Here we go, the summary of the second part of the Hereditary Grand Duke's birthday inteview. In case you have missed it, I already summed up that part of the interview that Wort has published online; now it is time for the rest of the interview published in Le Quotidien.
Talking about his general life, Guillaume admits that of course he isn't as free as other people to live his life, it is a reality he accepted a long time ago. He says that he is lucky to live in Luxembourg where people recognise him but it still isn't a problem to go to the cinema for example. When is wants to be completely free in what he wants to do, he simply goes abroad where people usually do not recognise him and he can live a private life without any restrictions.
He adds that his position wasn't a problem when he attended primary school in Lorentzweiler where he was just a regular kid. When he went to high school things changed as some classmates treated him differently and that it was very hard for him. When he went abroad to attend boarding school in Switzerland he was able to take full advantage of his teenage years.
Today, it is both a boon and bane to be a prince when meeting people. It is easier to meet people, but you have to carefully consider whether that person likes the prince or the person. Guillaume adds that it was great to grow up with three brothers and a sister and that he wishes the same for his own children in the future.
The Ierfgroussherzog recounts that the first time he faced and was deeply touched by the miseries of this world was when he went to Nepal with the scouts [If my memory serves me right, he went there in 1997.] His stay in the Asian country served for him as a lesson for life.
He enjoys travelling, preferably in Europe. His favourite cities include Brussels and Geneva. Not that it would come as a surprise, but Guillaume also says that he is does believe in God and that he goes to church regularly.
Asked about his strenghts and weaknesses, Guillaume laughs and remarks that the question sounds like one from a job interview. He then goes on to tell that he believes that one of his strong points is the openness when meeting people he inherited from his mother. To answer the tricky part of the questions he admits that sometimes he needs to cultivate himself more and read more.
Being asked what he reponds when people accuse him of having an easy life, Guillaume says that they should come and see. He explains that the palais works like a small enterprise as it is a real job to represent Luxembourg in the best way possible. A lot of preperations are necessary, so the days are very busy and the pace demanding. He adds that they are far from an at least 40 hour week.
If it wouldn't be his destiny to become the next Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Guillaume would have liked to work in the economy or in the field of philosophy as he enjoyed those two and history lessons most during his university years. Nevertheless, he embraces his role as the future head of state but doubts that he would be ready if he would have to take over just yet. Guillaume thinks that his still needs to gain more experience and that time is the only solution for this. He also adds that he will to his future job differently than his father does now. [In his enthronement anniversary interview last year, Grand Duke Henri also stated that he and Guillaume don't always agree on decisions made.]
Asked why he thinks that the Portuguese community in Luxembourg is so fond of the Grand Ducal Family, he jokingly says that they also have a bit of Portuguese blood running through their veins. [Genealogy check: Both his paternal grandmothers were born infantas of Portugal. Infanta Maria Ana (the mother of Grand Duchess Charlotte) and Infanta Maria Antonia (the mother of Prince Félix) were daughters of King Miguel I of Portugal. Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte's great-grand mother, Infanta Maria Josepha, was also a daughter of King Miguel.] He also adds that they are very happy about the approval and love they get from Luxembourg's largest group of immigrants.
On a similar note, not only Belgian TV will show an interview with the Hereditary Grand Duke. Tomorrow evening RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg will air the first part of a birthday special about Guillaume, including an interview and footage of his everyday life. Which, I suppose, means that my suspicion was right that Lux TV had actually followed him around for the last couple of months. Usually, RTL uploads the videos of their shows sometime during the evening hours; so, make sure to check back tomorrow for more about Guillaume's 30th.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
New Pictures
I hope that Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has an equally good time preparing for his birthday than we have. Every time I log on the internet, new treasures show up. Already today, the cour grand ducale has released a few pictures to celebrate the upcoming big day.
Photos: Cour Grand Ducale (the official ones by Christian Aschman)
Like I had hoped for, they continue their approach from earlier this year and released new official pictures, pictures from Guillaume's baby days but also current private pictures. All of them can be found on the official website, enjoy!
Photos: Cour Grand Ducale (the official ones by Christian Aschman)Like I had hoped for, they continue their approach from earlier this year and released new official pictures, pictures from Guillaume's baby days but also current private pictures. All of them can be found on the official website, enjoy!
Grand Duke Visits and Donates
The second day of Grand Duke Henri's state visit didn't go entirely as planned. More on that later as the morning activities in Hanoi went as they should.
