Heir to the Grand Ducal throne of Luxembourg, Prince Guillaume celebrates his 40th birthday on Remembrance Day, Wednesday, 11 November 2021.
Grand Duke Henri and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa’s eldest child, Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie, was born on 11 November 1981 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.
He has four younger siblings: Prince Félix (1984), Prince Louis (1986), Princess Alexandra (1991) and Prince Sébastien (1992).
When his grandfather Grand Duke Jean abdicated on 7 October 2000, his father Prince Guillaume officially became the Hereditary Grand Duke, shortly after his father’s accession to the Grand Ducal throne.
Marriage and Family
Prince Guillaume married Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in a religious ceremony in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City on 20 October 2012.
Their son Prince Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume was born on 10 May 2020, like his father, at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg.
Education and Training
He attended Lycée Robert-Schumann in Luxembourg, before attending exclusive Swiss boarding schools, Institute Le Rosey and the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, where he obtained his French baccalaureate in 2001.
Prince Guillaume, following in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps, competed his officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from September 2001 to August 2002.
Four months later, Prince Guillaume was sworn in as an officer in the Luxembourg Army in December 2002.
He currently holds the rank of Colonel.
Prince Guillaume also participated in internships, to gain some experience in the business world and politics, with multinational companies, including the Belgian Chemical Union in 2003, Deutsche Bank in London in 2004 and the Spanish branch of the steel company ArcelorMittal in 2005.
The Hereditary Prince also studied international politics in the United Kingdom, to prepare for his future role, and obtained a double degree in Literature and Political Science with honours at the University of Angers in 2009.
He completed a post-graduate training course at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in 2018 and 2019 where he gained additional expertise to be able to carry out future responsibilities.
Commitments and Duties
Prince Guillaume began carrying out official duties whilst still a student by promoting Luxembourg abroad and supporting local companies and the government’s economic and social initiatives.
He accompanied Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn to attend the Millennium Conference at the United Nations in New York in 2005 to focus on eradicating extreme poverty around the world.
Prince Guillaume, representing the Grand Duchy, spent some time in 2012 at the European Commission to discover more about the inner workings of the European Union (EU), including the negotiation processes and attending Foreign Affairs Council and the Political and Security (PSC) meetings.
The Heredity Grand Duke has visited South Korea, Italy and the United States.
Remembrance Commemorations
Prince Guillaume regularly attends national and international commemorations as his grandfather Grand Duke Jean had fought during World War II after joining the Irish Guards.
He attended the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Luxembourg town of Vianden and the concentrations camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Mauthausen in 2015.
In 2019, Prince Guillaume also attended the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge commemorations at Schumannseck.
Personal Life and Interests
The Hereditary Grand Duke enjoys reading autobiographies, philosophical treatises and historical novels focusing on politics, economics and philosophy.
Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéfanie attend the Games of the Small States of Europe and the Olympic Games whenever possible.
He loves both classical and modern music, plays the piano and sang in a rock band during his school years.
The Prince also enjoys spending time out of doors observing wildlife and nature and he hopes to pass on this passion to his son, Prince Charles.
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