Showing posts with label Hereditary Princess Sophie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hereditary Princess Sophie. Show all posts

Friday, June 21, 2019

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, a Podium Concert, a Garden Party and More

June 15 to 21, 2019

Photos: Gabi

Last weekend, Prince Otto of Castell-Rüdenhausen and Sophia Mautner von Markhof celebrated their religious wedding at the former Augustinian Abbey Church in Waldhausen im Strudengau, Upper Austria with the reception and party taking place at nearby Burg Clam, the home of the family of the bride's mother, the Counts of Clam-Martinic. Among the guests for the nuptials were Princess Anunciata, Princess Astrid and Prince Josef. Many thanks to Gabi for kindly providing us with pictures.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Samuel Kirszenbaum
On June 15th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa an event celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Château de Chambord. The event included a tour of the exhibition entitled "Chambord 1519-2019: Utopia at Work." The Grand Duke was made honorary president and gave a speech in which he noted the importance of the estate and also mentioned his own family connection to Château de Chambord: his great-grandfather Robert I, Duke of Parma, was the chateau's last owner.

Photo: Elma Korac / Vaterland / vaterland.li
On the 16th, Hereditary Princess Sophie was in Schaan to attend the award ceremony for year's podium concert series at the TAK (or Veranstaltungen TAK Theater Liechtenstein). The annual series is composed of six concerts and was founded by Lotte Schwarz.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
On the 17th, Grand Duke Henri attended a celebration for the 100th anniversary of BGL BNP Paribas.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
And it's Garden Party time again! On June 18th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa welcomed individuals from the forces vives, including those who work in crafts, finance, industry, insurance, and trade. Additionally, the event included those in trade unions, professional organizations, EU institutions, the Army and Police, among others.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
On June 19th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited Kritzel Fabrik, the workshop of artist Jacques Schneider, who has supported her initiative "Stand Speak Rise Up!", which aims to end sexual violence in areas with conflict. The visit also corresponded with the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Grand Duchess viewed a photographic exhibition and also inaugurated a new signature wall that will be available to the public until September 19th.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue
Also on the 19th, the Grand Duchess received in audience representatives of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO), who were bringing a check for €38,734.38 in support of the Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse. The money will be used to support the initiative "Stand Speak Rise Up!"

Photo: Cour grand-ducale
On June 20th, Grand Duke Henri and Duchess Maria Teresa held a reception to honor those who had helped with the international forum "Stand Speak Rise Up!" that was held on March 260-27.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini
On the 21st, Grand Duke Henri awarded the Ordre civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau to the 2019 recipients, who included members of the Luxembourg Army, the Grand Ducal Police, a member of the association grand-ducale des Militaires et Anciens Militaires, and staff members of the Cour grand-ducale.

Also on June 21st, Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa held a reception at Château de Berg for the residents of Colmar-Berg. Also in attendance were Prince Félix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Sébastien. This event was in connection with the celebration of National Day, and we'll have a separate post on that.

Friday, June 14, 2019

Weekly Roundup: Remembering Grand Duke Jean, Superheroes and a Funeral

June 8 to 14, 2019
Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale
On Saturday, members of the Grand Ducal Family attended a special commemorative mass for the late Grand Duke Jean at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame. This kind of mass is traditionally celebrated six weeks after the passing and also marks the end of the official mourning period for the Grand Ducal Family. The members of the family in attendance for the mass included (from left to right) Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Archduchess Marie-Astrid, Princess Margaretha, Prince Nikolaus, Prince Jean, Archduchess Marie-Christine, Archduke Alexander, Archduchess Gabriella and Princess Astrid. 
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri was on hand for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre National de Radiothérapie François Baclesse. The Centre is a non-profit institution that participates in the public health service. It supports patients with radiotherapy indications for curative or palliative purposes, in a multidisciplinary context of oncology that involves all public and private hospitals.
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
The next day, it was time for Monseigneur le Grand-Duc to receive in audience Frank Engel, head of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV)...
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
...and pay a visit to an exhibition about Superhjemp, the Grand Duchy's very own superhero comic strip (also recently made into a movie). 
Later in the week also saw the accreditation of several new ambassadors to Luxembourg. The new ambassadors of Morocco, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Lithuania and Croatia all presented their letters of credence to the Grand Duke.
Photo: ORF
Also this week, the funeral of Countess Priscilla of Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems took place in Austria. The born Countess of Schönborn-Wiesentheid passed away on may 31 at the age of 85. Among the mourners at the funeral were Prince Hans-Adam and Princess Marie as well as Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie.

