Luxarazzi 101: Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg, Countess Henckel of Donnersmarck

In the last of our series of biographies on the children of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix, we will be covering the life of Marie-Adélaïde, the third child and second daughter. Marie-Adélaïde Louise Therese Wilhelmine was born on May 21, 1924, at Château de Berg. Marie-Adélaïde was named in honor of her aunt, the former Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, who had died four months before her niece's birth. The little princess was baptized five days after she was born, with her maternal grandmother Dowager Grand Duchess Maria Ana serving as godmother. Her godfather was Louis of Bourbon-Parma, a younger brother of Prince Felix.

Marie-Adélaïde (far right) as a child
with her family

Marie-Adélaïde's childhood was spent mostly at Château de Berg. Her life during this time was largely stable and happy, being educated by private tutors alongside her siblings. Marie-Adélaïde later attended a boarding school in Brussels with her sister Elisabeth and brother Charles.

Shortly before Marie-Adélaïde's 16th birthday, she was spending time with her aunt Zita, the former Austrian Empress, at the latter's home of Château de Ham in Steenokkerzeel, Belgium. Zita's 48th birthday celebration was held on May 9, 1940, at the castle. She and her nine children lived close to the school attended by Marie-Adélaïde, Elisabeth, and Charles. The following day the country was invaded by German troops. After meeting up with her parents, grandmother, and remaining siblings, Marie-Adélaïde fled Belgium via motorcade through France, Spain, and finally Portugal.

During the family's flight to Portugal, Prince Felix had requested temporary asylum in the United States from President Roosevelt. The President agreed due to the seriousness of the situation, the good relationship between the two countries, and the fact that the Grand Ducal Family included several children. However, because the United States was still a neutral country in 1940, the family would only be allowed to stay for a limited time.

Marie-Adélaïde and her family spent a few weeks in the United States before making a more permanent home in Montreal, Québec, Canada. As she and her siblings were not fully fluent in English, their education would need to continue in their native French, the official language of this part of Canada. All six of the grand ducal children were enrolled in school further north in Quebec City - Jean at Laval University, Charles at the Jesuit College, and Marie-Adélaïde and her sisters at the Collège Jesus-Marie de Sillery, a girls' school associated with Laval. The girls lived with their aunt Zita and her family while attending school. Along with her sister Elisabeth, Marie-Adélaïde completed high school while living in Quebec.

Marie-Adélaïde as a young woman

While living in Canada, Marie-Adélaïde appeared periodically in public. She accompanied her sister Elisabeth to the Women's National Exhibition of Arts and Industries in New York in October 1941, where the two were guests of honor at a party associated with the Luxembourg exhibit.  

Marie-Adélaïde lived in Quebec for two years. Meanwhile, Grand Duchess Charlotte had established herself and the Luxembourg government-in-exile in Britain, where the rest of the family joined her. Marie-Adélaïde attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart School (now known as the Woldingham School) in Roehampton along with her sister Elisabeth.

While in Britain, Marie-Adélaïde and her siblings became involved in activities with the British Red Cross. She also served with her sister Elisabeth as a member of the Mechanised Transport Corps (MTC), a women's group whose members served as ambulance drivers and as chauffeurs for official government business both in Britain and in combat areas around the world. In preparation for her role in the MTC Marie-Adélaïde learned the basics of map reading, vehicle maintenance, and some first aid training.

Marie-Adélaïde returned to Luxembourg with her family on April 17, 1945, just a few weeks before her 21st birthday. Marie-Adélaïde, along with her siblings Elisabeth, Marie-Gabrielle, and Charles, entered the Grand Duchy driving in a convoy of ambulances and trucks donated to the country by the British Red Cross. The convoy carried medical supplies, food, and other basics desperately needed by the citizens of Luxembourg who welcomed the family home with open arms.

Later that year, Marie-Adélaïde began serving as a patron of the Harmonie Grand Ducale Marie-Adélaïde, a musical group which formed at the beginning of the reign of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde in 1912. The younger Marie-Adélaïde continued her support of the group for many years, well into her marriage and departure from the Grand Duchy.

Marie-Adélaïde and Carl Josef
at the time of their engagement

Marie-Adélaïde's love life became a hot topic in the press during the early 1950s. A rumor circulated in 1950 that Marie-Adélaïde had fallen for a young American GI. A 1952 vacation in France with the Belgian royals prompted talk of an engagement between Marie-Adélaïde and the young King Baudouin of Belgium. Although the two families were indeed close, Marie-Adélaïde was several years older than Baudouin, making a marriage unlikely.

During the 1950s, Marie-Adélaïde attended a variety of events within and associated with the Grand Duchy. She was present during Margaret Truman's 1951 visit to Luxembourg when Margaret was a guest of then-American ambassador Perle Mesta. Marie-Adélaïde was also present at the 1953 ceremonial unveiling of the statue of Grand Duke Adolph, her great-grandfather. She studied for a time in Paris during the 1950s as well. In 1956, Marie-Adélaïde served as a godmother to Maria-Esméralda of Belgium, the daughter of Leopold III, former King of Belgium, and his second wife Liliane Baels. Marie-Esmeralda carries the name Adelaide as one of her christening names in honor of her godmother.

Marie-Adélaïde was the last of the grand ducal daughters to marry. Her engagement to Count Carl Josef Henckel of Donnersmarck was announced on December 17, 1957. Carl Josef was part of a family known for its staggering wealth made through mining and another branch of the famiyl was actually given the title of Prince by the German Kaiser. Marie-Adélaïde was 33 at the time of the announcement and her groom 29. A wedding date was not publicly known at the time, but was expected to take place in the spring of 1958. 

