HRH Prince Guillaume; Credit: © Maison du Grand-Duc / Sophie Margue

His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg is celebrating his 41st birthday today, Friday 11 November 2022.

Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie, Prince of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau and Bourbon-Parma, eldest son of Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, was born on 11 November 1981 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital.

After his father's accession to the throne on 7 October 2000, Prince Guillaume was sworn in on 18 December 2000 and officially became the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

On 20 October 2012, Prince Guillaume married Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy who became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie have one son, Prince Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume, who was born on 10 May 2020 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital. In September 2022, it was announced that they were expecting their second child, who is due in April 2023.

Prince Guillaume attended primary school in Lorentzweiler before starting his secondary  education at Lycée Robert Schuman in Luxembourg City. At the age of sixteen, he enrolled at the Institut Le Rosey and subsequently at the Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland, where he obtained his French Baccalaureate in 2001.

He then successfully completed his officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in the United Kingdom (UK). He was sworn in as an officer of the Luxembourg Army in December 2002 and currently holds the rank of Colonel.

After studying international politics in the UK, Prince Guillaume continued his studies in France; in 2009, he obtained a double degree in Literature and Political Science with honours at the University of Angers.

Prince Guillaume also completed internships at the Belgian Chemical Union and at Deutsche Bank in London in 2003 and 2004, respectively. In 2005, he trained at the Spanish branch of steel group ArcelorMittal.

From 2018 to 2019, the Hereditary Grand Duke followed a postgraduate course at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in London, where he acquired additional expertise in relation to his future responsibilities as Head of State.

In 2018, the Luxembourg-based Miami University John E Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) awarded Prince Guillaume with its highest honorary distinction, the Doctorate honoris causa, for his public and social engagements.

As a member of the Grand Ducal Family, the Hereditary Grand Duke holds the Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolphe of Nassau and the Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown. In 2015, he also received the medal of Grand Officier de la Légion d’Honneur of France.