaner


Earlier this week, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made a three days state visit to Luxembourg which led to a lot of new outfits!

On May 23rd, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie welcomed the King and Queen of the Netherlands at the airport. Stéphanie wore a new green Natan dress with her Sophie Habsburg clutch and a new hat by Sylvia Martinez for Les Folies Bibis.

Photo: © SIP / Emmanuel Claude, tous droits réservés
Photo: Natan

Photo: Sophie Habsburg

Photo: Les Folies Bibis
Photo: Les Folies Bibis

Afterward, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were welcomed by Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at the Grand Ducal Palace. For this ceremony and the rest of the day events, Maria Teresa wore a new Yves Dooms coat and dress with her Sophie Habsburg clutch, a Gillis Modists hat and nude Prada pumps. She also wore her Valentino sunglasses.

Photo: Chris Karaba

Photo: Sophie Habsburg

Photo: Lyst


Photo: Prada
For the gala dinner, both Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore recycled gowns. Maria Teresa wore the pink Elie Saab gown she first wore in 2014 during the state visit from Germany. She carried the gold clutch that belonged to Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte.

Photo: Lex Kleren

Photo: Vogue Runway
Stéphanie wore an Elie Saab white gown first worn by her mother-in-law in 2008 during a state visit to Sweden. Stéphanie also carried the same clutch Maria Teresa carried with the same gown in 2008.

Photo: Lex Kleren

Photo: Vogue Runway


On May 24th, for the second day of the state visit,  Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a new Yves Dooms coat with a Bottega Veneta clutch and her Sergio Rossi black suede shoes.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Cyril Moreau / Bestimage

Photo: Sergio Rossi

Photo: Bottega Veneta

In the evening, the royal couple, the grand ducal couple and the hereditary grand ducal couple attended a concert. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a new Elie Saab printed gown (which has the same design as the Elie Saab gown she wore in Paris during the state visit to France) with her Sophie Habsburg clutch and gold pumps.

Photo: Laurent Blum

Photo: Boutique1
Photo: Sophie Habsburg
Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore an Elie Saab gown that was again first worn by Maria Teresa back in 2005 for the National Day Gala. She accessorized with a clutch that also belongs to Maria Teresa and pink satin pumps. I think they could be Prada pumps (pictured below) but I can't confirm this.

Photo: Lex Kleren
Photo: Vogue Runway

Photo: BrownsFashion
On May 25th, the last day of the state visit, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa had two outfits. She first wore a new Yves Dooms coat and dress with a matching scarf, a red Louis Vuitton clutch, and the nude Prada pumps she first wore on the first day of the state visit.

Photo:© Cour grand-ducale / Cyril Moreau / Bestimage

Photo: Louis Vuitton

Photo: Prada
For the official farewell ceremony, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa changed into another new Yves Dooms coat and dress outfit with the same Prada nude pumps, her Bottega Veneta clutch, and a new custom-made Fabienne Delvigne hat.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Cyril Moreau / Bestimage



Photo: Bottega Veneta

Photo: Prada

Like on the first day, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were the ones attending the airport ceremony. Stéphanie wore her Paule Ka dress with a yellow Paule Ka belt that matched her hat. She carried an old UFO clutch and wore her white UFO peep toes shoes. They are some of her favorites but unfortunately, we haven't able to find them. Her earrings are by Oscar de la Renta.

Photo: Chris Karaba

Photo: Paule Ka
Photo: Paule Ka

Photo: Oscar de la Renta
The King and Queen of the Netherlands and the Grand Ducal couple didn't say goodbye for long as they were all attending the gala dinner for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday in Copenhagen.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a new red cape gown which I really loved. I suspect it is from Elie Saab but I won't get an answer from them until tomorrow. I'll update the post then. She also carried the clutch that belonged to Joséphine Charlotte which is one of her most used clutches.


The great surprise was to see Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein! Sophie decided to wear the green gown she wore to the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands back in 2013.




What did you think of all these outfits? What did you think about Stéphanie wearing Maria-Teresa's gowns? I think the white one didn't flatter her but I liked the second one! What was your favorite outfit?

Saturday, May 26, 2018

50th Birthday Celebrations of Crown Prince Frederik

Embed from Getty Images

Count on the Danish royal family to celebrate a big birthday in style! Crown Prince Frederik celebrates his 50th birthday today and there have been lots of events in the past few weeks leading up to this day. The highlight today: Queen Margrethe hosted a gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace - and Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as - in a bit of a surprise move - Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were on hand to celebrate with the Crown Prince and his family. (I say as a surprise move as we do not often see the Liechtensteins at gatherings of the Scandinavian royal families.)

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the Chaumet Diamond and Pearl Choker Tiara, also worn by the Hereditary Grand Duchess earlier this week, but in one of its larger settings, together with diamond and pearl earrings and Princess Ingeborg's Pearl and Diamond Brooch, which of course has its very own connection to Denmark. Hereditary Princess Sophie wore the Habsburg Fringe Tiara, diamond earrings and a rather large diamond bow brooch.

Any chance we can make tiara birthdays happen in Luxembourg, too? Foreign royal attendance wouldn't even by necessary per se, tiaras for the wife, daughter, all daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, nieces and nieces-in-law of the Grand Duke would be just fine, #thankyouverymuch. (And maybe invite the Liechtensteins cause they could do with a tiara event or two a year, #muchobliged.)