Friday, June 7, 2019

Weekly Roundup: A Wedding, a Luxo-Liechtenstein Meeting and More

June 1 to June 7, 2019
Photo: Stefan of Royal Travel
Summer is here and with it the season of weddings (and our third weekly roundup in a row featuring one)... This time around, it was Prince Casimir of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Alana Bunte who tied the knot. The second son of the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn Fürst Alexander and wife Fürstin Gabriela, who you may recall as a guest from various big events in Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, and the American model married on Saturday at Schloss Sayn in Germany.
Photo: Stefan of Royal Travel
Among the plentiful guests at the wedding were Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla as well as their niece and nephew Princess Anunciata and Prince Josef, children of Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus. Stefan of Royal Travel went to the wedding, you can see more of his wonderful pictures here (and many thanks once again for sharing them with us!)
Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale
This week also saw an official Luxembourg-Liechtenstein meeting as Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie participated in the annual gathering of the heads of state of the German-speaking countries. The other four countries attending include Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium which explains why Queen Mathilde is also in the picture above. (Plenty more at the cour.) This year's meeting took place in Linz, Austria, and included a visit to the Ars Electronica Center.
Photo: Sophie Margue / Cour grand-ducale
On Thursday, Grand Duke Henri paid a visit to the glass blowing workshop Seil in Bendorf. They are currently reproducing a range of historic crystal glasses, blown and engraved with the coat of arms of the Grand Duke. The effort forms part of an initiative launched by the Chamber of Trade to highlight the know-how of Luxembourgish crafts bringing together the tradition of rare trades and those of high technology.
Photo: Laurent Blum / Cour grand-ducale
Earlier today, Friday that is, Grand Duke Henri received in audience Franz Fayot, President of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), and Agnès Durdu, new President of the Council of State, in office since 1 April 2019.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Weekly Roundup: Red Cross, Receptions, and Reaching Children in Need

May 4th-17th

Photo: Tatjana Schnalzger / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
On May 8th, Hereditary Princess Sophie welcomed all members of the Liechtenstein Red Cross for the annual activity report. As part of the event, blood donors were honored, and attendees heard about the yearly event that invites children from Eastern Europe to a three-week holiday in Schaan. Hereditary Princess Sophie is the President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross.

Photo: Martin Walser / Tagblatt / tagblatt.ch
Also on the 8th, Hereditary Prince Alois heard from representatives of digital-liechtenstein.li, about their plans for expanding business opportunities in the Principality.

Photo: IKR / Volksblatt / volksblatt.li
On May 14th, Hereditary Prince Alois received Juliane Bogner-Strauss, the Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Families and Youth, for a courtesy visit at Schloss Vaduz.

Photo: llv.li
And on the same day, the Hereditary Prince received the Swiss Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States at Schloss Vaduz.

Photo: Roland Korner / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
He also received Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, who was in Liechtenstein for further discussions about ratifying the EFTA Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia.



On May 11th, Hereditary Princess Sophie was in Triesen to attend the opening of the Eugen Rosmarie House, which welcomes children in need. The Minister of Social Affairs Mauro Pedrazzini was also present.

Photo: oligreen.com /  Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
And finally, Countess Adelheid Coudenhouve-Calergi, née Princess of Liechtenstein, was named the Principality's honorary consul in London. She is the older daughter of Prince Vincenz. The honorary consulate was opened this month and she is the first person to hold that position.




Friday, May 3, 2019

Weekly Roundup: 100 Musical Years, Junior Diplomats, and Workers' Rights

This week's roundup will focus exclusively on events in Liechtenstein; we'll post about events connected to Grand Duke Jean's funeral separately.

Photo: Foto Fetzer / Sara Foser / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
On April 28th, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in Balzers to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fürstlich Liechtensteinische Sängerbund (Princely Liechtenstein Singing Association), which was founded on April 27th of 1919.

