Grand Ducal Family Celebrates 125th Anniversary of Own Dynasty

Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Grand Duke Jean, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie as well as members of the Grand Ducal Family were announced to mark the 125th anniversary of the Luxembourg-Nassau Dynasty with a family photo and a light show today - and well, a right grand ducal celebration with loads and loads of family members it was...

Photo: Pierre Matgé / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

First row, from left: 

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Grand Duke Jean, Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie (in Valentino)

Second row: 

Prince Guillaume, Princess Margaretha, Archduchess Marie-Astrid, Prince Jean

Third row: 

Princess Sibilla, Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, Archduke Carl-Christian, Countess Diane de Nassau

Fourth row: 

Princess Eleonora of Ligne, Prince Michel de Ligne, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Baroness Sophie de Potesta, Countess Monica of Holstein-Ledreborg

Fifth row: 

Countess Silvia of Holstein-Ledreborg, Countess Lydia of Holstein-Ledreborg, Princess Anne of Ligne, Baron Jean-Louis de Potesta, Henrik de Jonquières.

Sixth row: 

John Munro of Foulis, Countess Tatiana of Holstein-Ledreborg, Prince Wauthier of Ligne, Chevalier Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils de Grâce, Princess Sophie de Ligne.

Seventh row: 

Countess Antonia of Holstein-Ledreborg, Mark von Riedemann, Princess Régine of Ligne, Prince Lamoral of Ligne, Princess Jacqueline of Ligne

As you may notice by the diverse names, all the children of Grand Duke Jean as well as children of his brother and almost all of his sisters were present for the occasion - what a nice surprise! Can we make this happen more often? Maybe through in some more grandchildren into the mix?

The occasion for the large family gathering was the closing of the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Luxembourg-Nassau dynasty. The former Duke Adolph of Nassau became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in November of 1890 upon death of King-Grand Duke Willem III. He arrived in Luxembourg on December 8, 126 years ago today, together with his wife and heir to take his oath on the constitution. 

Grand Duke Adolph had inherited the Luxembourgish throne based on the Nassau family pact. Already in 1783, the two lines of the House of Nassau - the other one once ruled Luxembourg and still rules the Netherlands - had formed the Nassauischer Erbverein, which covered the areas of inheritance and succession. It stated that if one line of the House of Nassau became extinct in male line, the other one succeed. It was also agreed that the pact would be applied to those territories owned or acquired in the then Holy Roman Empire. Even though Luxembourg had been acquired after the pact was formed and even after the Holy Roman Empire came to its end, it was still part of the German Confederation which was considered as the Empire's successor.

On this basis, the Grand Duchy was inherited by the House of Nassau-Weilburg. While there were efforts to change the Luxembourgish law of succession so that a female could inherit the throne, it is generally said that King Willem III's wife, Queen Emma, a niece of Duke Adolph had campaigned against such a change so that her uncle would once again become a sovereign. Over the course of the last year, there have been various celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of these events. Apart from the large family gathering, there was also a light show as part of the "Luxembourg Light Nights". The light projected the history of the Luxembourg-Nassau dynasty and Luxembourg's history onto the facade of the palais grand-ducal. This video by RTL gives a few insights into the preparations. Wort has more pictures of the event itself, as does Tageblatt. The family also attended the Christmas market after the show

Remembrance Concert for Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte

Photo: Marc Schoentgen / Cour grand-ducale

On December 5th, members of the Grand Ducal family attended a remembrance concert in honor of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (in Luxembourg). Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Grand Duke Jean, Princess Marie-Astrid, and Prince Guillaume were all in attendance at the event. The concert, which included Beethoven's Concerto No. 5, was directed by Tugan Sokhiev, and Rudolf Buchbinder performed on the piano.

Information from the Cour website.

Princess Margaretha Speaks at a Prayer Breakfast

"dieu premier servi" God first served - hearing from Princesse Margaretha du Liechtenstein at EU Parlt prayer breakfast pic.twitter.com/i5G8DbYvPh

— The CCF (@UK_CCF) December 7, 2016

Princess Margaretha attended and spoke at the 18th Annual European Prayer Breakfast event, which is running from December 6th through December 8th of this year. The breakfast itself occurred on the morning of the 7th, with a welcome dinner on the evening of the 6th and a visit to the Christmas market at Schloss Merode on the 8th.

