Grand Duke Jean Laid to Rest in Notre-Dame Cathedral

On Saturday 4 May 2019, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean was laid to rest in the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg-Ville.

The funeral processions began around 10:00 on Saturday morning in Place Clairefontaine with the march of members of the Luxembourg Government, MPs, the College of the Mayor and Aldermen and the City Council of Luxembourg City, cabinet members and members of the Secretary General, as well as former government ministers who served under the reign of HRH Grand Duke Jean.

The Luxembourg authorities were followed by a procession, by car, of various members of the reigning monarchies. These included HRH Princess Anne of the UK and the former King of Spain Juan Carlos I, as well as members of the Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Belgian, Monacan and Jordanian royal families.

The Luxembourg Military Music band led the official processions on foot, followed shortly behind by the coffin of HRH Grand Duke Jean, draped in the Luxembourg flag and transported on a gun carriage. The Grand Ducal family, including Grand Duke Jean's siblings, children and grandchildren marched behind, followed by various national figures, such as Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and the Mayor of Luxembourg City Lydie Polfer.

The funeral march ended at the Notre-Dame Cathedral where HRH Grand Duke Jean received a Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving, led by Bishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Archbishop of Luxembourg. Musicians from the Irish Guards played the bagpipes during the ceremony in tribute to Grand Duke Jean's time in the military - during the Second World War, he volunteered with the Irish Guards (from 1942) with whom, as Lieutenant, he participated in the Normandy landings and the Battle for Caen.

Following the funeral mass, HRH Grand Duke Jean was laid to rest in the crypt of the cathedral.

In a touching farewell letter earlier today, HRH Grand Duke Henri, son of the late Grand Duke Jean, stated: "Today, on the day of our father’s funeral, I wanted to tell you how much he meant to us – his children, his children-in-law, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. He was always there for his family despite his duty, which he continued to master responsibly and conscientiously." As well as emphasising his role as a beloved statesman, the Grand Duke added that his late father "believed in the best of everybody and he was especially proud of our country’s development in the last few decades." 

Grand Duke Henri concluded: "Several weeks ago as he was admitted to hospital, it was important to all of us to be with him, just as he had been with us for the entirety of his life. He was the centre of three generations. Two days before he left us, he thanked those who had cared for him with devotion. He then said goodbye to all of us. His lasts words showed his nobility and his concern for his fellow humans again. He passed after a fulfilled life."