Grand Ducal Family Saddened by the Loss of Queen Fabiola

Grand Duke Henri has sent an official message to his first cousin King Philippe of the Belgians to express his condolences over the death of their mutual aunt Queen Fabiola. The widow of King Baudouin died yesterday at the age of 86. The message read as the following:

Sir,

it is with great emotion that the Grand Duchess and I have learned of the news of the death of Queen Fabiola.

With my father, my family and my compatriots I express my deep condolences. We will keep fond memories of a Queen who has put all her qualities of mind and heart to the service of her husband's reign and the welfare of its citizens. Her love of life and communicative enthusiasm have always been an example to us.

Henri
Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Original version:

Sire,

C'est avec grande émotion que la Grande-Duchesse et moi-même avons appris la nouvelle de la disparition de la Reine Fabiola.

Avec mon père, notre famille et nos compatriotes nous Vous exprimons nos très sincères condoléances. Nous garderons un souvenir ému et reconnaissant d'une Reine qui a mis toutes ses qualités d'esprit et de cœur au service du règne de son époux et du bien-être de ses concitoyens. Sa joie de vivre et son enthousiasme communicatifs ont toujours été un exemple pour nous.

Henri

Grand-Duc de Luxembourg

Two Audiences for Henri

Grand Duke Henri has been active in audiences over the last few days.

On Thursday, at the Grand Ducal Palace, he received Mr. Jiang Jianqing, the chairman of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

On Friday, he received in audience a delegation from the Société française d’Arthroscopie (SFA), or the French Society of Anthroscopy. The SFA's annual conference was held in Luxembourg this year, between December 3rd and December 6th, and was put on in conjunction with CRP-Santé and Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

Grand Duke Hosts Special Olympic Delegates

Photo: 2014 Grand Ducal Court / Marc Schmit 

On Tuesday, the Grand Duke hosted a delegation of athletes who took part in the Special Olympics Summer Games 2014 in Antwerp, Belgium. Luxembourg's team of 26 athletes won 26 medals! The reception hosted by the Grand Duke took place at his home, Chateau de Berg. 

The Grand Duke is a member of the International Olympic Committee. Earlier in the year he was present for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Summer Games in Belgium. Also in attendance were Queen Mathilde of the Belgians and Princess Nora of Liechtenstein. 

Prince Jean Talks... Water

Prince Jean gave an interview to Luxembourg weekly newspaper Le Jeudi. In the interview the younger brother of Grand Duke Henri talks about his passion for water, his company Water Solutions South Africa (WSSA), as well as how he got involved in the water business in the first place. Short excerpts from the printed version of the newspaper can be found online here and here.

Prince Robert Donates Wine

Prince Robert has been recognized for donating red wine to the Red Cross Bal du centenaire that occurred on November 29th. This event was in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Luxembourg Red Cross, and it has raised more than half a million euros in support of the Shelter Research Unit. This program aims to provide emergency shelters to those displaced by conflicts.

The Luxembourg Red Cross is officially under the patronage of Grand Duchess Maria-Theresa. More about Prince Robert from Luxarazzi 101.

Guillaume and Stéphanie at Joy Caravan Esch-sur-Alzette

Photo: Alfonso Salgueiro Lora / Cour grande-ducale

On Tuesday, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie attended the closing concert for "Joy Caravan Esch-sur-Alzette" at Kulturfabrik d’Esch-sur-Alzette. This concert, supported by Fondation Ecouter pour Mieux s’Entendre (EME), or Listen to Better Understand, was the sequel to the previous "Joy Caravan Troisvierges" and "Joy Caravan Echternach".

This particular project, which falls under the Foundation of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, is part of the distribution effort for donations received on the occasion of Guillaume and Stéphanie's wedding. This concert at Kulturfabrik d’Esch-sur-Alzette aims to unite the seniors from CIPA Servior and children from Le Foyer Sainte-Elisabeth in a musical performance led by percussionist Robert Bjoda. The goal is to promote intergenerational understanding through the power of beautiful music.

The Fondation Ecouter pour Mieux s’Entendre is organizing further concerts between October and December of this year, with the goal of reaching out to those in hospitals and nursing homes. Musicians, many from the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, will perform classical and jazz selections. The Foundation of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess has set aside €15,000 for this project.

