Royal Jewels for a Milestone Day in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

On Tuesday, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg took an important step toward his eventual abdication, passing on part of his duties to his son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume.

As Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie looked on, 69-year-old Grand Duke Henri signed documents on Tuesday establishing his son as his Lieutenant Representative. The act, which is a unique part of the succession in the grand duchy, allows Henri to remain head of state while delegating some of his royal duties and responsibilities to his eldest son and heir.

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume delivered remarks after the ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace. The prince, who will celebrate his 43rd birthday next month, has been married to a Belgian countess, Stéphanie de Lannoy, since 2012. They have two sons, four-year-old Prince Charles and one-year-old Prince François.

Guillaume’s appointment as Lieutenant Representative allows him to exercise many of the constitutional powers of the Luxembourgish monarch, including signing decrees. The appointment of the heir to the role, which is essentially a sort of regency, is the first step toward the process of the Grand Duke’s eventual abdication.

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Yesterday’s ceremony was the second time that Henri, Maria Teresa, and Guillaume have been present for this part of the Luxembourgish transition of power. On March 4, 1998, Henri’s father, 77-year-old Grand Duke Jean, appointed him as Lieutenant Representative. Henri (who then was the same age that Guillaume is today) served in the role until October 7, 2000, when Jean abdicated and Henri became Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

For the ceremony, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a day dress in a saturated shade of berry red, accessorized with pearls and diamonds.

She wore a favorite pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings from the family collection, plus a pearl bracelet with a diamond clasp and pearl and diamond rings.

Here’s a better look at the bracelet’s clasp, which features a trio of diamond clusters.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore one of her favorite colors, bright yellow, for the transition ceremony, paired with contrasting earrings and several rings.

The earrings feature dark blue pendants. She also added diamond rings on both hands, plus her gold wedding band worn on the third finger of her right hand.

After the ceremony, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume headed to the Chamber of Deputies, which is Luxembourg’s legislature. There, he was welcomed by the Chamber’s president, Claude Wiseler, and Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Luc Frieden. We’ll be keeping an eye on things in Luxembourg over the next year or two, because this appointment means that abdication–and the handover of the grandest jewels in the collection to the next Grand Duke and Grand Duchess–is on the horizon.