Marie-Adélaïde and Carl Josef
before their religious wedding

On April 10, 1958, the couple married in Luxembourg City. As required by law, the couple married first in a civil ceremony held that morning at the Grand Ducal Palace. The religious service was held later in the day at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City. Several of Marie-Adélaïde's nieces and nephews - Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Wauthier de Ligne, and Monica of Holstein-Ledreborg - served as child attendants at the wedding. In a newspaper report of the event, Marie-Adélaïde's vows were said to have been "drowned out" by the music of the Radio Luxembourg Symphony Orchestra, the church organ, and the choir.

The new couple made their home at Schloss Wolfsberg in Carinthia, an area in southeastern Austria, and later in Switzerland. Marie-Adélaïde and Carl Josef were parents to four children:

- Andreas (1959-)

- Felix (1960-2007)

- Heinrich (1961-)

- Charlotte (1965-)

All four children were born in Luxembourg - Andreas and Felix at Château de Berg, Heinrich at the Grand Ducal Palace, and Charlotte at Château de Fischbach. Two of the children later married into the noble Houses of Meran and Hohenberg.

Marie-Adélaïde died on February 28, 2007, in Carinthia. Her death was the first among the children of Grand Duchess Charlotte since Charles' death in 1977. Her funeral was held on March 9 at Wolfsberg, where she is buried in the family crypt. Her funeral was attended by the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, along with Grand Duke Jean. Eight months to the day after her death, Marie-Adélaïde's son Felix died of lung cancer.

Karl Josef married again on December 21, 2007, to Claire Barclay-Hoess. He died on April 16, 2008, in Malta, four months into his second marriage. Marie-Adélaïde has eight grandchildren, one of whom has been born since her death. Her eldest granddaughter Laura carries Marie-Adélaïde as two of her middle names in honor of her grandmother. Marie-Adélaïde's children and grandchildren are seen occasionally at Grand Ducal Family events.

Guillaume Heads to the U.S.

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume will be heading to the United States this weekend for a financial mission. Accompanied by Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna, he will visit California between April 10 and 13. The aim of the visit is "to promote the Grand Duchy as a European Fintech hub to professionals in Silicon Valley". More at Chronicle.lu.

Luxarazzi 101: Grand Duke Jean During World War II

In 1939 the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had celebrated the 100th anniversary of its independence in grand fashion but a year later came the biggest thread to the country's freedom when Nazi-Germany invaded the tiny Grand Duchy on May 10th, 1940. Today, members of the Grand Ducal Family are commemorating the landing of allied forces in the Normandy in 1944 alongside other world leaders. However, the only (former) head of state present who actually participated in those landings is Grand Duke Jean. And so I thought we'd take the opportunity to chronicle his life during the war years.

The Grand Ducal Family prior to the war

Plans of an imminent invasion by the German forces became known already a few days prior to the actual invasion. The Grand Ducal Family had decided that they would stay on Luxembourgish territory until the last moment possible and Prince Felix, Grand Duke Jean's father, had drawn up plans for the family to leave the country via two separate ways. While Grand Duke Jean and his sisters Princess Marie-Gabrielle and Princess Alix were to travel in one car, Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix as well as Grand Duchess Maria-Ana would try to make their way out of the country by a number of other ones. After all, the Germans should not be allowed to capture the entire Grand Ducal Family, and especially not Grand Duchess Charlotte and then-Hereditary Grand Duke Jean, at once. (The other children of the family were staying with their paternal aunt Empress Zita of Austria near Brussels at the time)

Grand Duke Jean and his sisters were accompanied by two aide-de-camps and the original plan was to bring them to Esch-sur-Alzette where they should have stayed with the friend of one of the aide-de-camps until further instruction. However, the friend wasn't home and so they made their way via various towns and villages along the French border as the aide-de-camps weren't entirely sure whether to leave the Grand Duchy behind or not. Just outside of Niederkerschen they almost came into contact with German soldiers when a plane landed on a meadow nearby. Out of the plane jumped armed German soldiers though the car carrying Grand Duke Jean, Princess Marie-Gabrielle and Princess Alix was able to turn around. Another critical situation happened when they had to cross a German road block but in the end they - just as the rest of the family - were able to leave Luxembourg safely.

At the Château de Bostz,
where the family stayed
between May 20th and
June 16th, 1940
(Photo: Collections grand-ducales)

The Family reunited during the evening hours in Sainte Menehould before making their way to Paris, which was about 220 kilometres away, the following day. On the day of Belgium's capitulation to Germany (May 28th), the family stayed together with their Habsburg and Bourbon-Parma cousins at the Château de Bostz, owned by Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma, a brother of Prince Felix, in Besson about 300 kilometres south of Paris.

On June 18th, Prince Felix and his children made their way to Saint-Jean-de-Luz close to the French-Spanish border where they stayed at the property of the Spanish Carlist politician Rafael Olazabal. A day later, Grand Duchess Charlotte also arrived there and it was decided that the aide-de-camp who had already brought Grand Duke Jean and his sisters out of Luxembourg would travel with all of the Grand Duchess' children to Spain where they would stay in San Sebastian. Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix followed them a day later but very soon afterwards the Family received a letter by the Spanish dictator Franco that they were not welcome in Spain. After already having received visas from Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Grand Ducal Family then made their way via Vitoria, Burgos and Valladolid to Salamanca and then finally arrived in Portugal on June 24th.