The Foundation of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess initially received more than €150,000 for the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple to distribute to the social causes of their choice. Guillaume and Stéphanie specified that the money be used for social entrepreneurship and to better the lives of the elderly and those living in isolated circumstances. See here and here for more information about how the couple chose to donate the gifts of money they received for their wedding. The concerts organized by the Fondation Ecouter pour Mieux s’Entendre, which reach out to those in hospitals and nursing homes, are among the beneficiaries, as is the CONNECT project, in conjunction with the University of Luxembourg, to educate the families of those suffering from dementia. There is still around €100,000 to still be distributed from the trust, and it is expected that similar social projects will receive funding in the upcoming year.

More photos of the closing concert are available at the Cour website.

Guillaume and Stéphanie in Belgium

Photo: Violaine et Constance
le Hardÿ de Beaulieu

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were in Belgium a while ago where they attended a charity dinner to benefit the Fondation St. Luc hosted by Count and Countess Nicolas Boël at their home. The money raised by the event will be used to support a new project of the foundation, the Institut Albert II devoted to the treatment of cancer. For the occasion, the Hereditary Grand Duchess repeated a gown both she and her mother-in-law have worn previously.

The Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (UCL-St-Luc) is a non-profit-making hospital associated with the Université catholique de Louvain, the Hereditary Grand Duchess' alma mater, and situated in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels. The Fondation St. Luc works to support both the hospital and the students. One of the three honorary presidents of the foundation actually is another familiar face of this blog, Prince Philipp.

While I did not see him or any of his immediate family among the guests, there were another few Luxo-Liechtenstein relatives including his sister-in-law Countess Birky de Villegas de Saint-Pierre Jette, who is one of the foundations's administrators; Count Jehan de Lannoy, brother of Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, and his wife Countess Beatrice; as well as Prince Michel of Ligne, son of Princess Alix of Luxembourg, and his wife Princess Eleonora.

Dinner with the Council of State

Photo: Marc Schmidt / Cour grand-ducale / RTL

On Monday (December 1st), Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria-Theresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were at Berg Castle for a formal dinner between members of the Grand Ducal family and members of the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat). The Council of State is traditionally an advisory institution for the Chamber of Deputies and formally functioned as the administrative court.

Today, the membership in the Council of State includes Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. Historically, the number of councillors was set at twenty-one, but this number does not include any members of the Grand Ducal family who are appointed to a position. The list of Council of State members may be found here.

Some more photos of the event are available at RTL.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie looked to be wearing a dress by one of her favorite designers, Diane von Furstenberg.

Photo: Marc Schmidt / Cour grand-ducale / RTL

Grand Duke Receives Old and New Chief of General Staff

Photo: 2014 Cour grand-ducale

About a month ago, Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider decided who would become the new Chief of General Staff of the Luxembourgish army after considerations with a number of people including the Grand Duke. The change came into effect this month and today Grand Duke Henri received the outgoing Chief of General Staff, Mario Daubenfeld, as well as the incoming, Romain Mancinelli, for audiences at the palais. Pictures of both are available on the website of the cour. Attentive national day viewers will know Romain Mancinelli as the colonel giving the commands to the soldiers during the parade including the triple vive for the Grand Duke and the Grand Ducal Family.

Hereditary Couple Attend Anniversary Concert

Photo: Kräizbierg Foundation / All Rights Reserved

On November 30, the Hereditary Grand Duke and the Hereditary Grand Duchess attended the Fanfare Prince Henri Bonnevoie concert on the 10th anniversary of the Domaine Schoumansbongert de la Fondation Kräizbierg. The concert was created by the young musicians to honor the Hereditary Couple. The couple, for their part, enjoyed sharing personal moments with the disabled individuals who benefit from the foundation's work. 

Guillaume's association with the Kräizbierg Foundation was one of his first positions after he was formally named Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He served as the President of the Board of Directors from 2000 until his 2011 resignation. At the time of his resignation, Guillaume noted that he enjoyed his role with the foundation and would continue to dedicate his time and support to the foundation in his new role as Honorary President of the Board of Directors. He has remained true to his word and continues to be an enthusiastic supporter of persons with disabilities. 

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie provided a splash of color to the event with a vibrant dress from Diane von Furstenberg. You may remember from Luxarazzi 101 that colorful DvF creations are a favorite of the Luxembourg and Liechtenstein ladies.