The day started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Hero and Martyrs Monument in the Vietnamese capital. Later on the Grand Duke also visited the monument for and the tomb of the revolutionary leader and president Ho Chi Minh to lay down another wreath. Afterwards Grand Duke Henri paid a visit to the Confucian Temple of Literature. He then made his way to the airport to fly to Hue; and there the problems started...
The Grand Duke had intended to visit the Citadel, the Forbidden City of the Nguyen emperors, but due to the heavy rain it was impossible. Instead, he visited the tomb of the fourth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty Tu Duc, who reigned from 1847 till 1883. If the weather allows it, Henri will catch up on the Forbidden City tomorrow morning.
Shocked by the flood in Hue, the Grand Duke spontaneously decided to donate €100.000 (around $140.000) for the flood victims. Hats off, Monseigneur!
Galleries of pictures can be found at Wort, Tageblatt, RTL and Le Quotidien.
Sources: Tageblatt, Wort
The day started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Hero and Martyrs Monument in the Vietnamese capital. Later on the Grand Duke also visited the monument for and the tomb of the revolutionary leader and president Ho Chi Minh to lay down another wreath. Afterwards Grand Duke Henri paid a visit to the Confucian Temple of Literature. He then made his way to the airport to fly to Hue; and there the problems started...
...Hue is currently affected by torrential rain and thus it wasn't entirely clear in the morning whether the Grand Duke and the accompanying delegation would actually be able to fly to Hue. In the end they were, but the program had to be changed.
Shocked by the flood in Hue, the Grand Duke spontaneously decided to donate €100.000 (around $140.000) for the flood victims. Hats off, Monseigneur!
Galleries of pictures can be found at Wort, Tageblatt, RTL and Le Quotidien.
Sources: Tageblatt, Wort
À Propos D'Interview...
PaperJam.lu and Le Quotidien both have other parts of the interview, though I am still not sure how long the actual interview was as all three published articles partly contain the same questions while some others are different. It does seem to me that Le Quotidien might have the full interview. Additionally, Revue features a big special about Guillaume in this week's issue.
I might do an overview of the PaperJam and Le Quotidien articles later on; sadly, I also have other things to do in life than blogging. Now, that would be a life ;)
An often asked question is whether there will be any official celebration of Guillaume's birthday. The cour hasn't published anything in the agenda and the man of honour himself said in the interview that he will celebrate his birthday with some friends in Luxembourg. So no, there won't be a big birthday bash like the one for Maxima or the one for Märtha-Louise.
Birthday Interview
Just a few days left until everyone's favourite Hereditary Grand Duke turns 30. That is why he sat down with some journalists a few days ago to give an interview about his life, his work and much more.
As you can see on the left the cour has also released new pictures; one in uniform and one in suit. Let's hope that more pictures will be published on Friday. Preferably, also more private pictures like they did for Alexandra's birthday and the wedding anniversary of the Grand Ducal couple earlier this year.
Tageblatt is publishing the whole interview in today's print edition, the online article about it can be found here. On the homepage of Wort you can find the interview; I am not sure though whether that is the whole interview or just parts of it; it seems that the first one is more likely.
In case you don't want to read the google ghetto translation or it is not too comprehensible at times, I'll try to sum up the most important points of the interview with den Ierfgroussherzog.
The interview starts with a few statements about the monarchy and Luxembourg's role in general. Guillaume tells that the purpose of the monarchy is to represent the country and to hold up its traditions and identity. He thinks that it is very important that the sovereign does not have a political role.
He is learning for his role as the future head of state through his parents but also by being a member of the Council of State and taking part in economic missions. He adds that he believes that his interest in Social Business can be helpful in the future.
Furthermore he states that in a lot of foreign countries the Grand Duchy is only seen as a financial center and that most people do not know that Luxembourg also is very successful in other sectors. Eventhough the Grand Duchy is a small country, it has an important role especially in Europe by being a founding member of the European Union, and also one of the founder of the European Coal and Steel Community, the oldest precursor of today's European Union, in 1952. Thus, it also has a voice in the world.
Guillaume mentions that in the future he would like to focus more on working with the youth.
The second half of the interview deals with more personal matters. Guillaume recounts having a normal childhood and that he was free to enjoy his life, both when he attended school in Luxembourg and abroad as well as during his university years.