Friday, May 25, 2018

Dutch State Visit to Luxembourg, Day 3

Photo: SIP
It's already the last day of the Dutch state visit to the world's only Grand Duchy. (Check here, here, here and here for our previous coverage.) To kick off the day, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess as well as the King and Queen of the Netherlands visited the company Neobuild. As the first technological innovation pole for sustainable construction in the country, Neobuild aims to facilitate technological innovation and support for Luxembourgish companies active in this sector. The company uses, among other things, new materials, construction processes, renewable energies and certification systems.
Photo: SIP
Next on the agenda for the Dutch and Luxembourgish sovereigns was a visit to CFL Multimodal, where they were welcomed by the Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch and toured the facilities. In addition, the King and Queen also got the chance to meet with the Dutch community living in the Grand Duchy.
Photo: Pierre Matgé / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
As the state visit drew to a close, the traditional farewell ceremony took place in front of the palais grand-ducal. The final wave goodbye was reserved for the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess though as they accompanied King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to the airport to see them off. 
Photo: Chris Karaba / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
More pictures and videos of the day at Wort, the goverment, the cour, Tageblatt and RTL.

Funeral of Duke Friedrich of Württemberg

Photo: People Picture / Willi Schneider
Earlier today the funeral of Duke Friedrich of Württemberg took place in the southern German town of Altshausen. Among the 2,000 mourners at the funeral were Fürst Hans-Adam II, Hereditary Prince Alois, Hereditary Princess Sophie, their daughter Princess Marie-Caroline, Prince Stefan and Princess Florentine of Liechtenstein as well as Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg. The parents of Hereditary Princess Sophie, Duke Max and Duchess Elizabeth in Bavaria, and her sisters and spouses were all in attendance too as the Hereditary Princess' younger sister is married to a brother of the late Duke.
Photo: DPA
Duke Friedrich, the oldest son and heir of Duke Carl of Württemberg and his wife Princess Diane of Orléans, was killed in a car accident on May 9. He was 56-years-old and leaves his wife, Duchess Marie of Württemberg, née Princess of Wied, and three grown children, Duke Wilhelm, Duchess Marie-Amélie and Duchess Sophie-Dorothée.

A video of the arrival of the Liechtenstein and Luxembourg royals can be found at Schwäbische.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Luxembourgish and Dutch Royals Attend Concert

Photo: Lex Kleren / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
The second day of the Dutch state visit to Luxembourg was rounded off by a concert hosted  hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima as a thank you for their hosts - and naturally Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were all on hand to attend the event at the Salle de Concerts Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte of the Philharmonie.
Photo: Lex Kleren / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu
Both the grand ducal ladies - and also the Queen - looked wonderful this evening. The Grand Duchess is sporting a new (possibly Elie Saab) gown. The Hereditary Grand Duchess is also wearing  an Elie Saab gown previously worn by her mother-in-law. This time around - and in difference to the clothes sharing last night - it looks splendid on Stéphanie and, IMHO, better than on the Grand Duchess. The Hereditary Grand Duchess is also sporting one of the diamond riviere necklaces.


More pictures of the night at Wort and the cour. A video is available on our Facebook page.

Dutch State Visit to Luxembourg, Day 2

Photo: SIP
The second day of the Dutch state visit to Luxembourg took Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as King Willem-Alexander and Queeen Máxima to Esch-Belval. Belval is a former brownfield turned scientific and cultural center, hosting the scientific academy of the Université de Luxembourg as well as Rockhal, the Grand Duchy's largest music venue. At Belval, they got a presentation on urban planning and the urban design concept of a blast furnaces terrace. In addition, they were received by the Vice-Rector of the University of Luxembourg, Romain Martin, who introduced them to the new Learning Centre of the University that will open later this year in Belval. The royal foursome also heard a presentation about "Space Resources Utilisation: Luxembourg's next big bet in Space", visited several workshops and got to play around a little.
Photo: SIP
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess and the King and Queen then made their way to the Château de Vianden where they were welcomed by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel for the opening of the exhibition "Relations: The Nassaus and Luxembourg" featuring exhibits from the royal collections in The Hague and collections of the Grand Ducal House. The visit to Vianden was rounded off by a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in honour of the Dutch King and Queen as well as the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.

A video of the visit to Belval and the event at Château Vianden can be found on our Facebook page.
Photo: SIP
(Quick history lesson: The Dutch and Luxembourgish royal families form the two surviving branches of the House of Nassau - and until 1890 the Grand Duchy was ruled by the King of the Netherlands. That year King-Grand Duke Willem III died without a male heir. While the Kingdom of the Netherlands was inherited by his daughter Wilhelmina, the Grand Duchy of Nassau went to his seventeenth cousin once removed, the former Duke Adolph of Nassau thus dissolving the personal union between the two monarchies due to different laws of succession. While Wilhelmina is the great-grandmother of King Willem-Alexander; Adolph is the great-great-grandfather of Grand Duke Henri.)
Photo: SIP
The afternoon of the second day of the state visit was dedicated to meetings at the Chamber of Commerce where the royals also took part in an economic seminar entitled "Luxembourg and the Netherlands: Together on the way to a circular economy".

More pictures and videos of the day at Wort, RTL, the cour, the government, L'essentiel, Tageblatt and probably all over the Dutch media, too. 

P.S. Read all about the day activities of the first day of the state visit here and about the gala banquet here. Also make sure to check back later today as we will cover the evening event in a seperate post.