Grand Ducal Family

of Luxembourg

The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg constitutes

the House of Luxembourg-Nassau,[1] headed by the
sovereign Grand Duke, and in which the throne of the
grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and
descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, whose
sovereign territories passed cognatically from the
House of Nassau to a cadet branch of the House of
Bourbon-Parma, itself a branch of the Spanish Royal
House which is agnatically a cadet branch of the
House of Capet that originated in France. This is
descended from the Capetian dynasty – itself a
derivative dynasty from the Robertians.

History
In 1443 the last member of the senior branch of the
House of Luxemburg, Duchess Elisabeth, sold the
Duchy of Luxembourg to Duke Philip the Good of
Burgundy, a prince of the French House of Valois. In
1477 the duchy passed by marriage of Philip's
granddaughter, Mary of Burgundy, to Archduke
Maximilian I of Austria of the House of Habsburg.
Luxembourg was one of the fiefdoms in the former
Burgundian Netherlands which Maximilian and
Mary's grandson, Emperor Charles V, combined into an
integral union, the Seventeen Provinces, by issuing the
Pragmatic Sanction of 1549. The southern
Netherlands remained part of the Habsburg Empire,
first held by the Spanish branch and then by the
Austrian line, until 1794 when French revolutionaries
replaced Habsburg rule with French hegemony until
the defeat of Napoleon.

Luxembourg's territories, centering on the ancestral

castle, were taken from occupying French forces in the
first stages of the fall of Napoleon. Some were
eventually ceded to William VI of Nassau, Prince of
Orange, who had been declared Sovereign Prince of the
Netherlands in 1813, by his cousin King Frederick
William III of Prussia who annexed other territories
which had been held by princes of the various branches
of the House of Nassau.[2] The Great Powers agreed
at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to re-constitute and
elevate Luxembourg into a grand duchy, to be
hereditary in the male line of the entire House of
Nassau, beginning with the Prince of Orange, who was
simultaneously but separately recognised as King of
the Netherlands.

Thus William I of the Netherlands ascended the

grand ducal throne as the first Grand Duke of
Luxemburg. When the male line of the House of
Orange-Nassau became extinct in 1890, the crown of
the Netherlands went to his descendant, Wilhelmina
of Orange-Nassau, but the crown of Luxembourg
continued in the male line, devolving upon the head of
the only surviving branch of the House of Nassau, ex-
Duke Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg. His son, Guillaume
IV (reigned 1905-1912), left no sons and was succeeded
by his daughters, Marie-Adélaïde and then by
Charlotte (reigned 1919-1964). Her descendants (from
her marriage to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma)
comprise the Grand Ducal House in the 21st century.

Titulature
The monarch bears the style of Royal Highness
(subsumed in the higher style of Majesty that was
borne by its sovereigns during the personal union of the
Grand Duchy with the Kingdom of the Netherlands
until 1890), to which the heir apparent is also
entitled.[3] The other male-line descendants of Grand
Duke Adolphe held the titles "Prince/Princess of
Luxembourg" and "Prince/Princess of Nassau", with
the style of Grand Ducal Highness.[3] Until 1995, the
daughters and male-line issue of Grand Duchess
Charlotte also bore the title of "Prince/Princess of
Bourbon-Parma" and were addressed as Royal
Highness, in right of their descent from her consort,
Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.[3]

On 28 July 1987, by grand ducal decree, members of

the dynasty assumed the surname "de Nassau" and
discontinued use of the princely title and inescutcheon
of the House of Bourbon-Parma (the Dukes of which
had not consented to the marriages to commoners of the
dynasts of their Luxembourg cadet branch, Prince
Charles in 1967 and Hereditary Grand Duke Henri
in 1981),[4] while retaining the style of Royal
Highness.[3]

Since the grand ducal decree of 21 September 1995,

dynasts who are the children of a Grand Duke or
Hereditary Grand Duke hold the titles
"Prince/Princess of Luxembourg" and "Prince/Princess
of Nassau" with the style of Royal Highness.[3]
Shortly after his accession to the throne in October
2000, Grand Duke Henri issued a grand ducal decree
conferring upon his eldest son and heir, Prince
Guillaume, the title of "Hereditary Grand Duke" and
restoring to him the title "Prince of Bourbon-
Parma".[5] Male line descendants of Grand Duchess
Charlotte who are not the children of a Grand Duke
or Hereditary Grand Duke are "Prince/Princess of
Nassau" with the style of His/Her Royal Highness.[3]

A grand ducal decree in 2012, concerning the family

pact, further defined the rules of titles borne.[6]

The wives, children and male-line descendants of a

prince of the dynasty whose marriage has not received
grand ducal consent are "Count/Countess de Nassau".[3]

Religion
Grand Dukes Adolphe (1817-1905) and William IV
(1852-1912) were Evangelical Christians. William
married the Roman Catholic Marie Anne of Portugal,
believing that a country in which the great majority of
people were Roman Catholic should also have a Roman
Catholic monarch. In 1907, William declared the
Evangelical Counts of Merenberg to be non-dynastic
and named his own Roman Catholic daughter, Marie-
Adélaïde (1894-1924), heiress to the grand ducal
throne; she in 1919 abdicated in favour of her sister,
Charlotte (1896-1985), who was also Roman Catholic,
and Charlotte's Roman Catholic descendants have
reigned in Luxembourg ever since.

However, although Roman Catholicism is the claimed

faith of the overwhelming majority of the
Luxembourgish people (ca. 90-93 %), it does not have
the status of a State religion, nor is there any legal or
constitutional obligation for the Grand Duke (as head
of state) to be Roman Catholic.
Members
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is the current
Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He was born on 16 April
1955. He was married on 14 February 1981 to Maria
Teresa Mestre and became Grand Duke when his
father, Jean, abdicated on 7 October 2000. Their
children are:

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of

Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's eldest son, born on 11
November 1981. He is the Hereditary Grand Duke
of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau and
holds the title Prince of Bourbon-Parma. He was
married on 20 October 2012 to Countess Stephanie
de Lannoy (b. 18 February 1984).
 Prince Charles was born on 10 May 2020 at
the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity
Hospital in Luxembourg City.
Prince Félix of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau,
born on 3 June 1984. He is Prince of Luxembourg
and Prince of Nassau. He was married on 21
September 2013 to Claire Margareta Lademacher
(b. 21 March 1985). They have a daughter and a son
together:
Princess Amalia of Nassau was born on 15
June 2014 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte
Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
Prince Liam of Nassau was born on 28
November 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Prince Louis of Luxembourg, born on 3 August 1986.
He is Prince of Luxembourg and Prince of Nassau.
He was married on 29 September 2006 to Tessy
Antony (b. 28 October 1985). Upon marrying, Prince
Louis renounced his right of succession prior to his
marriage. Prince Louis and Antony divorced on 4
April 2019.
Prince Gabriel of Nassau was born out of
wedlock in Switzerland on 12 March 2006.
Prince Noah of Nassau was born on 21
September 2007 at the Grand Duchess
Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg
City.
Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, born on 16
February 1991.
 Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, born on 16 April
1992.

Extended family …

Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, the Grand

Duke's eldest sister, was born on 17 February 1954.
She was married on 6 February 1982 to Archduke
Carl Christian of Austria, who was born in 1954.[7]
They have five children:
Archduchess Marie Christine (1983) (m. Count
Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum, 3 sons: Count
Léopold, Count Constantin and Count
Gabriel),
Archduke Imre (1985) (m. Kathleen Elizabeth
Walker, 3 daughters: Archduchess Maria-
 Stella, Archduchess Magdalena and
Archduchess Juliana).
Archduke Christoph (1988) (m. Adélaïde
Drapé-Frisch, 2 daughters: Archduchess
Katarina and Archduchess Sophia).
Archduke Alexander (1990)
Archduchess Gabriella (1994) (e. Prince
Henri of Bourbon-Parma 1 daughter:
Victoria Antonia Marie-Astrid Lydia).
Prince Jean of Luxembourg, the Grand Duke's
brother, was born on 15 May 1957. He was married
on 27 May 1987 to Hélène Vestur, who was born in
1958. On 26 September 1986, Prince Jean renounced
his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne.
His children were styled as Count(ess) of Nassau
until given the title HRH Prince(ss) of Nassau on
24 November 2004. Prince Jean and Vestur
divorced in 2004 and, on 18 March 2009, he
married Diane de Guerre in a civil ceremony in
Roermond, the Netherlands.[8]
Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, Prince
Jean's eldest child and only daughter, was
born out of wedlock on 8 September 1986. (m.
Antonius Willms, 1 son Zeno Willms)
Prince Constantin of Nassau, Prince Jean's
eldest son, was born on 22 July 1988. (1 son:
Felix with Kathryn Mechie)
Prince Wenceslas of Nassau, Prince Jean's
second son, was born on 17 November 1990.
 Prince Carl Johann of Nassau, Prince Jean's
third son and youngest child, was born on 15
August 1992.
Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, the Grand
Duke's youngest sister. She was born on 15 May
1957. She was married on 20 March 1982 to Prince
Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, who was born in 1947.
They have had three surviving children.
Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein
(1985).
Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein
(1987).
Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein (1989).
Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the Grand
Duke's youngest brother, was born on 1 May 1963.
He was married on 8 September 1994 to Sibilla
Sandra Weiller (the daughter of Donna Olimpia
Torlonia dei principi di Civitella-Cesi and Paul-
Annik Weiller, and great-granddaughter of Alfonso
XIII of Spain), now Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg.
Prince Paul-Louis of Nassau, Prince
Guillaume's eldest son, was born on 4 March
1998.
Prince Léopold of Nassau, Prince
Guillaume's second son, was born on 2 May
2000. He is the twin brother of Princess
Charlotte.
Princess Charlotte of Nassau, Prince
Guillaume's only daughter, was born on 2 May
2000. She is the twin sister of Prince Léopold.
 Prince Jean André of Nassau, Prince
Guillaume's youngest son, was born on 13 July
2004.
Princess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg, the Grand
Duke's aunt, was born on 2 August 1925. She was
married on 6 November 1951 to Knud, Count af
Holstein-Ledreborg (1919-2001). They have issue.
Princess Joan of Luxembourg (née Dillon), the
Grand Duke's aunt, was born on 31 January 1935.
She was widow of Prince Charles of Luxembourg
they married on 1 March 1967. They have issue:
Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg, the Grand
Duke's first cousin, was born on 15 September
1967. She was married in 1993 to Marc Victor
Cunningham, who was born on 24 September
1965. They have issue: Charles (1996), Louis
(1998) and Donnall (2002).
Prince Robert of Luxembourg, the Grand
Duke's first cousin, was born on 14 August
1968 and married religiously on 19 September
1993 to Julie Elizabeth Houston Ongaro, now
Princess Julie of Nassau, who was born on 9
June 1966.[3][9]
Princess Charlotte of Nassau, eldest
child and only daughter of Prince
Robert, was born on 20 March 1995.
Prince Alexander of Nassau, elder son
of Prince Robert, was born on 18 April
1997.
 Prince Frederik of Nassau, younger son
of Prince Robert, was born on 18 March
2002.

