There is a stir in the palace in Luxembourg when the communications department realises that the head of state has been referred to incorrectly for years. “You are the first person to notice this,” the palace tells the FAZ and quotes the palace’s archivist emeritus, Pierre Even, as saying: “Our website really and absolutely must be corrected!”
The difference between the stated and actual noble title was discovered during a FAZ investigation into the doctoral thesis of Princess Claire, the Grand Duke’s daughter-in-law. For years, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg has been referred to on monarchie.lu as the “Prince of Nassau”, in the Luxembourgish version “Prënz vun Nassau” – although he has been the “Duke of Nassau” since he took office in 2000.
This is what it says in Articles 56 and 132 of the Luxembourg Constitution (“Duc de Nassau”); this is also what the Foreign Office writes on an official website about Luxembourg. The Grand Duke signed the Golden Book of the city of Wiesbaden as “Duke of Nassau”. The palace has now announced that it will correct the error on the website as soon as possible.
The family comes from Germany
The noble title Nassau actually refers to the German region. The relationship between the Duchy of Luxembourg and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was close. In 1890, Adolph, born in Biebrich am Rhein, became the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg from the Luxembourg-Nassau dynasty. In 1839, at the age of 22, he first took over the throne of the Duchy of Nassau. This included cities such as Wiesbaden, Weilburg and Montabaur – parts of the present-day federal states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. 51 years later, Adolph also became ruler of Luxembourg. However, he left the governing to the Prime Minister.
His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri has been the head of state of the small but extremely wealthy country for more than two decades. A few days ago he announced that he would be transferring several responsibilities to his son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume.
The change of power is now only a matter of time and is expected in the next two years. The Grand Duke is very popular in Luxembourg, but his wife, who is described as choleric, is less so. Four years ago, an audit report attested to chaotic finances for the couple. For example, the annual telephone costs at court amounted to 550,000 to 600,000 euros – in an age of flat rates.
First doctorates from Nassau
Prince Félix, who married the German communications scientist Claire Lademacher, is highly respected among the people. She comes from Filderstadt in Baden-Württemberg and grew up in the Hochtaunus district. Thanks to her doctorate in Rome, which she received in 2017 for her work on organ donations, she is the first member of the Grand Ducal family to ever hold a doctorate.
Her official name is now Claire Margareta de Nassau. Like many other members of the younger generation of the family, she does not live in Luxembourg, but reportedly lives in France with her husband and children.
The Grand Duke, the only one of his kind in the world, likes to open doors for economic missions. He has no significant political responsibilities. Many of his subjects are indifferent to him. His father, Jean of Nassau, was even more popular. When he died in 2019, the country fell into great mourning. On the website he is correctly referred to as the “Duke of Nassau”. His son Henri will now also be named that, rather belatedly, shortly before his abdication.
