Grand Duke Henri Celebrates 70th Birthday

On Wednesday 16 April 2025, Grand Duke Henri, Duke of Nassau and Prince of Bourbon-Parma, born on 16 April 1955, at the Chateau de Betzdorf, will celebrate his 70th birthday.

He married Maria Teresa Mestre at the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg on 14 February 1981, and together they have five children - Prince Guillaume (b.1981), Prince Félix (b.1984), Prince Louis (b.1986), Princess Alexandra (b.1991) and Prince Sébastien (b.1992) - and eight grandchildren.

He became Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 7 October 2000. He trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Great Britain and obtained the rank of officer in 1975; in 1989, he was appointed Honorary Major of the Parachute Regiment of the United Kingdom.

Prince Henri was appointed Lieutenant-Représentant of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean on 4 March 1998. He was thus delegated certain powers in some specific areas, after having pledged to obey the Constitution. His experiences as Hereditary Grand Duke had prepared him for the role all along.

At the age of 79, Grand Duke Jean decided to abdicate after 35 years as Head of State, entrusting the throne to his eldest son. The inauguration ceremony took place at the Chamber of Deputies on 7 October 2000, when Grand Duke Henri vowed to 'obey the Constitution and the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, to maintain the national independence and integrity of the territory, as well as public and individual freedoms', as laid down in Article 5 of the Constitution.

In his Christmas 2024 address to the nation, he announced his plan to abdicate, with Prince Guillaume set to succeed him on 3 October 2025 - on 8 October 2024, Prince Guillaume was sworn in as Lieutenant-Representative in the first step of this process. 

On the same day, Prince Sebastian, the youngest of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess' children, born on 16 April 1992, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital, will celebrate his 33rd birthday.