On board the USS Trenton

After a few days of uncertainty it was Prince Felix who sent a cable to the United States of America asking for asylum for the Grand Ducal Family and the few employees that had fled with them. As luck would have it, Prince Felix and Grand Duke Jean had personally met President Roosevelt a year earlier and so their request was immediately accepted. On July 15th, Prince Felix and his children boarded the USS Trenton while Grand Duchess Charlotte stayed behind in Europe. When the ship arrived to the United States in Annapolis near Washington D.C. the members of the Grand Ducal Family were welcomed with 21 canon salutes. The first point on the Family's agenda after arriving to the United States was a luncheon at the White House.

In October 1940, the Grand Ducal Family as well as Luxembourg's exiled government took up residency in Canada. This relocation enabled the Grand Ducal as well as the children of the ministers to continue their education in French. Soon after Grand Duke Jean attended Université Laval in Québec where he majored in Political Science. In February 1941, Grand Duke Jean participated in a state visit to the United States alongside his parents. During the state visit President Roosevelt, who simply called the Grand Duchess 'my dear child' and Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Prince Felix by their first names, told the Grand Duchess, "Don't worry, dear child, I'll bring you home again."

Just like his parents, Grand Duke Jean participated in a number of goodwill tours travelling all over the US. He also held a number of speeches on Luxembourg's behalf. On the invitation of emigrated Luxembourgers, he also paid a visit to Brazil in June 1942. 

Near Bayeux after landing
in the Normandy
(Photo: Cour grand-ducale)

On October 6th, 1942, then-Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and his father made their way to Great Britain. About ten days later, there were received at Buckingham Palace by King George VI and during their meeting it was agreed that the future Grand Duke was to enter the Irish Guards. After entering the military on November 29th, his first few months of training led the then-Hereditary Grand Duke to Caterham and Pirbright. Being based at the Mons barracks in Aldershot, he completed his education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after having obtained the rank of second lieutenant. His passing-out ceremony on July 28th was attended by Prince Felix and the exiled government. On the same day, the future Grand Duke addressed the people of Luxembourg via BBC Radio. 

In August 1943, the Grand Duke Jean regained the Guards’ training battalion at Lingfield. During this time, he served as a guard at Buckingham Palace. Interestingly, he was on guard during an official visit by his mother and sisters during which he had to remain motionless the whole time. 

In February 1944, he joined the 3rd battalion of the Irish Guards at the Guards Armoured Division based at Malton, Yorkshire, where the battalion received their training for the Normandy landings on D-Day. On March 3rd, 1944, Prince Jean was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. At the end of April of the same year, the battalion was redeployed to Eastbourne. 

Photo: Tony Krier / Cour grand-ducale

On June 11th, 1944, five days after the D-Day that is commemorated today, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean landed in Normandy as member of a reinforcement unit. Subsequently, he served in the 32nd brigade of the Guards Armoured Division in Normandy thus taking part in the Battle of Caen. Having suffered major losses, the Guards Armoured Division was placed under the orders of the 30th Corps and received the order to advance to the Belgian border. On August 25th, which was also the day of the liberation of Paris, they crossed the Seine near Vernon and arrived at the Somme four days later. Liberating Arras and Douai on the way, they reached Brussels on the evening of September 3rd. The following day the division took part in the military ceremonies before the monument to the Unknown Soldier and at the Town Hall and then continued on to the East. 

While at Leopoldsburg on September 7th, Grand Duke Jean received the order to join his father, Prince Felix who had fought with the American Fifth Armoured Division. On September 10th, 1944, he returned to Luxembourg, crossing the border at Rodange, the very same place where the Grand Duchess had had to leave the country on May 10th, 1940. Once recognising Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Prince Felix, the Luxembourgish population carried them around on their shoulders. 

Photo: Photohall Bertogne

After spending a few days in the now liberated Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean returned to his unit, which had been involved in Operation Market Garden (Arnhem) since September 17th. They subsequently also took part in the Battle of the Bulge as well as the Reichswald attacks south of Nijmegen in February 1945. Once the German resistance had been broken in the region, the Guards Armoured Division began moving towards Bremen and Hamburg in the north of Germany. 

At the beginning of April 1945, Grand Duke Jean received the order to return to Luxembourg where the arrival of Grand Duchess Charlotte was expected. On April 14th, 1945, he was in the country to greet his mother who was greeted by an overjoyed population. Following the surrender of Germany, he was later detached to the allied military mission in Luxembourg. Dispatched to Berlin, he became particularly concerned about the deported Luxembourg nationals and the question of their repatriation. After the war, from 1984 until his abdication, he served as Colonel of the Regiment of the Irish Guards, often riding in uniform behind Queen Elizabeth II during the Sovereign's Birthday Parade.

Luxarazzi 101: Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara

Not only did a dream come true for the former Claire Lademacher yesterday when she married her hunky prince in a lovely ceremony in the south of France but also for all of us tiara lovers out there as it meant that we would get more information about one of the most lovely but also most mysterious tiaras in the Grand Ducal Collection. Unfortunately it seems that not even the Grand Ducal Family knows a whole lot about it provenance, however, we are simply going to roll with the information we have.