Photo: Roland Korner / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
On April 28th and 29th, Hereditary Prince Alois received a group of Swiss junior diplomats who were participating in the annual visit to Liechtenstein. Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Risch was also on hand to receive the young diplomats who learned more about Liechtenstein's culture, economy, and politics and took in a lecture at the Liechtenstein Institute.

Photo: Paul Trummer / Volksblatt / volksblatt.li
On May 1st, Hereditary Prince Alois was the guest of honor at an event hosted by LANV, the Liechtensteinischer ArbeitnehmerInnenverband (or Liechtenstein Employees' Association). LANV President Sigi Langenbahn spoke in favor of paid parental leave for employees of the Hofkellerei, and others mentioned the need for flexibility in the workplace due to ongoing changes in the traditional workweek and increasing digital opportunities.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Weekly Roundup: A Few More Funeral Details and More

April 20 - 26, 2019

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Private Collections
This week was tainted with sadness over the death of Grand Duke Jean on Tuesday, April 23. His coffin will be brought from the château de Berg to the palais grand-ducal on Sunday where Luxembourg's former head of state will lie in state and people will be able to pay their last respects. More details about the arrangements for the coming days here.

The funeral is to take place on May 4. Thus far Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, King Harald V, Queen Sonja and Princess Astrid of Norway, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium and the Princess Royal as well as the Count of Paris have already confirmed their attendance. Several royal families and heads of state have sent letters of condolence to the Grand Ducal Family. The Emperor and Empress of Japan paid a visit to the Luxembourgish embassy in Tokyo to pay tribute to Grand Duke Jean.

More sad news came during the course of the week when the passing away of Grand Duke Jean's first cousin Duchess Gabrielle of Croÿ on Good Friday was announced. The funeral of the daughter of Princess Antonia of Luxembourg will take place on May 3.

In the only Liechtenstein news this week, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie visited the country's largest dairy to tour the facilities. During the visit they were presented with a cheese loaf especially produced to mark the 300th anniversary of the Principality this year. More, including a picture, at Vaterland.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Double Weekly Roundup: Notre-Dame Fire, a Visit to Germany and Birthday Celebrations

April 6 to April 19, 2019

Welcome to our new Weekly Roundup in which we will conveniently cover the past two weeks as there hasn't been an awful lot going on in the public lives of the Grand Ducal and Princely families. The most important news upfront: Grand Duke Jean was hospitalised last Saturday but his health has been improving. Meanwhile, we haven't actually seen any of the Luxembourgs in the past two weeks. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa did sent letters of sympathy to the President of France and the Archbishop of Paris following the Notre-Dame fire though. The Grand Duchess is the patron of one of the new bells of the Cathedral installed a couple of years ago. 
Photo: IKR
Meanwhile the Liechtensteins continued celebrating the 300th anniversary of their Principality this year with a visit to Berlin. The Liechtenstein embassy in Germany hosted a reception on April 11 that was attended by Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie, who were joined by the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein as well as the Presidents of Parliament of both Germany and Liechtenstein. More pictures and information at Volksblatt.
Photo: Daniel Schwender / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / Vaterland.li
On April 14, Princess Marie celebrated her 79th birthday. The Liechtenstein government and several other dignitaries were on hand to offer their best wishes during a reception hosted at Schloss Vaduz. Fürst Hans-Adam II was also there though the pictures available don't quite tell if any other family members were in attendance.

And with that, Team Luxarazzi is wishing all our dear readers a wonderful Easter weekend!

Friday, April 5, 2019

Weekly Roundup: Youth Awards, Blue Lights, and Beyond Skis

March, 28 to April 5, 2019

Photo: Editpress / Hervé Montagu
Catching up a little from last week, on March 28th Grand Duke Jean attended the presentation of the Insignes du Mérite Jeunesse, 250 to be exact.  He was accompanied by his youngest son Prince Guillaume and granddaughter Princess Charlotte. Among the winners were two young men who were awarded for their project "The Luxembourgish Peanut Butter," which raised funds for charity.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli
From March 30th through April 5th, the front of the Palais grand-ducal will be lit with blue light as part of "Light It Up Blue," a movement that raises awareness about autism. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa is the patron of the Fondation Autisme Luxembourg.


Photo: Daniel Ospelt / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / vaterland.li
On March 29th, Hereditary Prince Alois honored Liechtenstein's 300-year anniversary by attending a Liechtenstein Day event in Bendern, hosted by the Ospelt Group.

