Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie was born on 11 November 1981 at the Grand Duchesse Charlotte Hospital in Luxembourg. He is the first child of then Hereditary Grand Duke Henri and Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Prince Guillaume has three younger brothers, Princes Félix, Louis and Sébastien, and one younger sister, Princess Alexandra.
Prince Guillaume attended the primary school of Lorentzweiler, Luxembourg. He then attended the Lycée Robert Schuman until the fourth year of secondary school. He continued his secondary education at the Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Villers-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, where he obtained the French baccalauréat in 2001.
Prince Guillaume attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from September 2001 until August 2002. In December 2002, he took the oath as officer in the Luxembourg army at Diekirch. He currently holds the rank of Major.
He studied Political Sciences at the university of Durham and Brunel University (United Kingdom), where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in International Politics. In 2009, Prince Guillaume graduated from the University of Angers, France. During his studies, he completed several internships: in 2003 at the Union Chimique Belge, in 2004 at the Deutsche Bank in London, and in 2005 with the Spanish branch of Arcelor Mittal.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, National Day 2008
Prince Guillaume officially became Hereditary Grand Duke on 18 December 2000, upon the abdication of Grand Duke Jean and the subsequent succession to the throne of Grnad Duke Henri. Since the beginning of 2001, Prince Guillaume is the Honorary President of the Board of Economic Development. In this function, the Hereditary Grand Duke has presided missions to South Korea, Italy, Russia, Canada, the United States and recently the United Arab Emirates, and he also accompanied his parents on a state visit to Slovakia in 2005. Since 24 June 2005, the Prince is also member of the State Council.
He has represented his country on numerous occasions, such as the Millenium Conference at the United Nations in New York in 2005.
The Hereditary Grand Duke has awarded his patronage to the Luxembourg Cyclist Federation, the Youth Hostel Centre and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Youth of the European Union. Since 2000, he also presides the Administrative Council of the Kräizbierg Foundation, which works with people with a disability.
Prince Guillaume is interested in politics and economy, and enjoys reading biographies and historical novels. He also loves music, both classical and modern. He is very musical himself, as he plays the piano and has sung in a choir and a rock band during his youth. He also enjoys the theatre. Apart from that, the Prince is also a sportsman, who enjoys soccer, tennis, skiing, swimming and other water sports.
Prince Guillaume speaks Luxembourgish, French, English, German and Spanish.
Prince Guillaume is godfather to his youngest brother Prince Sébastien, his cousin, Prince Paul Louis of Nassau, Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, Princess Ariane of the Netherlands and his nephew, Prince Noah of Nassau.
On 26 April 2012, his engagement to Belgian Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy was announced. The couple met in 2007 at a ball given by the de Ligne family, cousins of the Luxembourg royals. They gradually got to know each other and after three years of occasional meetings in Belgium, they became a couple. The civil wedding took place on 19 October 2012, the religious ceremony at the Luxembourg Cathedral on 20 October 2012.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, official engagement portrait
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in 2008, photo by Disquatufais and used under Creative Commons license.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, official engagement portrait. © Cour grand-ducale / Christian Aschman / all rights reserved.
Based on information from monarchie.lu.
