Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (''Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie''; born 11 November 1981), is the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the Luxembourg throne since October 2000 and

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

since October 2024, as the son of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. He is set to become Grand Duke on 3 October 2025 upon the abdication of his father.

Early life and education

Prince Guillaume was born on 11 November 1981 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

and is the eldest child of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife, Cuban-born Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. His godparents are Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg. Guillaume has four younger siblings: Prince Félix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra and Prince Sébastien. Guillaume's education includes Lycée Robert-Schumann in Luxembourg; Swiss boarding schools the

Institut Le Rosey Institut Le Rosey (), commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a private school, private boarding school in Rolle, Switzerland. It was founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the tow ...

and the

Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, known informally as Beau Soleil, is a private boarding school in Switzerland. Founded in 1910 by Madame Bluette Ferrier, it is located above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon. The college p ...

where he finished the French baccalaureate in 2001; and

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

Camberley Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...

, England. He began his higher education studies in the United Kingdom where he studied at University College, Durham and Brunel University, both in England. In 2006 he entered Institut Philanthropos in

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

, Switzerland, where he spent a year studying philosophy and anthropology. He later studied letters and political science at the Institut Albert-le-Grand in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, receiving his bachelor's degree with honors in 2009. His degree was issued by Université d'Angers, as a result of a partnership agreement between the two schools. From 2018 until 2019, Prince Guillaume attended a postgraduate training at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in London. The Hereditary Grand Duke completed internships at the Belgian Chemical Union in 2003, at the

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

in London in 2004, and at the Spanish branch of

ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal S.A. is a Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation, headquartered in Luxembourg City. It is ranked second on the list of steel producers behind Baowu, and had an annual crude steel production of 58 millio ...

in 2005. Sworn in December 2002 as an officer in the

Luxembourg Army The Luxembourg Armed Forces (; ) are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. , it has 939 personnel. The army is under civilian control of the military, civilian control, with the Gran ...

, Prince Guillaume holds the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Hereditary Grand Duke

Guillaume has been

to the crown of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

since his father's accession in 2000. Guillaume became the honorary chairman of the Board of Economic Development of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, an agency for economic promotion and development, in March 2001. He has also been a member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

since 24 June 2005. He attended the Millennium Conference at the

United Nations headquarters The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...

in New York City in 2005. Prince Guillaume also worked at the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

and the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in Brussels in 2012. The Hereditary Grand Duke is patron of the Luxembourg Cycling Sport Federation, Youth Hostels Central, National Association of Road Victims, Chamber Orchestra of Luxembourg, Youth Harmony Orchestra of the European Union, as well as to Young Entrepreneurs Luxembourg and Special Olympics Luxembourg Associations. During the summer of 1997, Guillaume participated as a member of Luxembourg Scout Movement in a humanitarian camp in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. He was involved in a reforestation project and other actions for the benefit of less fortunate communities. In 2017, the Hereditary Grand Duke joined the board of directors of the World Scout Foundation to support the development of scouting around the world. In 1999, he participated in a charitable mission in

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

to provide the educational and social assistance to young people in one of the most deprived areas in Mexico. After having chaired the Kräizbierg Foundation, which works for people with disabilities, for more than 10 years (2000–2011), the Hereditary Grand Duke accepted the title of honorary president in March 2011. Since 18 January 2016, the Hereditary Grand Duke has been a member of the board of directors of ''Europäische Stiftung Kaiserdom zu Speyer'' Foundation. He is also a member of the board of directors of the ''Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse''. On 8 October 2024, as had been announced by Grand Duke Henri on his Official Birthday that year, Prince Guillaume was appointed as lieutenant representative (

). Under this capacity, he assumed a number of his father's constitutional powers, such as the swearing in of ambassadors and the signing of Grand Ducal Decrees. This is traditionally the first step in the abdication process in Luxembourg. On 24 December 2024, during his Christmas message, Henri announced that the abdication would take place on 3 October 2025. On his accession to the throne, Guillaume will reign as Guillaume V (English: William V).

Marriage and fatherhood

On interviews for his 30th birthday, he stated that he was in a relationship with a "dear miss" that had been going strong for more than a year but needed more time to evaluate their possible future. On 26 April 2012, the court announced the engagement of the Hereditary Grand Duke to the Belgian Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The civil

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

took place on Friday, 19 October 2012; the religious wedding took place on Saturday, 20 October 2012, at the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Guillaume and Stéphanie have two sons, named

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

(born 10 May 2020) and François Henri Louis Marie Guillaume (born 27 March 2023), who are second and third in the line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg, respectively.

Interests

Guillaume is interested in music and sports; he plays the piano and enjoys football, swimming and volleyball. He speaks

Luxembourgish Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. The language is standardized and officiall ...

, French, German, Spanish and English. He regularly represents his parents in many foreign activities.

Titles and style

His style and title in full is: His Royal Highness Prince Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon-Parma.

Honours

Awards

Foreign

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

: Bronze Wolf Award (21 March 2024).HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg awarded Bronze Wolf for exceptional service to Scouting
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References

External links

The Hereditary Grand Duke
– Official website of the Grand Ducal Palace {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1981 births Alumni of Institut Le Rosey Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg Alumni of University College, Durham Heirs apparent Alumni of Brunel University London Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst People from Luxembourg City House of Luxembourg-Nassau Princes of Nassau Princes of Bourbon-Parma Living people Luxembourgian people of Cuban descent 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics Sons of dukes Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil alumni Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies