Henri (; , ; born 16 April 1955) is

Grand Duke of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of ...

, reigning since 2000. He is the eldest son of

Grand Duke Jean Jean (Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano; 5 January 1921 – 23 April 2019) was the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 until his abdication in 2000. He was the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg of French agnati ...

and

Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (11 October 1927 – 10 January 2005) was the List of consorts of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean. She was the first child of King Leop ...

, as well as a first cousin of King

Philippe of Belgium Philippe (born 15 April 1960) is King of the Belgians. He is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He succeeded his father upon the former's abdication for health reasons on 21 July 2013. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 1 ...

. In 2019, his net worth was estimated around US$4 billion. Having delegated some of his powers to his eldest son and heir apparent,

Guillaume Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname), the French equivalent of Williams Places * Guillaume (crater), Moon, Earth-Moon System, Solar System * Guillaumes, Vence, Nice, Alpes ...

, in 2024, he is set to abdicate in his favour on 3 October 2025.

Early life and education

Prince Henri was born on 16 April 1955, at the Betzdorf Castle in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

as the second child and first son of Jean, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and his wife,

. His father was the eldest son of

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Charlotte (''Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine''; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. Her reign is the longest of any Luxembourgish monarc ...

, and

Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma (later Prince Félix of Luxembourg; 28 September 1893 – 8 April 1970) was the husband of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the father of her six children, including her successor Jean, Grand Duke o ...

. His mother was the only daughter of King

Leopold III of Belgium Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the Battle of Belgi ...

by his first wife, Princess

Astrid of Sweden Astrid of Sweden (Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra; 17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was a member of the Swedish House of Bernadotte and later became Queen of the Belgians as the first wife of Leopold III of Belgium, King Leopold III. Following her ...

. The prince's godparents were his maternal uncle the Prince of Liège (later

Albert II of Belgium Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is a member of the Belgian royal family who reigned as King of the Belgians from 9 August 1993 until his abdication on 21 July 2013. Albert II is the son of King Leopold III and the last living child of Queen As ...

) and his paternal aunt Princess Marie Gabriele. Henri has four siblings:

Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria (born Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg on 17 February 1954) is the elder daughter and eldest child of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. She is the wife of Arch ...

(born 1954),

Prince Jean of Luxembourg Prince Jean of Luxembourg (given names: ''Jean Félix Marie Guillaume''; born 15 May 1957), the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha. He fre ...

(born 1957),

Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (born Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg; 15 May 1957) is the fourth child and second and youngest daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. As the sister of ...

(born 1957) and

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (''Guillaume Marie Louis Christian''; born 1 May 1963) is the third son and youngest child of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg. Life Prince Guillaume was born in Betzdorf ...

(born 1963). On 12 November 1964, when Henri was nine, his grandmother

abdicated Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

and his father became Grand Duke. By two sovereign decisions of 14 April 1973 the Grand Duke decided that "Henri will be considered as having reached the age of majority as from 16 April 1973, the date on which he will have reached the age of eighteen years" and "that His Royal Highness Prince Henri will bear, in His capacity as Heir Apparent to the Crown of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and of the Grand-Ducal Trust, the title of Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon of Parma." Henri was educated in Luxembourg and in France, where he obtained his

Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

in 1974, after which he undertook military officer training at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

, England on the Standard Military Course (SMC) 7. He then studied political science at

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

and the

Graduate Institute of International Studies Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumni, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed hi ...

, graduating in 1980. Prince Henri became

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the Luxembourg throne on the abdication of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, on 12 November 1964. From 1980 to 1998, he was a member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

Reign

Accession

On 4 March 1998, Prince Henri was appointed as lieutenant representative by his father, Grand Duke Jean, meaning that he assumed most of his father's constitutional powers. On 7 October 2000, immediately following the abdication of his father, Henri acceded as

and took the constitutional oath before the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

later that day. He became Henri I even though Luxembourg had seven monarchs named Henri prior to 1815.

Role and interests

Royal Monogram of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

As the head of a constitutional monarchy, Grand Duke Henri's duties are primarily representative. However, he retains the constitutional power to appoint the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

, to dissolve the

, to promulgate laws and to accredit

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

s. With few exceptions, however, he is bound by convention to act on the advice of the government. Grand Duke Henri is commander-in-chief of the

Luxembourg Army The Luxembourg Armed Forces (; ) are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. , it has 939 personnel. The army is under civilian control of the military, civilian control, with the Gran ...