Princess Alix, Princess Marie-Gabrielle, Princess Elisabeth, Princess Marie-Adelaide, Princess Claire

Often simply described as the bigger one of the two floral tiaras of the Grand Ducal Family, we have come to refer to it as the 'Diamond Leaves and Berries Tiara' for the obvious reason that it features exactly that, diamonds set in a leaf motif with occasional single diamond berries set inbetween.

The cour grand-ducale decided to refer to it as the 'Vine Leaves Tiara' which is totally fine with us as, upon closer inspection, it turns out that the leaves are indeed those of vine. (How fitting as Princess Claire is the future manager of a vine estate!) While all kind of tiaras featuring different variations of leafy motives were made during the centuries, the vine leaf motif is rather uncommon sight which makes this tiara all the more special. The only stone used in this tiara are diamonds which are set in yellow gold and silver in the aforementioned vine leaf motif interspersed with more single diamonds.

Princess Claire, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie

While neither its creator nor the exact time of creation are known, the tiara seems to date to the middle of the 19th century and is owned by the family foundation which means that in difference to those pieces brought into the family by Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, this sparkler cannot be sold or willed off to children. Parts of the tiara could either be worn as brooches or a necklace in the past though it seems that the tiara has been permanently fixed into its current setting.

Even though the tiara has been in the family for a long time, it didn't get many outings until rather recently. While Grand Duchess Charlotte never wore the tiara, her four daughters, princesses Alix, Marie-Gabrielle, Elisabeth and Marie-Adelaide, wore the tiara on their respective wedding days thus giving it the sobriquet of a wedding tiara. According to the cour, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte only ever wore the tiara once while her daughter-in-law Grand Duchess Maria Teresa seems to have taken a liking to it as she regularly gets Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara out of the vaults for a spin at events that require some sparkle.

But not only was this tiara as wedding tiara during the 1950's, it also adorned the head of another new Luxembourg princess rather recently. The former Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy either chose or was offered this tiara to wear on the eve of her wedding to Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume as her first ever Grand Ducal tiara - a nice tie in with other brides of the family.

Photos: PPE / Guy Wolff / Cour grand-ducale / Getty Images / AFP Photos

Luxarazzi 101: Grand Ducal Wedding Tiaras

With not too much wedding news to report about, let's make some news of our own and have a look at the Luxembourgish wedding tiaras. That's right, not one wedding tiara but weddings tiaras. Over the years, the brides of the Grand Ducal Family have opted for very different pieces to adorn their heads on their wedding days. These tiaras are the obvious choices for Claire Lademacher to wear at her religious wedding ceremony on Saturday if she decides to wear a tiara at all. Sadly for us, quite a number of Grand Ducal brides chose not to wear any tiara at all.

Grand Duchess Charlotte, Princess Hilda

Nah, I don't even entertain the possibility that Claire will be wearing the Empire Tiara and neither should you. This sparkler was, however, worn by Grand Duchess Charlotte and Princess Hilda at their weddings to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma and Adolph, 10th Prince of Schwarzenberg respectively. None of Charlotte and Hilda's sisters opted to wear a tiara on their big days.

Princess Alix, Princess Marie-Gabrielle, Princess Elisabth, Princess Marie-Adelaide

Moving onto the next generation of Luxembourgish brides in the form of Grand Duchess Charlotte's daughters. At her wedding to Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne, Princess Alix was the first of the four sisters to wear the larger of the two floral tiaras of the Grand Ducal Collection. The has also been worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie for various events. It was later also worn by Princess Marie-Gabrielle, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg; Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg; and Princess Marie-Adelaide, Countess Henckel of Donnersmarck. Princess Joan did not wear a tiara at her wedding which happened on a much more private scale than any of the others.

Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa,
Princess Marie-Astrid, Princess Margaretha

It was the other of Grand Duchess Charlotte's daughters-in-law who brought the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara into the Family and also started a bit of a wedding tiara tradition with it. The daughter-in-law was, of course, no other than Grand Duchess Charlotte, a born Princess of Belgium. She wore this tiara for her actual wedding while changing into the Belgian Scroll Tiara later on. Her choice was echoed by her daughter-in-law Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as her daughters Princess Marie-Astrid and Princess Margaretha at their weddings. Neither Princess Sibilla nor the former Countess Hélène nor Countess Diane wore a tiara on their weddings.

Archduchess Marie-Christine, Archduchess Adelaide

Not only the bigger one of the two floral tiaras has a history as a wedding tiara. The smaller one does, too. Two of the Habsburg brides of the family, Princess Marie-Astrid's daughter Marie-Christine and her daughter-in-law Adelaide, chose this sparkler for their big day. Archduchess Kathleen did not wear a tiara but a pearl headband.

Princess Charlotte, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie

You remember what I just said about the Empire Tiara not being worn next Saturday? These tiaras won't be worn either but what the heck, who doesn't love looking at a few sparklers more?! Princess Charlotte wore the tiara her mother, the former Princess Joan. Yep, she might not have worn one at her wedding but she owned one herself. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie famously wore the tiara of her family for her wedding last year.

Luxarazzi 101: Bürgergarde Weilburg

The main reason for the Hereditary Grand Duke's and Hereditary Grand Duchess' visit to Hesse, which is taking place this weekend, is the 200th anniversary of the Weilburger Bürgergarde which was founded on the occasion of the wedding of Duke Wilhelm of Nassau (1792-1839) and Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1794-1825), parents of (Grand) Duke Adolph in 1813.