His typical week starts with a meeting with his parents on Monday to talk about their activities in the upcoming week. When not at official engagements, he spends most of his working hours at the palais grand-ducale. Usually he tries to play tennis twice a week, eventhough it doesn't always work due to his schedule. In the evening he enjoys going to the cinema or having dinner with friends. Same basically goes for the weekends when he meets with friends either in Luxembourg or abroad.
Not in this but in another interview * he says that he is a good mixture of both his parents. In the Wort interview he states that what he inherited from his mother is the openness and spontaneity when meeting people. Likewise he looks up to his father for his sense of duty and other good traits. He also looks up to the accordance and mutual understanding between his parents, he hopes that one day he will achieve the same thing with his own wife. Another person he names as a inspiring example is the former General-Secretary of the United Nations Kofi Annan.
As one of the last but major points he adds what he is looking for in a person. To Guillaume it is most important to give more than you take, to look at the world around you and not just your own personal matters.
* The other interview is an interview that will be featured in the Belgian TV show Place Royale next Saturday. Not only the interview will be aired but also scenes from Guillaume's everyday life; the cameras followed him around for a couple of weeks to capture both official but also private events.
As you can see in one of the above pictures, the Hereditary Grand Duke also gave an interview to DNR, a Luxembourgish radio station. I'm still trying to locate anything about the interview, preferably the actual radio interview. I wouldn't be too surprised if he also gave an interview to RTL, I actually think that it is possible that the Luxembourgish RTL followed Guillaume around for a time (gave the footage to Belgian RTL for Place Royale) and that they will air a special on his birthday. But I haven't found any information about that so it's just pure speculation on my part ;)
As you can see on the left the cour has also released new pictures; one in uniform and one in suit. Let's hope that more pictures will be published on Friday. Preferably, also more private pictures like they did for Alexandra's birthday and the wedding anniversary of the Grand Ducal couple earlier this year.
Tageblatt is publishing the whole interview in today's print edition, the online article about it can be found here. On the homepage of Wort you can find the interview; I am not sure though whether that is the whole interview or just parts of it; it seems that the first one is more likely.
In case you don't want to read the google ghetto translation or it is not too comprehensible at times, I'll try to sum up the most important points of the interview with den Ierfgroussherzog.
The interview starts with a few statements about the monarchy and Luxembourg's role in general. Guillaume tells that the purpose of the monarchy is to represent the country and to hold up its traditions and identity. He thinks that it is very important that the sovereign does not have a political role.
He is learning for his role as the future head of state through his parents but also by being a member of the Council of State and taking part in economic missions. He adds that he believes that his interest in Social Business can be helpful in the future.
Furthermore he states that in a lot of foreign countries the Grand Duchy is only seen as a financial center and that most people do not know that Luxembourg also is very successful in other sectors. Eventhough the Grand Duchy is a small country, it has an important role especially in Europe by being a founding member of the European Union, and also one of the founder of the European Coal and Steel Community, the oldest precursor of today's European Union, in 1952. Thus, it also has a voice in the world.
Guillaume mentions that in the future he would like to focus more on working with the youth.
The second half of the interview deals with more personal matters. Guillaume recounts having a normal childhood and that he was free to enjoy his life, both when he attended school in Luxembourg and abroad as well as during his university years.
His typical week starts with a meeting with his parents on Monday to talk about their activities in the upcoming week. When not at official engagements, he spends most of his working hours at the palais grand-ducale. Usually he tries to play tennis twice a week, eventhough it doesn't always work due to his schedule. In the evening he enjoys going to the cinema or having dinner with friends. Same basically goes for the weekends when he meets with friends either in Luxembourg or abroad.
Not in this but in another interview * he says that he is a good mixture of both his parents. In the Wort interview he states that what he inherited from his mother is the openness and spontaneity when meeting people. Likewise he looks up to his father for his sense of duty and other good traits. He also looks up to the accordance and mutual understanding between his parents, he hopes that one day he will achieve the same thing with his own wife. Another person he names as a inspiring example is the former General-Secretary of the United Nations Kofi Annan.
As one of the last but major points he adds what he is looking for in a person. To Guillaume it is most important to give more than you take, to look at the world around you and not just your own personal matters.
* The other interview is an interview that will be featured in the Belgian TV show Place Royale next Saturday. Not only the interview will be aired but also scenes from Guillaume's everyday life; the cameras followed him around for a couple of weeks to capture both official but also private events.