, in which he holds the rank of general. In addition, he was made an honorary major in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

's Parachute Regiment, effective 19 July 1989. One of the grand duke's main functions is to represent Luxembourg in the field of foreign affairs. In May 2001, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa undertook their first foreign state visit to Spain at the invitation of

King Juan Carlos King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

and

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica; Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη, romanized: ''Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki''; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was Queen of Spai ...

. Grand Duke Henri is a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC), a member of The Mentor Foundation (established by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

) and a director of the Charles Darwin Trust for the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

. The grand duke lives with his family at

Berg Castle Berg Castle (, ; ; ) is the principal residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It is situated in the town of Colmar-Berg, in central Luxembourg, near the confluence of the Alzette and the Attert, two of Luxembourg's most important rivers. H ...

in Luxembourg. He also has a holiday home in Cabasson, a village in the commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas in

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

Media and publicity controversies

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Since the accession of Henri to the Grand Ducal Throne in 2000, the court's approach to media and publicity has varied markedly. In 2002, Grand Duke Henri expressly identified himself with a press conference called by Maria Teresa with a view to discussing with journalists the shortcomings of her personal relations with her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte. In contrast, when the grand ducal couple's first grandchild was born in 2006, the Court Circular pointedly omitted to mention the event, probably as the father Prince Louis was not married at the time. However, the pregnancy was announced in 2005, so the country was informed that the prince and his girlfriend were going to be parents. The press also had access to the child's baptism. The grand ducal family's approach to media and publicity issues has given rise to media comment regarding the quality of communications advice which has been sought and followed. As well as the public airing of the difficulties between the grand duchess and her mother-in-law, several other events have resulted in adverse publicity, most notably: in 2004, the opening of parliament by the grand duke in person, the first time in over 100 years the monarch had done so; in 2005, the grand duke announced he intended to vote in favour of the

European Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European ...

in the impending referendum, only to be reminded by senior politicians that he had no such right. The proposed sale of large tracts of the Gruenewald in the summer of 2006 was shortly followed by the proposed sale (cancelled shortly afterwards) at

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

of recently deceased Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte's effects.

Euthanasia and constitutional reform controversies

On 2 December 2008, it was announced that Grand Duke Henri had stated he would refuse to give his assent to a new law on euthanasia that had been passed earlier in the year by the Chamber of Deputies. Under the constitution then, the grand duke "sanctions and promulgates the laws" meaning the need for the grand duke's sanction or approval was required in order for laws to take effect. In the absence of clarity on the long-term implications for the constitutional position of the grand duke posed by such a refusal, it was announced by Prime Minister

Jean-Claude Juncker Jean-Claude Juncker (; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician who was List of prime ministers of Luxembourg, prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. He also was List ...

that a constitutional amendment would be brought forward. The Luxembourg ruling house had tried to block a decision by Parliament only once before, when Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde refused to sign a bill in 1912 to reduce the role of Roman Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s within the education system. The ultimate solution was that the grand duke would be declared unable to perform his duty temporarily. This was similar to the "escape route" provided to his uncle King

Baudouin of Belgium Baudouin (; 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo, before it became independent in 1960 and became the Democratic Republi ...

when he refused to sign an abortion law in 1991; thus the law could take effect without the signature of the grand duke, but also without the need to enact far-reaching changes in the constitution. Article 34 of the constitution was subsequently amended to remove the term "assent", leaving the relevant provision to read: "The Grand Duke promulgates the laws..." As a result, his signature is still needed but it is clear that his signature is automatic and that he has no freedom of decision. The head of state no longer has to "sanction" laws for them to take effect, as the officeholder merely promulgates them.

Health issues

On 3 February 2011, Henri was admitted to the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg on falling ill. Shortly after, the grand ducal court issued a statement saying that he was to undergo an

angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

. The day after, the communications chief announced that the procedure had been a success. "The state of His Royal Highness' health is not disturbing," the statement read, before stating the grand duke may leave the hospital within the next few days. Although the reason has not formally been disclosed, it is reported that the grand duke felt ill after waking that day, and the court physician noticed circulation problems. It was then that he was rushed to hospital, to the cardiac unit, and was discharged the following day.