This isn't the first time someone from the Princely family has spoken at the event, as Prince Nikolaus was a speaker back in 1999.

Guillaume and Stéphanie Visit Crafts Exhibition with Students

Photo: Domingos Oliveira / RTL.lu

In the past few days, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie made another few visits to the "De Mains de Maître" exhibition about Luxembourgish craftsmenship they initiated at 19 Liberté. On Monday, they visited the exhibition together with students from all over Luxembourg. RTL has pictures and a video of that. Pictures on Facebook also show, that the couple must have made another visit in the last couple of days. Judging by the Hereditary Grand Duchess' hair, it might have been prior to the official opening.

Introducing Prince Liam of Nassau

The cour grand-ducale has released the first pictures of Prince Liam Henri Hartmut of Nassau, the baby Boy born on Prince Félix and Princess Claire on November 28. The baby prince was born in Geneva. (All photos: Cour grand-ducale/Private/Grand Duchess Maria Teresa)

Hereditary Prince Alois Talks Art and Image

Photo: Eddy Risch / Berner Zeitung / bernerzeitung.ch

Hereditary Prince Alois sat down with Oliver Meier and Jon Mettler, for Berner Zeitung, to discuss the Princely family's art collection, in addition to Liechtenstein's image abroad. The Hereditary Prince mentioned that the family's art collection functions as a kind of ambassador for Liechtenstein, particularly through the exhibition of the collection, as this brings tourism to the country or increases interest in Liechtenstein during exhibitions abroad. He acknowledged that his own tastes vary widely, from the Old Masters that are currently in the collection to more modern pieces of art that inspire his interest.

He shared the story about the art collection's somewhat dramatic history during World War II. The collection was evacuated from Nazi territory, sometimes through intense negotiation and sometimes through pure trickery to sneak many of the more significant pieces of art across borders.

Hereditary Prince Alois also highlighted the country's recent efforts for increased transparency and noted that evolving times require an evolving attitude toward the exchange of information.

A little more from Berner Zeitung.

Luxarazzi 101: Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Luxembourg, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg

Over the years here at Luxarazzi we have talked in great detail about the long and full life of Grand Duke Jean. However, the siblings of Grand Duke Jean have led interesting lives of their own both in and away from Luxembourg.  Today we'll learn more about Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Luxembourg, the third sister of Grand Duke Jean. Marie-Gabrielle is the Dowager Countess of Ledreborg-Holstein and also godmother of Grand Duke Henri.

Marie-Gabrielle as a child

Marie-Gabrielle Adelgunde Wilhelmine Louise was born on August 2, 1925, the fourth child and third daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte and her consort, Prince Felix. She had five siblings: Grand Duke Jean, Princess Elisabeth, Princess Marie-Adelaide, Prince Charles, and Princess Alix. Marie-Gabrielle spent her early years at Château de Berg, where she was privately educated with her siblings. The artistic flair seen in some members of the Grand Ducal Family appeared in Marie-Gabrielle during her childhood. Like her siblings, Marie-Gabrielle was raised in the Catholic faith, which has been very important to her throughout her lifetime.

Marie-Gabrielle, along with her siblings Jean and Alix, their parents, and the Dowager Grand Duchess Maria Ana fled Luxembourg on May 10, 1940, following the German invasion during the Second World War.  Marie-Gabrielle was fourteen at the time. During this frightening trip, Marie-Gabrielle - riding in a car along with Jean and Alix - was barely able to avoid incoming bands of German soldiers on multiple occasions, but was luckily able to escape the country. The family joined Marie-Adelaide, Elisabeth, and Charles in Belgium, where they were attending school and staying with the Prince Consort's sister Zita, the former Austrian Empress. The entire family, along with Zita and her children, were able to flee Belgium through France, Spain, and finally to Portugal. 