As you can see in one of the above pictures, the Hereditary Grand Duke also gave an interview to DNR, a Luxembourgish radio station. I'm still trying to locate anything about the interview, preferably the actual radio interview. I wouldn't be too surprised if he also gave an interview to RTL, I actually think that it is possible that the Luxembourgish RTL followed Guillaume around for a time (gave the footage to Belgian RTL for Place Royale) and that they will air a special on his birthday. But I haven't found any information about that so it's just pure speculation on my part ;)
Monday, November 7, 2011
First Day of the State Visit to Vietnam *
The state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam began today. Grand Duke Henri is the first Luxembourgish head of state to ever visit the country. The Grand Duke is accompanied by a delegation consisting of three ministers, members of the chamber of commerce, as well as about 30 businessmen whose companies are already active in Vietnam.
In the morning, Grand Duke Henri was welcomed with military honours at the presidential palace in Hanoi by Vietnam's president Truong Tan Sang. After being present at the signing of a "Memorandum of Understanding", the Grand Duke met the prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the president of the national assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung and the general secretary of the communist party Nguyen Phu Trong.
Afterwards the Grand Duke visited the rehabilitation center of the Bach Mai Hospital in the Vietnamese capital. Supported by 'Handicap International', the rehabilitation center helps people with spinal cord injuries whose number has increased dramatically in Vietnam in the past couple of years. The hospital was co-funded with about 1,75 million euros of Luxembourgish development aid.
Photo galleries of today's events can be found over at RTL, Wort and Tageblatt. Articles, which can also be regarded as the source of this post, are available at Tageblatt, Tageblatt, Wort, Wort, Le Quotidien, paperJam.lu, RTL, and Viet Nam News. The cour grand ducale, including a photo gallery, and the government also mention the visit. The first footage is now available on RTL, more can be seen in Luxembourg's daily news, starting at 23:02.
The day ended with a state banquet given by the Vietnamese president.
Photo galleries of today's events can be found over at RTL, Wort and Tageblatt. Articles, which can also be regarded as the source of this post, are available at Tageblatt, Tageblatt, Wort, Wort, Le Quotidien, paperJam.lu, RTL, and Viet Nam News. The cour grand ducale, including a photo gallery, and the government also mention the visit. The first footage is now available on RTL, more can be seen in Luxembourg's daily news, starting at 23:02.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Upcoming State Visit to Vietnam
The state visit to Vietnam is just around the corner. On the invitation of the Vietnamese president Truong Tan Sang Grand Duke Henri will visit the two biggest Vietnamese cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as Hue during the upcoming week. He will be accompanied by three Luxembourgish ministers, namely Jean Asselborn, Jeannot Krecké and Marie-Josée Jacobs.
On Monday morning, the Grand Duke will be welcomed by the aforementioned Vietnamese president in Hanoi. During the morning hours a "Memorandum of Understanding" regarding technical cooperation in the financial sector and education will be signed in the presence of the two head of states. Afterwards Grand Duke Henri will visit the rehabilitation center of the Bach Mai Hospital that is co-financed by Luxembourgish development aid.
In the afternoon, the Grand Duke will meet with the Vietnamese prime minister, the president of the national assembly and the general secretary of the communist party. The day will be rounded up by a banquet given by the president of the Asian country.
On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri will visit the Temple of Literature in the Vietnamese capital before going to Hue, the capital of the Thua Thien-Hue province and former imperial capital. Among other things, the Grand Duke will visit the forbidden city.
On Wednesday, the delegation headed by the Grand Duke will visit the school of tourism in Hue, a partner school of the school of hotel management in Diekirch in Luxembourg's north-east. In the afternoon, he will visit the orphanage Son Ca for girls who were abandoned by their parents. The children's home is supported by Luxembourgish development aid. Afterwards, the Grand Duke will travel to Ho Chi Minh City.
On Thursday morning, he will visit the Ben Thanh Market, one of the most famous places in the city formerly known as Saigon. Later the same day, he will open an economy and finance seminar before visiting the Can Gio Mangrove Forest.
In the evening, he will catch a flight back home to be back in time for the big day of his oldest.
Sources: Lëtzebuerger Journal, Luxembourg for Business, tuoitrenews.vn
On Monday morning, the Grand Duke will be welcomed by the aforementioned Vietnamese president in Hanoi. During the morning hours a "Memorandum of Understanding" regarding technical cooperation in the financial sector and education will be signed in the presence of the two head of states. Afterwards Grand Duke Henri will visit the rehabilitation center of the Bach Mai Hospital that is co-financed by Luxembourgish development aid.