   Grand Duke Henri taking the salute in 2012  
(Photo: Luxarazzi)

So what is the Weilburger Bürgergarde that has led (and is still leading) various members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg to the small town north-west of Frankfurt? While the German word Bürgergarde is often translated as militia into English, the best way to describe it probably is as a civil guard as its main role was as a guard of honour.

In advance to the aforementioned wedding of the then Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and the daughter of Duke Friedrich of Saxe-Hildburghausen, later of Saxe-Altenburg (1763-1834) and his wife Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1769-1818), the town lieutenant of Weilburg had the idea to form a guard of honour to celebrate the happy occasion. His idea met with open ears in the Ducal Family and thus the citizens were asked to form a guard with a military order. Already before, similar organisations had existed but had been dissolved.

On June 26, the day of the domum deductio procession, the newly formed guard marched in front of the Landtor, one of the gateways to Schloss Weilburg, to honour the bridal couple. About two months later, on August 31, the state ministry declared the the Bürgergarde to be permanent upon the instruction of the Duke of Nassau. On the occasion, the guard was given 120 rifles by the Ducal House.

In 1814, the Bürgergarde became an independant unit and militia company of the Landsturm company though seven years later they seperated from the Landsturm and started to exist as a private institution with permanent right to exist granted by the state.

Reburial of Grand Duke Adolph
Photo: Bürgergarde Weilburg

During the revolution of 1848, the civil guard largely was replaced by an actual militia. After its end and the beginning of the restoration period, the Bürgergarde was reshaped under a new captain.

After the annexation of Nassau in 1866, King Wilhelm III of Prussia granted the Bürgergarde a new right to exist in same the form previously approved by the Ducal House of Nassau.

Already during a speech in 1848, Duke Adolph had described the special bond between the people of Weilburg and the branch of the House of Nassau by the same name, "Yet I cannot and will not believe that in spite of all new the old Weilburger haven't remained the same. The loyalty and allegiance of the people of Weilburg to their old dynasty have become proverbial in our country."

In the following years after the annexation by Prussia, the relations between the people of Weilburg and the ousted Ducal Family remained close. On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the town in 1906, Grand Duke Wilhelm IV visited Weilburg alongside Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, son of Emperor Wilhelm II. During his visit, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and nominal Duke of Nassau gave a silver cup to the civil guard. In 1910, Wilhelm's wife and regent, Grand Duchess Maria-Ana, gifted the restored flag to the Bürgergarde.

During the funerals of Grand Duke Wilhelm IV in 1912 and his mother Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie in 1916, the Weilburger Bürgergarde stood guard. Both of them were laid to rest in the chapel of Schloss Weilburg.

After the end of World War II, the American occupying forces prohibited the civil guard and all historical weapons and uniforms were burnt. A few years later, a citizen's association was founded and since 1959 they are a registered association. Only in 1966, the Bürgergarde received new riffles. To this day they are wearing expensive replicas of the historical uniforms.

The first major post-war event was the transfer of the remains of Grand Duke Adolph into the castle chapel in Weilburg in 1953. On the occasion, Grand Duke Jean and his siblings Prince Charles, Princess Elisabeth and Princess Marie-Adélaïde visited the home of their ancestors. To this day, the Bürgergarde stands guard for Nassau's last ruler on November 17, the day of his death.

Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess
Joséphine-Charlotte in Weilburg
(Photo: Weilburger Bürgergarde)

Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte visited Weilburg at least three times; in 1977 on a state visit, in 1990 together with Germany's president Richard von Weizäcker and in 1997. Since becoming head of state, Grand Duke Henri has visited the town at least twice. Together with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in 2005 to mark the centenary of Grand Duke Adolph's death and one more time accompanied only by his wife last year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Wilhelm IV.

Every time members of the Grand Ducal Family are on an official visit to Weilburg, the Bürgergarde is out in full force to form a guard of honour, which isn't too surprising considering that the reigning Grand Duke is always also the Duke of Nassau and thus colonel-in-cief of the civil guard. If a new captain is chosen, the Grand Duke is notified and over the years many members of the Bürgergarde have received the Luxembourgish Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolphe of Nassau. The celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the guard takes place under the patronage of no other than the Grand Duke himself.

As you can see, by visiting the ancestral home of their branch of the House of Nassau, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, who are also the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Nassau, follow the footsteps set by many other family members.

"The Consul of Bordeaux"

Photo: Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Last night, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the Luxembourgish premiere of the film "The Consul of Bordeaux" at the Utopolis cinema in Kirchberg as part of a series of screenings of Portuguese films organised by the Embassy of Portugal to the Grand Duchy in collaboration with Camões I, a Portuguese Cultural Centre in Luxembourg. 

Source: "The Consul of Bordeaux" official trailer from Henri Seroka on Vimeo.

The film tells the story of a man who saved the lives of about 30,000 refugees during World War II in only a week by frantically granting them visas. Among those receiving visas were no other than Grand Duchess Charlotte, her husband Prince Felix and their children Hereditary Grand Duke Jean, Princess Elisabeth, Princess Marie-Adelaide, Princess Marie-Gabrielle, Prince Charles and Princess Alix as well as Grand Duchess Maria Ana.

The man is, of course, Aristides de Sousa Mendes who is sadly largely forgotten these days. He was Portugal's consul-general in Bordeaux, France. At the time of the French capitulation in June 1940, thousands of refugees made their way south in the direction of Spain and Portugal to escape from the Germans. To enter Spain, one needed a Portuguese transit visa as Spain had already prohibited refugees to enter their country. The Portuguese dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar, then also decreed that under no circumstances Jews or dissidents were to be granted passage to Portugal.