Photo: Sven Daniel Beham / Volksblatt / volksblatt.li
On April 2nd, Prince Nikolaus was present for an event hosted by the International Liechtenstein Press Club (LPC), with the focus around the international perception of the Principality. In the 1970s, Liechtenstein was known mostly for ski slopes and stamps, although the perception has since expanded to include banking at the Princely family.

And...you might have noticed that the blog was a little busier this week, with several other posts added. Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in Switzerland for a state visit: Day 1 and Day 2. (Alas, no tiaras.) Additionally, a British judge dissolved Prince Louis's marriage to Tessy Antony, so they are now officially divorced. Her title is in transition.


Thursday, April 4, 2019

Liechtenstein State Visit to Switzerland - Day 2

Photo: Keystone
The Liechtensteins may be doing a state visit for once but they are still not into the tiara business, it seems. So last night's gala dinner, which rounded off the first day of Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie's visit to Switzerland, was a bit anti-climactic with yours truly still searching for the gala in the gala dinner. More pictures of last night's 'business' dinner at Vaterland.
Photo: Keystone
The second day of the state visit led the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess and their hosts President Ueli Maurer and his daughter to Lausanne in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The day was headlined "Research and Innovation" and thus they paid a visit to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) as well as the Nestlé Research Centre where everyone tried slightly blue-looking vegan milk made of microalgae. The day ended with a boat tour on Lake Geneva to Vevey. A video of the day' events at Volksblatt.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Liechtenstein State Visit to Switzerland - Day 1

This week marks a very special event in the history of Luxarazzi: While it's been six years to the month that we added the Princely Family of Liechtenstein to over coverage, we now have our very first Liechtenstein state visit on our hands as Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie are currently in Switzerland at the invitation of the Swiss Federal Council. As the Principality is such a small country and doesn't have very close diplomatic ties with very many other nations, don't hold your breath for this to become a regular occurrence though. Even state visits to Liechtenstein's closest ally, Switzerland, are few and far in between: In 1970, Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina paid a state visit, as did Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie in 1990.
Photo: Eddy Risch / Liechtensteiner Vaterland / Vaterland.li
The state visit kicked off earlier this morning, when Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were met by Swiss President Ueli Maurer and his wife at the train station in Sargans, a small Swiss town of the border to Liechtenstein. The Hereditary Princely Couple is accompanied on the state visit by Prime Minister Adrian Hasler, Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Risch, basically the whole government, the President and members of Parliament. Together they boarded a train to head to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. While on the train, the Liechtenstein delegation and their Swiss hosts had luncheon together. 
After the arrival at the train station Bern, the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess were greeted by local dignitaries and a children's choir before making their way to the city centre to sign to golden book of the Swiss Federal Council. At 3pm, the official welcome, including military honours, national anthems, a review of troops and a presentation of the respective delegations, took place at the Münsterplatz. The Hereditary Princely Couple and the President and his wife then braved the stormy weather and took the chance to chat with some bystanders.
Photo: Screenshot SRF
Next up on the day's agenda were speeches by Hereditary Prince Alois and President Maurer at the town hall in Bern. Both of them spoke of the close ties between the two nations as this year actually marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In 1919, the Principality established the first diplomatic mission in Bern. For 100 years now, it has also been Switzerland that has represented Liechtenstein diplomatically in all countries where the Principality does not have its own ambassador (so practically everywhere but Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium and the United States).
Photo: IKR
Afterwards, bilateral talks were held between the Liechtenstein and Swiss delegations. The afternoon events were rounded off by a press conference held by the Hereditary Prince and President Maurer where both of them, once again, spoke of the close ties between the two nations, the easy cooperation and how both countries can keep learning from each other. Meanwhile, Hereditary Princess Sophie paid a visit to the 'House of Religions' in Bern.

