Trounwiessel: What to Expect as Luxembourg Prepares to Welcome New Grand Duke

History will be made in Luxembourg this coming weekend, as Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume accedes to the throne on Friday 3 October 2025.

Grand Duke Henri had announced his plans to abdicate in favour of his eldest son during his Christmas speech in 2024. The abdication, which comes after 25 years on the throne, will mark the start of a new chapter for the Grand Duchy - a constitutional monarchy where a hereditary monarch serves as head of state.

About Future Grand Duke Guillaume

Born in Luxembourg on 11 November 1981, Prince Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie became Hereditary Grand Duke when his father ascended the throne in October 2000. On 8 October 2024, he was sworn in as Lieutenant Representative of the Grand Duke, formally preparing for succession.

Together with his wife, the soon-to-be Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Guillaume has two sons: Prince Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume (born in 2020), who at just five years old will become the next Hereditary Grand Duke, and Prince François Henri Luis Marie Guillaume (born in 2023).

Guillaume has actively promoted the national economy since his youth, representing Luxembourg abroad on dozens of economic missions from the age of nineteen and serving as Honorary Chairman of the Trade and Investment Board since 2004. While he will step down from this role as he becomes Grand Duke, promoting the Luxembourg economy remains close to his heart - as do Scouting and community engagement.

As is tradition, the new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, together with their children, are expected to reside at Château de Berg in Colmar-Berg, although the couple previously announced plans to build an annex on the castle grounds, which they said would be “reserved for our family life and […] financed with our own means.” The castle will retain its workplace function.

Trounwiessel: A Three-Day Celebration

Friday 3 October

The official ceremonies are taking place on Friday in Luxembourg City. Grand Duke Henri will formally abdicate at the Grand Ducal Palace at 10:00, followed by the swearing-in of Grand Duke Guillaume at the Chamber of Deputies (parliament) at 11:00.

Around 12:15, the Grand Ducal family will appear on the palace balcony (an iconic photo opportunity), before heading to City Hall around 13:00. The new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess will greet the public in Place Guillaume II at approximately 13:25, before attending a reception hosted by the Luxembourg government at the Cercle Cité in Place d’Armes. The day will conclude with an exclusive gala dinner at the Grand Ducal Palace.

Several European dignitaries are expected to join the formalities, including King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Princess Élisabeth of Belgium, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender, and French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron, as well as European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, together with her husband Ukko Metsola, and European Council President António Costa.

Saturday 4 October

On Saturday, Grand Duke Guillaume will mark his “first working day” with visits to five locations said to represent the diversity of Luxembourg’s society. First arriving in Grevenmacher in the east around 12:30, the new Grand Ducal couple will meet members of civil society (volunteers and professionals) who are active in the sporting world. The municipality of Grevenmacher is holding a public reception afterwards in the “Op Flohr” Stadium.

In Wiltz in the north, the royal couple will take part in an intercultural festival celebrating diversity and community. The “Wëllkomm zu Wooltz” (Welcome to Wiltz) festivities begin already at midday on the Grand-Rue, which is being transformed into an open-air stage, centred around a 150-metre-long table where hundreds of people can dine together (tickets here). The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are scheduled to arrive at the Amphitheatre of Wiltz Castle around 14:20 for their official welcome, featuring an interactive video exhibition and musical performances. Public viewing of the Grand Duke’s tour will also be available on big screens. The celebrations will continue with various performances at the amphitheatre and on the Grand-Rue, following the royal couple's departure, from around 15:20 onwards.

The third stop of the Grand Duke’s tour is a visit to the intermunicipal hospital in Steinfort (west), where he will have a private meeting with healthcare workers and patients, paying tribute to society’s kindness and solidarity. This is scheduled to take place around 16:20. Separately, at 18:00, the “An de Keeseminnen” cultural centre in Steinfort will host an Autumn Concert (Hierschtconcert) featuring performances by the Stengeforter Musek, the Garnecher Musek, the Harmonie Royale l'Alliance de Sélange (Belgium) and the Harmonie Kleinbettingen (details here).

At around 17:40, Grand Duke Guillaume will continue his tour with a visit to Place Thierry Van Werveke in Dudelange (south), where he will attend a street performance combining dance, acrobatics, freerunning, percussion, circus arts, music and spoken word. The performance is expected to trace the transformations of Luxembourgish society and the “cultural creativity that has flourished on the fertile ground of its industrial past”. Concerts will be organised throughout the evening on the square’s main stage and at the Kantin from about 18:30 onward.

Meanwhile, in Luxembourg City, concerts and a public viewing will be organised on the Glacis site (Limpertsberg) from 13:00. The grand finale of the Grand Duke’s tour will take place in the capital later that evening, starting around 20:00, when the new Grand Ducal couple cross the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge (Red Bridge, connecting the city centre and Kirchberg districts). Their arrival will be accompanied by a large-scale artistic production involving around 1,800 participants, live music from Luxembourg pianist Francesco Tristano and a fleet of multicoloured trams. Saturday’s festivities will conclude with a drone show (featuring 300+ drones and lasting about eight minutes) around 22:30 and concerts until midnight.

More than 30 Luxembourgish musicians representing various genres are set to take the 360° stage in Glacis on this occasion, namely: Adriano Selva; Alfalfa; Benjamin Kruithof; Brognon Rollin; Christophe Mirkes; Cosmokramer; d'Cojellico's Jangen; Daniel Migliosi; De Läb; EDSUN; Faux Real; Francis of Delirium; Fred Barreto; Hunneg-Strëpp; Isaac Perez; Jackie Moontan; klein.; Krick; Laura Thorn; Maz Univerze; MYURA; Napoleon Gold; Nicool; NOSI; Oke; Parity; RAFTSIDE; Reis-Demuth-Wiltgen; Renata van der Vyver; Stephany Ortega; Tali; Tom Feltgen; Tuys; Zero Point Five.

Sunday 5 October

The "Trounwiessel" programme concludes on Sunday with a solemn Te Deum mass at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Luxembourg, presided over by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, starting at 11:00.

While certain parts of the programme (official ceremonies, gala dinner) will be closed to the public, large screens, live broadcasts and open-air celebrations will allow residents and visitors alike to take part in what Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer has described as an “unforgettable” historic weekend. She and other officials have encouraged the public to join in: “Sief dobäi!” (Be there!)

For the official "Trounwiessel" website, see https://www.trounwiessel.lu/fr.html