Succession to the throne

The preference for men over women in succession to
Luxembourg's throne was abandoned in favour of
absolute primogeniture on 20 June 2011 by decree of
Grand Duke Henri.[10] Henceforth, any legitimate
female descendant of the House of Luxembourg-
Nassau born of authorized marriage shall inherit the
throne by order of seniority of line of descent and of
birth as stipulated in Article 3 of the Constitution and
the Nassau Family Pact without regard to gender,
applicable first to succession by the descendants of
Grand Duke Henri.[11] The Grand Duke's Marshal
issued an addendum to the decree explaining the
context of the change: pursuant to the United Nation's
1979 call for nations to eliminate all forms of
discrimination against women, in 2008 the Grand
Duchy dropped the exception to gender non-
discrimination it had declared in the matter of the
grand ducal succession.[12]

Summary family tree

For the ancestry of the House of Nassau, see Family
Tree of the House of Nassau.
 Adolphe
(1817–1905)
Duke of
Nassau P
1839-1866 A
Grand Duke
of of
Luxembourg
1890-1905

William IV
(1852–1912)
Grand Duke
 of
Luxembourg

Marie- C
Adélaïde (18
(1894–1924)
Grand D
Duchess of Lu
Luxembourg 19

Jean P
(1921–2019) J
 Grand Duke C
of of
Luxembourg
1964–2000

Archduchess Henri Maria

Marie- (1955–) Teresa
Astrid Grand Duke Mestre
of Austria of
Luxembourg
2000
 small arms grand

arms

Guillaume
Hereditary Prince
Grand Duke Félix
of of
Luxembourg Luxembourg Lu

Arms
See also: Category:SVG coats of arms of Luxembourg
A complete armorial is given at the Armorial de la
Maison de Nassau, section Lignée Valramienne at the
French Wikipedia, and another one at Wapen van
Nassau, Tak van Walram at the Dutch Wikipedia.

See also
List of Grand Dukes of Luxembourg
Line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg

References
1. "Droits de Succession: Ordre successoral" . Cour
Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. Maréchalat de
la Cour. 6 June 2011. Archived from the
original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved December 20,
2012.
2. Huberty, Michel; Alain Giraud; F. and B.
Magdelaine (1989). L'Allemagne Dynastique
Tome V: Hohenzollern-Waldeck (in French).
France. pp. 197–204, 210. ISBN 2-901138-05-5.
3. de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de
Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle
Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, pp. 572-573,
582, 665-668, 678, 684 (French) ISBN 2-
9507974-3-1
4. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy (1985). La
Légitimité Monarchique. Paris: Editions
Christian. p. 186. ISBN 2-86496018-4.
5. "S.A.R le Prince Guillaume devient le Grand-
Duc Héritier (18 December 2000)" . Archived
from the original on 7 July 2006. Retrieved
2013-09-16.
6. Grand-Ducal Decree of 18 June 2012 on the
coordination of the Family Statute of 5 May
1907 . (Memorial B No. 51 of 2012)
7. "Monarchie et famille grand-ducale: Autres
membres de la famille grand-ducale" . Archived
from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved
2013-08-29.
8. "Special wedding in Roermond" . Nieuwsbank.nl.
Retrieved 2013-11-29.
9. "Decree 27 Nov 2004 concerning royal titles" .
Hoelseth.com. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
 10. "New Ducal succession rights for Grand
Duchy" . Luxemburger Wort. 21 June 2011.
Archived from the original on 22 December
2015. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
11. "Droits de Succession: Ordre successoral" . Cour
Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg. Maréchalat de
la Cour. 20 June 2011. Retrieved August 16,
2013.
12. "Annexe au Communiqué du Maréchalat: Note
explicative" (PDF). Cour Grand-Ducale de
Luxembourg. Maréchalat de la Cour. 20 June
2011. Retrieved August 29, 2013.

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