As of the publication of this post, the gala dinner in honour of the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess is taking place. No pictures or information as of yet, whether there will be a tiara. Personally, I'm not holding my breath but let's wait and see - we will keep you posted in the hours to come! In the meantime, more information, photos and videos of the day can be found at Vaterland #1, Vaterland #2 and Volksblatt. Swiss TV SRF also has a lengthy special about the day with several news clips.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Luxarazzi 101: Hereditary Princess Sophie's Diamond and Sapphire Demi-Parure

Luxarazzi turns ten this year, Luxarazzi 101 has been around for about seven years - see all our plentiful posts here - and so there aren't very many jewels left for us to have a closer look at. While we admit that all of Team Luxarazzi gets distracted by sparkling objects rather easily, there is also a deeper reason we like royal jewels so much: These tiaras, necklaces, earrings and brooches oftentimes tell fascinating stories, help you to trace history and show the connection of royal families. Just think of this diamond and pearl brooch that has been owned by at least three reigning European families, Queen Victoria Eugenia's Aquamarine Tiara or the Habsburg Fringe Tiara.

Back in the day, when royal ladies married into other houses, they brought along some of their family's sparkling jewellery. While we don't see that as often anymore these days, there are still a few examples. Cases in point: Both Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, who are both of royal/noble descent. While yours truly hopes that Sophie is one day in the hopefully distant future set to inherit her mother's Douglas Floral Tiara, we are going to have a closer look at a sapphire and diamond demi-parure already owned by the Hereditary Princess, who was born a Duchess in Bavaria, today.

Embed from Getty Images

Truth be told though, we don't actually know for a fact that the necklace and earrings, which can be worn in at least two different settings, has been in the Wittelsbach family before Sophie married Hereditary Prince Alois. However, with the depth of their jewellery collection, it is not hard to imagine. The Hereditary Princess first wore the demi-parure for her pre-wedding ball at Schloss Nymphenburg in 1993 together with the Bavarian Pearl and Diamond Floral Tiara. Since then, she has oftentimes worn the pieces consisting of a single sapphires each surrounded by diamonds for events that required some major bling yet no tiara. And who knows, maybe we will see the pieces again later this week as there is a very rare royal event coming up: A Liechtenstein state visit... So keep your fingers crossed for these (or any, really) major jewels!

And if you would like to keep yourself busy with some more jewellery while we wait for the state visit to Switzerland, check out this documentary on the jewels of the Wittelsbach family, which includes interviews with Sophie's father, Duke Max in Bavaria, and also her uncle Duke Franz of Bavaria.

Friday, March 8, 2019

Weekly Roundup: Exhibitions, Openings, Memorials, and More

March 2 to 8, 2019
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
First, let's keep a promise from last week: On last Friday, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duke Henri attended an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Scouts and Guides of Luxembourg - and here are the visuals to prove it.
Photo: eadersnet.at / D. Mikkelsen
Already earlier last week, on Wednesday to be specific, Prince Philipp was in Vienna to hand out this year's LGT Media Award. The awards went to journalists Christian Höller, Jeannine Hierländer, Nicole Stern and Jakob Zirm. More information.
The brother of Fürst Hans-Adam II and Chairman of the Board of the LGT Group then headed to Thailand later in the week to cut a ribbon and thus officially open LGT's new Bangkok office. He was joined by another family, Prince Hubertus, who is also a member of the Board. More information.
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
Meanwhile in Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri attended a memorial mass for his aunt Princess Alix, the Dowager Princess of Ligne, who died last month. He was joined for the mass at the Église Saint-Michel on Tuesday by Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla as well as several of his cousins for the occasion. More pictures.
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
On Wednesdey, Monseigneur le Grand-Duc received the Prime Minister of Russia Dimitri Medvedev for an audience at the palais. The Russian Prime Minister, who was on an official visit to the Grand Duchy, also got a small tour of the Grand Duke's official residence. See more photos.
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
Thursday it was on Grand Duke Henri's agenda to visit an exhibition about the origins of Chinese civilisation at the Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art (MNHA). The cour offers a small selection of visuals of the event.
Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Cour grand-ducale
Also on Grand Duke's agenda later that same day: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Publications Office of the European Union with an academic session. Based in Luxembourg, the Publications Office is an interinstitutional office whose task is to publish the publications of the institutions of the European Union. More pictures.
Photo: Paul Trummer / Liechtensteiner Volksblatt / Volksblatt.li
And last but certainly to least: Another event that actually already took part last week and was wholly missed by us mainly due to the fact that there is surprisingly little information available. The Landesmuseum in Liechtenstein is showing an exhibition about the Principality's 300th anniversary and Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie went to the opening. No more information at Volksblatt.