At first Sousa Mendes only offered to grant visas to his friend, a Polish rabbi, and his family. The rabbi did not accept the offer stating that he could not leave when others were to be left behind. The Portuguese consul-general did not know what to do and after two days of thinking, on 17 June, Sousa Mendes decided to disobey the order given by his government and to issue visas for everyone, regardless of their nationality, race or religion. In the next few days, he granted about 30,000 visas to refugees, among them 12,000 Jews, the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg and 17 members of the Imperial Family of Austria.

On 20 June, Salazar ordered Sousa Mendes to come back to Portugal immediately. On his way, he granted more visas to refugees, before being stripped of his office three days later. Another day later, Salazar stated that none of Sousa Mendes' visas were valid anymore.

Sousa Mendes was later stripped of his title as diplomat and his pension was taken away. Furthermore, he was disallowed to practise law, his original occupation, and everyone in the country was forbidden to show him any charity. In 1954, he died in poverty and only in 1988 he was rehabilitated by the Portuguese parliament.

More pictures of the film premiere are located at Wort in Portuguese and on the website of Manuel Dias.

Source: Sousa Mendes Foundation, Yad Vashem, Wort

Wedding Guest List

After wading and wading and wading and wading through tons of pictures of the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his new wife née Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, I have come up with an exhaustive (and exhausting) guest list. I suspect that I have missed many guests or that I might have misidentified some of them, so my apologies if that happened. Added to my own identification are people from the released guest list, plus people that were pointed out to me by others (thanks to everyone!).

Photo: Christian Aschman / Cour grand-ducale

I know that some of the titles are not entirely correct; of course it should be “Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg” or “The Grand Duke of Luxembourg”. Nevertheless, to avoid confusion, every person is listed as “*Title* *Name* of *Place*”. In some case there was no appropriate translation into English, so the title in the original language stayed.

I’m also aware that in some European countries nobility is abolished. So technically, it would be “Georg-Friedrich Prinz von Preußen” which is the actual name of “Prince Georg-Friedrich of Prussia”. As I’m not in Austria and thus not under Austrian law, all archdukes and -duchesses are listed as archduke and -duchesses and not as “*Name* Habsburg-Lothringen”. As I’m sure that some, if not many, of them aren’t Austrian citizens and I have no clue what their actual last name of the country in question is. (No, I have never seen their passports. Outrageous, I know.)

The guests are in alphabetical order by their last name / country of origin, starting with the immediate families of the groom and bride. All wives are listed with their husbands names / titles, even though some of them might still be styling themselves with their maiden names / titles. Wives of noble descendent are mentioned as “née *Title* of *Place*” because I think it is interesting to see the family connections and interrelatedness. Under-aged children are listed with their parents.


Family of the groom

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa
and Grand Duke Henri
(Photo: RTL)

Prince Félix of Luxembourg

Prince Louis of Luxembourg
Princess Tessy of Luxembourg
Prince Gabriel de Nassau

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

Archduke Carl-Christian of Austria
Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, née Princess of Luxembourg

Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum
Countess Marie-Christine de Limburg-Stirum, née Archduchess of Austria

Archduke Imre of Austria
Archduchess Kathleen of Austria

Archduke Christoph and his fiancée
Adélaïde (Photo: RTL)

Archduke Christoph of Austria
Adélaïde Drapé-Frisch

Archduke Alexander of Austria

Archduchess Gabriella of Austria

Prince Jean of Luxembourg
Countess Diane de Nassau

Princess Marie-Gabrielle de Nassau

Prince Constantin de Nassau

Prince Wenceslas de Nassau 

Prince Carl de Nassau

Prince Nikolaus von und zu Liechtenstein
Princess Margaretha von und zu Liechtenstein, née Princess of Luxembourg

Princess Maria-Anunciata von und zu Liechtenstein

Princess Marie-Astrid von und zu Liechtenstein

Princess Sibilla and Prince Guillaume
with their children Leopold, Charlotte,
Paul-Louis and Jean (Photo: RTL)

Prince Josef von und zu Liechtenstein

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg
Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg
Prince Paul-Louis de Nassau
Prince Léopold de Nassau
Princess Charlotte de Nassau
Prince Jean de Nassau

Prince Robert of Luxembourg
Princess Julie de Nassau

Marc Cunningham
Charlotte Cunningham, née Princess of Luxembourg

Hélène Vestur, former wife of Prince Jean of Luxembourg

Charlotte and Marc Cunningham,
she is the daughter of Prince Charles

Mr Luis Mestre, brother of the Grand Duchess
Mrs Nicole Mestre

Maike Mestre

Luis Mestre

Mrs Catalina Esteve, sister of the Grand Duchess

Natalia Esteve

Katarina Esteve

Victoria Esteve

Mr Antonio Mestre, brother of the Grand Duchess


Family of the bride 

Count Philippe de Lannoy

Count Christian and Countess Luisa
de Lannoy (Photo: RTL)

Count Jehan de Lannoy
Countess Caroline de Lannoy
Countess Louise de Lannoy

Count Christian de Lannoy
Countess Luisa de Lannoy

Mr John Hamilton
Mrs Nathalie Hamilton, née Countess de Lannoy
Antonia Hamilton
Charlotte Hamilton
Madeleine Hamilton

Countess Gaëlle de Lannoy

Countess Isabelle,
sister of
Count Philippe
(Photo: RTL)

