On October 3rd, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Guillaume. After the abdication, Guillaume, 43, was installed as the new Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
The international royal guest list included King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the Princess of Orange, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, and the Duchess of Brabant.
Henri signed the Abdication decree at the Grand Ducal Palace. Afterward, the grand ducal family and their guests walked to the Chamber of Deputies for the Installation ceremony.
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| © SIP / Frédéric Sierakowski |
In 1815, the Congress of Vienna established the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with Willem I, Prince of Orange, appointed as the first Grand Duke. At this time, Willem raised the Netherlands to a kingdom, thus reigning as the King of the Netherlands and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Fifteen years after the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which included the former Dutch Republic, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, and the Austrian Netherlands, the area that is now Belgium declared independence. It was not until 1839 that the Treaty of London established the borders between the Netherlands and Belgium.
These constitutional changes were among the reasons for King Willem’s abdication in 1840 in favor of his eldest son, Willem II, who succeeded as King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He died in 1849 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Willem.
The new King Willem III was married in 1839 to Princess Sophie of Württemberg. They had three sons, all of whom predeceased their father. Two years after Queen Sophie died in 1877, King Willem married Princess Emma of Waldeck und Pyrmont, who was 41 years younger. As two of the king’s three sons were alive when their father married Emma, it was assumed that there would be a need for another heir.
Willem, Prince of Orange, died in 1879. His younger brother, Alexander, became the Prince of Orange. A year later, Queen Emma gave birth to a daughter, Wilhelmina. In 1884, Alexander succumbed to typhus, leaving no male heirs to the throne. It was not until 1887, when Princess Wilhelmina became the heiress presumptive to the Dutch throne as the Netherlands. This was due to the acceptance of male primogeniture, allowing a princess to inherit if she did not have older brothers.
King Willem III died in 1890. Wilhelmina succeeded to the Dutch throne, but was unable to succeed as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. This was due to the Nassau Family Pact (1783), which established a semi-Salic law of succession. This meant a princess could inherit only if there were no male heirs.
Although the Netherlands and Luxembourg shared a common sovereign, both countries were independent nations.
The Dutch male line was extinct, so the next male in line to the Luxembourg Grand Duchy was the elderly Adolph, Duke of Nassau. He reigned until 1905, when his son Wilhelm IV succeeded as Grand Duke. The new grand duke was the father of six daughters and no sons. He was the last male heir in the Nassau ducal line. In 1907, Wilhelm proclaimed his eldest daughter, Princess Marie Adelaide, as his heir presumptive. She succeeded in 1912, abdicating in 1919, and was succeeded by her sister, Charlotte.
The new Grand Duke is Grand Duchess Charlotte’s great-grandson. Both countries now have gender equal succession laws.
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In the afternoon, the Luxembourg government “hosted a reception for European and national institutions, as well as diplomatic corps, both resident and non-resident” at Circle Cité, a cultural center. Grand Duke Guillaume V and Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel greeted the guests.
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| @Maison du Grand Duc/Sophie Margue |
.jpg "A new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess") |
| @SIP/Claude Piscitelli |
In the evening, a gala dinner was held at the Grand Ducal Palace.
An interview with English subtitles with Guillaume and Stéphanie.