Waringo report

On 31 January 2020, the Waringo report was released, a governmental report on the internal workings of the monarchy that had been compiled by Jeannot Waringo, former Financial Director of Luxembourg. The report identified significant problems in terms of staff management at the Palace resulting in a high turnover rate and an atmosphere of fear. It noted that internal communications were almost nonexistent. Waringo indicated that the most important staff decisions were made by the Grand Duchess. There was no division of staff for personal use and that for official functions. Waringo was also not able to determine if the grand ducal couple's private activities were financed by the State or not. The Court responded that "(i)n the interests of greater transparency and modernization, the Court will contribute constructively to the implementation of the improvements proposed in this report."

Abdication

On 23 June 2024, his

official birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

, Henri announced his plans to appoint his son

as lieutenant representative (

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

) in October. Traditionally, this signals the Grand Duke's intention to

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

in the future. On 8 October, Guillaume was sworn in as lieutenant representative. On 24 December 2024, the Grand Duke announced in his Christmas message his intention to abdicate in favour of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume on 3 October 2025.

Marriage and family

While studying in Geneva, Henri met the Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista, who was also a political science student. They married in Luxembourg in a civil ceremony on 4 February 1981 and a religious ceremony on 14 February 1981 with the previous consent of the grand duke, dated 7 November 1980. The couple have five children and eight grandchildren: * ''Guillaume'' Jean Joseph Marie, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (born on 11 November 1981 at the

Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital The Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital () is a maternity hospital, part of the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg in Luxembourg. The hospital is named after Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, who reigned from 1919 to 1964. History In 19 ...

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

). He married Countess ''Stéphanie'' Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy (born on 18 February 1984,

Ronse Ronse (; ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper. History Early settlements to 14th century The hills around Ronse show clues of human a ...

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

) on 20 October 2012. They have two sons: ** Prince ''Charles'' Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg (born on 10 May 2020 at the

). ** Prince ''François'' Henri Louis Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg (born on 27 March 2023 at the

). * Prince ''Félix'' Léopold Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg (born on 03 June 1984 at the

). He married ''Claire'' Margareta Lademacher (born on 21 March 1985,

Filderstadt Filderstadt (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Fildorsdadd'') is a town in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located approximately 13 km south of Stuttgart. Filderstadt is located n ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

) on 21 September 2013. They have two sons and one daughter: ** Princess ''Amalia'' Gabriela Maria Teresa of Nassau (born on 15 June 2014 at the

). ** Prince ''Liam'' Henri Hartmut of Nassau (born on 28 November 2016 at the Clinique Générale-Beaulieu in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

). ** Prince ''Balthazar'' Félix Karl of Nassau (born on 7 January 2024 at the

). * Prince ''Louis'' Xavier Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg, (born on 03 August 1986 at the

). He married ''Tessy'' Antony (born on 28 October 1985,

) on 29 September 2006 and divorced on 04 April 2019. They have two sons: ** Prince ''Gabriel'' Michael Louis Ronny of Nassau (born on 12 March 2006 at the Clinic des Grangettes, in

). ** Prince ''Noah'' Etienne Guillaume Gabriel Matthias Xavier of Nassau (born on 21 September 2007 at the

). * Princess ''Alexandra'' Joséphine Teresa Charlotte Marie Wilhelmine of Luxembourg, (born on 16 February 1991 at the

). She married ''Nicolas'' Jacques Armel Bagory (born on 11 November 1988,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) on 29 April 2023. They have a daughter: ** ''Victoire'' Bagory (born on 14 May 2024, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

). * Prince ''Sébastien'' Henri Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg, (born on 16 April 1992 at the

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles

* 16 April 1955 – 12 November 1964: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Henri of Luxembourg * 12 November 1964 – 7 October 2000: ''His Royal Highness'' The Hereditary Grand Duke * 7 October 2000 – present: ''His Royal Highness'' The Grand Duke

Honours

References

External links

Official websiteThe Mentor Foundation
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1955 births 20th-century Roman Catholics 20th-century regents 21st-century Roman Catholics 20th-century monarchs of Luxembourg 21st-century monarchs of Luxembourg Grand dukes of Luxembourg Luxembourgian International Olympic Committee members Living people House of Luxembourg-Nassau Luxembourgian Roman Catholics Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg People from Betzdorf, Luxembourg Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst University of Geneva alumni Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX Knights of Malta Grand Crosses of the National Order of Mali Grand Collars of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Collars of the Order of Liberty Luxembourgian billionaires Roman Catholic monarchs