Count Amaury de Lannoy

Count Olivier de Lannoy
Countess Alice de Lannoy

Mr Jean-Charles de le Court
Mrs Isabelle de le Court, née Countess de Lannoy
Isaure de le Court
Lancelot de le Court

Countess Chantal de Lannoy

Countess Isabelle de Lannoy

Count Claude de Lannoy
Countess Claudine de Lannoy, née Countess d’Ursel

Dominique and Lydia
de Schaetzen (Photo: RTL)

Mr Ladislas della Faille de Leverghem
Mrs Anne della Faille de Leverghem, née de Schietere de Lophem

Knight Dominique de Schaetzen
Mrs Lydia de Schaetzen, née della Faille de Leverghem

Mr Claude de Goussencourt
Mrs Dominique de Goussencourt, née della Faille de Leverghem

Mr Arnaud della Faille de Leverghem
Mrs Marie-Pascale della Faille de Leverghem, née de Grand Ry


Royal and noble (-related) guests

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi

Countess Maria Beatrice von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, née Archduchess of Austria-Este

Countess Anna von und zu Arco-Zinneberg

Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg

Princess Dainé d'Arenberg
(Photo: RTL)

Princess Dainé d'Arenberg

Felipe, Prince of Asturias
Letizia, Princess of Asturias

Archduke Martin of Austria-Este
Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este, née Princess of Isenburg

Archduke István of Austria
Archduchess Paola of Austria, née de Temesváry

Archduchess Yolande of Austria, née Princess de Ligne

Archduke Rudolf of Austria
Archduchess Marie-Hélène of Austria, née de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck

Archduchess Priscilla of Austria

Archduke Rudolf with his
mother née Princess Yolande de
Ligne, his wife Archduchess Hélène
and daughter Archduchess Priscilla
are in the background (Photo: RTL)

Archduchess Anna Gabriele of Austria, née Princess of Wrede

Archduke Karl-Peter of Austria
Archduchess Alexandra of Austria, née Princess of Wrede

Archduke Simeon of Austria
Archduchess Maria of Austria, née Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Archduke Michael of Austria
Archduchess Christiana of Austria, née Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

Margrave Maximilian of Baden
Margravinne Valerie of Baden, née Archduchess of Austria

Hereditary Prince Bernhard of Baden
Hereditary Princess Stephanie of Baden
 
Count Andreas of Bardeau
Countess Anita of Bardeau, née Princess of Hohenberg

Duke Max and Duchess
Elisabeth in Bavaria
(Photo: RTL)

Duke Max in Bavaria
Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, née Countess Douglas

Prince Ludwig of Bavaria

King Albert II of the Belgians
Queen Paola of the Belgians

Queen Fabiola of Belgium

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Duke of Brabant
Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant

Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este

Prince Laurent of Belgium
Princess Claire of Belgium

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma

The Duke and Duchess of Parma with
Queen Margarita of Bulgaria
(Photo: RTL)

Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma, Duchess of Parma

Princess Lydia of Bourbon-Parma, née Countess Holstein til Ledreborg

Baron Philipp von und zu Bodman
Baroness Blanche von und zu Bodman, née Princess de Mérode

Lady Brabourne


Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança
Dona Isabel, Duchess of Bragança, née de Castro Curvelo de Herédia

King Simeon II of Bulgaria
Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, née Dona Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela

Prince Kiril and his sister-in-law
Princess Miriam of Bulgaria
(Photo: RTL)

Prince Kiril of Bulgaria

Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, née de Ungría y López

Duke Rudolf of Croÿ
Duchess Alexandra of Croÿ

Duchess Gabriele of Croÿ, née Princess of Bavaria

Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi
Countess Isabella Czarnocki-Lucheschi, née Archduchess of Austria-Este

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Prince Henrik of Denmark

Lawrence Frankopan,
friend and witness of
the Hereditary Grand Duke
(Photo: CGD)

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Don Lawrence Doimi de Frankopan

Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils et Grâce
Anne-Marie de Fabribeckers de Cortils de Grâce, née Princess de Ligne

Don Diégo Fernandez de Cordova y Cervero
Éleonore de Potesta

Mr Jean Fruchaud
Mrs Tatiana Fruchaud, née Princess Radziwill

Prince Piotr Dmitrievich Galitzine
Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, née Archduchess of Austria

Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy

Prince Piotr Galitzine
and his wife née
Archduchess Maria-Anna
(Photo: RTL)

Baroness Elisabeth Gilles de Pélichy, née Princess de Ligne

King Constantine II of Greece
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece

Princess Caroline of Hanover, née Princess of Monaco

Fürst Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern
Fürstin Katharina of Hohenzollern

Countess Antonia Holstein til Ledreborg

The Hon. Alexandra Knatchbull

Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan

Count Andreas of Bardeau
and his wife née Princess Anita
of Hohenberg, cousin of Grand
Duke Henri (Photo: RTL)

Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan
Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan

Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan
Princess Zeina al Rashid of Jordan

Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
Countess Alexandra von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, née Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Claire Lademacher, girlfriend of Prince Félix

Fürst Hans Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein
Fürstin Marie von und zu Liechtenstein

Princess Nora von und zu Liechtenstein

Princess Isabelle von und zu Liechtenstein, née de l'Arbre de Malander

Prince Wenzeslaus von und zu Liechtenstein

Princess Alix de Ligne, née Princess of Luxemburg

Prince Wauthier de Ligne,
a cousin of the Grand
Duke, and his wife Princess
Régine (Photo: RTL)