In the afternoon, the Grand Duke will meet with the Vietnamese prime minister, the president of the national assembly and the general secretary of the communist party. The day will be rounded up by a banquet given by the president of the Asian country.
On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri will visit the Temple of Literature in the Vietnamese capital before going to Hue, the capital of the Thua Thien-Hue province and former imperial capital. Among other things, the Grand Duke will visit the forbidden city.
On Wednesday, the delegation headed by the Grand Duke will visit the school of tourism in Hue, a partner school of the school of hotel management in Diekirch in Luxembourg's north-east. In the afternoon, he will visit the orphanage Son Ca for girls who were abandoned by their parents. The children's home is supported by Luxembourgish development aid. Afterwards, the Grand Duke will travel to Ho Chi Minh City.
On Thursday morning, he will visit the Ben Thanh Market, one of the most famous places in the city formerly known as Saigon. Later the same day, he will open an economy and finance seminar before visiting the Can Gio Mangrove Forest.
In the evening, he will catch a flight back home to be back in time for the big day of his oldest.
Sources: Lëtzebuerger Journal, Luxembourg for Business, tuoitrenews.vn
Friday, November 4, 2011
European Microfinance Week
Yesterday, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the official opening of the European Microfinance Week at the stunning Abbaye de Neumünster. The theme for this year's session is "Inclusive Finance for Excluded People – Microfinance refocusing on the underserved, unserved and vulnerable" while the topic of the opening event was "The changing perception of microfinance and the need for global policy efforts related to financial inclusion".
Source: Cour Grand Ducale
Source: Cour Grand Ducale
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Prince Guillaume Becomes Ambassador
Sometimes it does take some time until we find out about an event a member of the Grand Ducal Family has attended, especially when it comes to lesser known and lesser written about parts of the family. This time the big thank you goes to Iza for providing the information about this event Prince Guillaume attended about two weeks ago. See, he is actually one of the better covered members of the family but still it takes some time...
On October 16th, Prince Guillaume attended an event at the French embassy in Luxembourg hosted by the L'Académie Gourmande. The gourmet academy was founded in 2007 to promote good dining and regional French products, since 2010 it works on national level in France and this year they have gone international.
Hence they hosted an event at the embassy to promote the French way of gourmandising in the Grand Duchy and appointed twenty Luxembourgers (or people living in Luxembourg) as their ambassadors, Prince Guillaume was among the lucky ones.
Pictures of the event, including Guillaume wearing a chef's jacket, can be found here and one in higher quality here.
Source: codexnews.lu
On October 16th, Prince Guillaume attended an event at the French embassy in Luxembourg hosted by the L'Académie Gourmande. The gourmet academy was founded in 2007 to promote good dining and regional French products, since 2010 it works on national level in France and this year they have gone international.
Hence they hosted an event at the embassy to promote the French way of gourmandising in the Grand Duchy and appointed twenty Luxembourgers (or people living in Luxembourg) as their ambassadors, Prince Guillaume was among the lucky ones.
Pictures of the event, including Guillaume wearing a chef's jacket, can be found here and one in higher quality here.
Source: codexnews.lu
Honouring the Dead
Yesterday was All Souls, the day on which Catholics honour the deceaseds. Thus Grand Duke Henri visited the Cathédrale Notre-Dame to attend a mass and the benediction of the tombs. Unfortunately for us, he went on his own as we've seen larger royal turnouts on this day before.
The crypt of the Cathédrale is the last resting-place of the remains of John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia who died in 1346, all Luxembourgish Grand Dukes since the independence from the Netherlands in 1890, as well as many other members of the Grand Ducal Family. The last person who was intered at the crypt of Luxembourg's biggest church was the Grand Duke's mother Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.
Another picture is available on the homepage of the cour grand-ducale.
Source: Wort
The crypt of the Cathédrale is the last resting-place of the remains of John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia who died in 1346, all Luxembourgish Grand Dukes since the independence from the Netherlands in 1890, as well as many other members of the Grand Ducal Family. The last person who was intered at the crypt of Luxembourg's biggest church was the Grand Duke's mother Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.
Another picture is available on the homepage of the cour grand-ducale.
Source: Wort
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