Felix had requested and received temporary asylum in the United States from President Roosevelt, as well as transport on the naval cruiser the USS Trenton.  Marie-Gabrielle embarked for the United States with her father, siblings, and grandmother on July 15, 1940. Grand Duchess Charlotte stayed behind in Portugal for the meantime, joining her family later. The Grand Ducal Family was greeted the following week at the White House where they attended a luncheon with the President. 

After a few weeks' stay in the United States, Marie-Gabrielle and her family settled in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  The move was necessary in order not to violate the then-neutrality of the United States; Canada was already involved in the war. Additionally, the grand ducal children could continue their education in the French language (of which they were more familiar than English) in Quebec.  Marie-Gabrielle and all three of her sisters joined their aunt Zita's family in Quebec City, where they attended the College Jesus-Marie de Sillery, a French language girls' school associated with Laval University.  

Marie-Gabrielle (second from right) with her family,
Long Island, New York 1940

Marie-Gabrielle lived in Quebec for two years, after which time the family moved to Britain, where Marie-Gabrielle and her siblings became involved in activities with the British Red Cross. Marie-Gabrielle and her siblings remained in the public eye, appearing at both private and official events associated with the family and Grand Duchy. She was present at a mass for her grandmother, Dowager Grand Duchess Maria Ana, who died in New York in July 1942. Marie-Gabrielle also appeared at a 1944 event in New York celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Luxembourg Freedom Charter. 

The Grand Ducal Family returned to Luxembourg on April 17, 1945.  The now 19-year-old Marie-Gabrielle, along with her siblings Elisabeth, Marie-Adelaide, and Charles, drove in the convoy of ambulances and trucks donated to the country by the British Red Cross. The convoy carried emergency food, personal care items, and medical supplies to aid in the recovery of the Grand Duchy's citizens. 

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Marie-Gabrielle was a student of sculptor Auguste Tremont (whom we have discussed before in relation to the animal sculptures he designed at Château de Betzdorf, Cathédrale Notre-Dame, and the Luxembourg Town Hall). Marie-Gabrielle exhibited her sculptures several times under the name "Mademoiselle de Clervaux" in both France and Luxembourg.  She also served as a patron of the Salon de l'Art Vivant à Differdange, an art exhibition in the Grand Duchy. 

In 1947 Marie-Gabrielle attended the wedding of her cousin, Jacques of Bourbon-Parma, to Danish countess Birgitte of Holstein-Ledreborg. Birgitte was part of a branch of the family who had converted to Catholicism in the 1860s. It was there that Marie-Gabrielle became acquainted with the bride's brother, Knud. Knud was deeply interested in agriculture and forestry, and had spent time studying and working in the field in various parts of Europe. When Marie-Gabrielle returned to her sculpture and Knud to his agriculture, the two kept up a correspondence and love blossomed between them. The couple's engagement was publicly announced on August 24, 1951. 

Marie-Gabrielle and Knud were married civilly on November 5, 1951, and religiously the following day, which happened to be her parents' 32nd wedding anniversary.  The civil wedding was conducted by Alfred Wagner, the mayor of Colmar-Berg, at Château de Berg. The religious ceremony, conducted by Monsignor Leo Lommel, took place at the Colmar-Berg parish church. Marie-Gabrielle wore the Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara as her wedding tiara, as did each of her sisters.

Marie-Gabrielle and Knud
on their wedding day

Marie-Gabrielle became the Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg immediately as Knud's father had died a few months before the wedding.  Marie-Gabrielle and Knud settled at Ledreborg Castle, the seat of the Holstein-Ledreborg family, an 18th century property on the Danish island of Zealand. The couple became parents to seven daughters born between 1952 and 1962:

- Monica (1952-)

- Lydia (1955-)

- Veronica (1956-)

- Silvia (1958-)

- Camilla (1959-2010)

- Tatiana (1961-)

- Antonia (1962-)

Knud managed the family finances and affairs, while also involving himself in local politics. The Ledreborg-Holstein family remained in close contact to the Luxembourg Grand Ducal Family during the following years via family events such as wedding, christenings, funerals and many more inbetween. Along with the future King Albert II of Belgium, Marie-Gabrielle served as godparent to Grand Duke Henri in 1955.