Prince Michel de Ligne
Princess Eleonora de Ligne, née de Orléans e Bragança

Princess Alix de Ligne

Prince Wauthier de Ligne
Princess Régine de Ligne, Countess de Renesse

Prince Antoine-Lamoral de Ligne
Princess Minthia de Ligne, née Countess de Lannoy

Count Bruno de Limburg Stirum
Countess Christine de Limburg Stirum, née Countess de Lannoy

Princess Françoise de Lobkowicz, née of Bourbon-Parma

Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz

Fürst Alois-Konstantin zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Fürstin Anastasia zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, née Princess of Prussia

Princess Xenia Galitzine
and husband Alberto Matta
(Photo: RTL)

Alberto Matta Maya
Xenia Galitzine de Matta, née Princess Galitzine

Count Christoph von Meran
Countess Marie-Charlotte von Meran, née Henckel Countess von Donnersmarck

Prince Charles-Louis de Merode
Princess Clothilde de Merode, née Countess d'Oultremont

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco

Mr John Munro
Mrs Silvia Munro, née Countess Holstein til Ledreborg

Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon

Prince Jean-Christophe
Napoléon and Princess
Alix de Ligne
(Photo: RTL)

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands

Countess Sophie de Nicolay, née Princess de Ligne

King Harald V of Norway
Queen Sonja of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

Prince Antonio de Orléans e Bragança
Princess Christine de Orléans e Bragança, née Princess de Ligne

Prince Antonio de Orléans
e Bragança and his wife
née Princess Christine de Ligne,
a daughter of Princess Alix
of Luxembourg
(Photo: RTL)

Prince Lelio Orsini d'Aragona

Kinga, Edle von Poschinger

Baron Jean-Louis de Potesta
Baroness Sophie de Potesta, née Princess of Hohenberg

Veronica de Pottere, Lensgrevinde Holstein til Ledreborg

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia

Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani of Qatar

Fürst Alexander von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny
Fürstin Martina von Quadt zu Wykradt und Isny

Count Jacques Rogge
Countess Anne Rogge

Crown Princess Margarita of Romania
Prince Radu of Romania

The Prince and Princess
of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
(Photo: RTL)

Count Axel of Rosenborg
Countess Jutta of Rosenborg

Fürst Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Fürstin Gabriela zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, née Countess von Schönborn-Wiesentheid

Hereditary Count Damian of Schönborn-Buchheim
Hereditary Countess Deirdre of Schönburg-Buchheim

Count Massimiliano Secco d'Aragona
Countess Catharina Secco d'Aragona, née Archduchess of Austria

Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia
Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia

Fürst Jost-Christian zu Stolberg-Stolberg 

The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel
of Sweden (Photo: RTL)

Fürstin Sylvianne zu Stolberg-Stolberg

Princess Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg

Queen Silvia of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Prince Daniel of Sweden

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden

Mr Hugo Townsend
Mrs Yolande Townsend, née Princess de Ligne

The Duke and Duchess of
Vendôme (Photo: RTL)

Prince Jean of France, Duke of Vendôme 
Philomena, Duchess of Vendôme, née de Tornos y Steinhart

Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont 
Clothilde, Princess of Venice and Piedmont

Hereditary Countess Mathilde von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg, née Duchess in Württemberg

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Fürst Mariano Hugo zu Windisch-Graetz
Fürstin Sophie zu Windisch-Graetz, née Archduchess of Austria


Clergy 

Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich
(left) and the apostolic nuncio Monsignor
Giacinto Berloco (Photo: RTL)

Monsignor Giacinto Berloco, Apostolic Nuncio of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Abbot Vincent della Faille de Leverghem

Brother Emmanuel della Faille de Leverghem

Abbot Pascal André Dumont

Monsignor Fernand Franck, Archbishop emeritus of Luxembourg

Canon Ernest Gillen

Canon Henri Hamus

Canon Georges Hellinghausen

Fernand Franck, archbishop
emiritus (Photo: RTL)

Monsignor Jean-Claude Hollerich S.J., Archbishop of Luxembourg

Abbot Dominique Janthial

The Right Reverend Father Abbot Michel Jorrot O.S.B, Father Abbot of Clervaux

Canon François Muller

Abbot Jean-Pierre Reiners, master of ceremonies

Abbot Romain Richer, ceremonial official


Dignitaries, politicians and others

Prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker
and his wife Christiane Frising-Juncker
(Photo: RTL)

Orignally, I planned to also list all the dignitaries and politicans to attend the wedding. But as the wedding had hundreds of guests, it would be tiring for me (and probably also you) to list them all. Just to give you a short run-down... Of course, prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker and his whole cabinet were there, as were loads of members of the parliament. There were even more politicians in form of mayors like the mayor of Luxembourg City Xavier Bettel.  Also in attendance were the presidents of the supreme and of the adminitrative courts of Luxembourg, as were the leading figures of the Luxembourgish army and the grand ducal police.

Additionally, there were some European dignitaries like Viviane Reding, European commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European commission, and Vassilios Skouris, president of the European court of justice.

Edouard Vermeulen with
Princess Isabelle and Prince
Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein
(Photo: RTL)

All resident ambassadors to the Grand Duchy were among the guests.

The cour grand-ducale and employees of the ministery of foreign affairs were out in full force to accompany the above mentioned guests.

Last but certainly not least, the designer of the dress Elie Saab, his wife Claudine and their son Elie Jr were also among the guests; as was Edouard Vermeulen, the man behind the Natan creations.