Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Maison du Grand-Duc / Sophie Margue

Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie) was born on November 11, 1981, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. He is the eldest of five children of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla.

Guillaume has four younger siblings:

Henri_family

The Princely Family in 2009; Photo Credit – Zimbio

Guillaume was christened on December 2, 1981, at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. His godparents were:

Prince Guillaume attended Lorentzweiler Primary School in Lorentzweiler, a small town in Luxembourg. He then completed his lower secondary education at Lycée Robert-Schumann Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Guillaume completed his secondary education at Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland where he passed his French Baccalaureate in 2001.

From September 2001 until August 2002, Guillaume underwent officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. He was commissioned as an officer in the Luxembourg Army in December 2002 and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In June 2009, Guillaume was awarded a Bachelor’s degree with distinction in Humanities and Languages with a specialization in Political Science at the University of Angers in France. He is fluent in Luxembourgish, French, English, German, and Spanish.

Prince Guillaume is interested in politics, economics, and philosophy. His favorite books
include biographies and historical novels. He enjoys music, both classical and modern,
and plays piano and guitar. As a child, he sang in a boys’ choir, the Pueri Cantores Choir of Luxembourg. While in school in Switzerland, he was a singer in the school rock band and participated in several school plays. Guillaume loves sports, particularly football (soccer), tennis, skiing, swimming, and water sports.

Guillaume became Hereditary Grand Duke in 2000 when his father acceded to the throne upon the abdication of his grandfather, Grand Duke Jean (born 1921).  The Hereditary Grand Duke is a member of the State Council (Conseil d’Etat), composed of twenty-one citizens who advise the Chamber of Deputies, the legislature of Luxembourg, in the drafting of legislation.

Prince Guillaume participates in the administration and fundraising of the following organizations:

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The couple exiting Town Hall after the civil marriage; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Guillaume_religious wedding

Photo Credit – Zimbio

Prince Guillaume first met Countess Stéphanie de Lanoy, (born 1984 in Ronse, East Flanders, Belgium to a Belgian noble family) when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks prior to the announcement of their engagement on April 26, 2012.  The couple was married in a civil ceremony at the City Hall in Luxembourg City, on October 19, 2012. Their religious wedding took place on October 20, 2012, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.

Photo Credit: Grand Ducal Court/ Marion Dessard

Guillaume and Stéphanie have two sons

Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa holding Prince François, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Charles, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume ; Credit – House of the Grand Duke / Sophie Margue

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