In 1984, Marie-Gabrielle and her family received communion from Pope John Paul II.  The following year, Grand Duchess Charlotte died, which hit Marie-Gabrielle very hard.  In response, Marie-Gabrielle made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina), where the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared multiple times since 1981. Although the Catholic Church has not yet taken an official stance on the situation, the site is one of the most popular in Europe for pilgrimage. Marie-Gabrielle claimed to be affected greatly by these experiences within her faith. Her youngest daughter Antonia later made the same trip to Medjugorje; soon after this pilgrimage, Antonia joined the Emmanuel Community, a Catholic lay society with members dedicated to simplicity and celibacy.

Marie-Gabrielle (second from left) with siblings Alix, Jean,
Elisabeth, and Marie-Adelaide

In 1990, Knud retired from active management of Ledreborg Castle and the family holdings. The properties are now managed by Silvia, the couple's fourth daughter. Knud and Marie-Gabrielle continued to live at Ledreborg, making occasional appearances at official and family events in Luxembourg. 

Following Knud's death from cancer in 2001, Marie-Gabrielle has sadly lost her sisters Marie-Adelaide (2007) and Elisabeth (2011) as well as her fifth daughter Camilla (2010). Her public appearances are now rare due to her advanced age. Marie-Gabrielle recently celebrated her 91st birthday, and now has a total of fourteen surviving grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren (at least last time we checked). 

Princess Tessy in Dubai for Royal Bridges

Photo. ArtBahrain

Earlier this week, Princess Tessy (wearing another colourful dress by Marcin Lobacz) was in Dubai together with a truckload of fellow royals for the Royal Bridge's exhibition "Convergence". The inaugural exhibition of the forum brought a group of internationally recognised artists with roots in imperial, royal, princely and noble families from around the world to celebrate contemporary art through creations that include paintings, sculptures, jewellery designs and performances. 

Royal Bridges is a global artistic movement founded by Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa al Khalifa of the Bahraini royal family along with Baron Henri Estramant. The forum wishes to challenge the traditional role of royalty as just patrons of the arts by presenting them also as artists. For a list of all artists exhibiting in Dubai, have a look at the website of Royal Bridges. The funds raised by the exhibition go to the UN World Food Programme in Dubai.

Grand Duke Henri Attends Sportspress.lu Awards

Photo: Gschmit / Tageblatt / Tageblatt.lu

On the evening of the 1st, Grand Duke Henri attended the Sportspress.lu Awards, which honors athletes in Luxembourg. The event was held in Kirchberg at d'Coque (Centre National Sportif et Culturel), with 850 others in attendance. The Team of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year were also named. Team of the Year went to the ladies table tennis team, while cyclist Christine Majerus was awarded Sportswoman of the Year and tennis player Gilles Muller was recognized as Sportsman of the Year. 

Some more photos at Tageblatt and many, many photos at RTL.

Of Master Hand - Guillaume and Stéphanie Support Luxembourg's Crafts and Arts

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini

Wednesday night saw a honorary soirée for the craftsmen and -women showing their work and skills as part of the exhibition De Mains de Maîtres, l’Art des Métiers et les Métiers de l’Art au Luxembourg, coeur de l'Europe initiated by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie. The event at 19 Liberté, the former ARBED building, was also attended by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. 

Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini

The exhibition "Of Master Hand" highlights some 60 young craftsmen and art designers from the Grand Duchy. Its aim is to note the country's young talented creatives and to highlight the beauty and importance of the transfer of know-how to younger generations. The idea behind the the exhibition comes from no other than the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess themselves who launched the initiative together with the Chamber of Trade and the Ministries of Economy and Culture. The grand ducal duo spoke about the idea behind it at length in an interview with RTL. The exhibition was opened yesterday - Thursday that is - in a seperate event also attended by Their Royal Highnesses. 

The opening event on Thursday was attended by Mars di Bartolomeo, President of the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Education, Children and Youth Claude Meisch, as well as Secretaries Guy Arendt and Francine Closener. While the Hereditary Grand Duke gave the speech during Wednesday's soirée, it was Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's turn during last night's event. The cour has more pictures of both Wednesday and Thursday. RTL gives a few glimpses into the exhibition.