Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri is a member of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg who reigned as Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 2000 until his abdication in 2025.
Henri was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, as the second child and eldest son of the future Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He became heir apparent upon the accession of his father in 1964 at the age of nine, and was officially created hereditary grand duke on his 18th birthday in 1973. Henri was educated in Luxembourg and France, where he received his Baccalauréat in 1974. He then undertook military officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, on the Standard Military Course 7, and then studied political science at University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, graduating in 1980.
In 1998, he was appointed as regent by his father, the traditional first step in the transition of reigns. Two years later, Jean abdicated and Henri became grand duke. Henri's role was largely ceremonial as a constitutional monarch. However, he sparked a minor constitutional crisis in 2008 when he refused to grant royal assent to a new euthanasia law, resulting in the requirement for laws to receive his assent being abolished. In October 2024, Henri appointed his son Guillaume as regent, and abdicated the throne the following year.
Early life and education
Prince Henri was born on 16 April 1955, at the Betzdorf Castle in Luxembourg as the second child and first son of Jean, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and his wife, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His father was the eldest son of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. His mother was the only daughter of King Leopold III of Belgium by his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. The prince's godparents were his maternal uncle the Prince of Liège and his paternal aunt Princess Marie Gabriele.Henri has four siblings: Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, Prince Jean of Luxembourg, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg.
On 12 November 1964, when Henri was nine, his grandmother abdicated and his father became grand duke. By two sovereign decisions of 14 April 1973, Jean decided that "Henri will be considered as having reached the age of majority as from 16 April 1973, the date on which he will have reached the age of eighteen years" and "that His Royal Highness Prince Henri will bear, in His capacity as Heir Apparent to the Crown of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and of the Grand Ducal Trust, the title of Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon of Parma."
Henri was educated in Luxembourg and in France, where he obtained his Baccalauréat in 1974, after which he undertook military officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England on the Standard Military Course 7. He then studied political science at University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, graduating in 1980.
Prince Henri became heir apparent to the Luxembourg throne on the abdication of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, on 12 November 1964. From 1980 to his nomination as regent in 1998, he was a member of the Council of State.
Reign
Accession
On 4 March 1998, Prince Henri was appointed as lieutenant representative by his father, Grand Duke Jean, meaning that he assumed most of his father's constitutional powers. On 7 October 2000, immediately following the abdication of his father, Henri acceded as Grand Duke of Luxembourg and took the constitutional oath before the Chamber of Deputies later that day.Role and interests
As the head of a constitutional monarchy, Grand Duke Henri's duties were primarily representative. However, he retained the constitutional power to appoint the prime minister and government, to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies, to promulgate laws and to accredit ambassadors. With few exceptions, however, he was bound by convention to act on the advice of the government. Grand Duke Henri was commander-in-chief of the Luxembourg Army, in which he holds the rank of general. In addition, he was made an honorary major in the British Army's Parachute Regiment, effective 19 July 1989.One of the grand duke's main functions is to represent Luxembourg in the field of foreign affairs. In May 2001, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa undertook their first foreign state visit to Spain at the invitation of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain.
Grand Duke Henri is a member of the International Olympic Committee, a member of The Mentor Foundation and a director of the Charles Darwin Trust for the Galápagos Islands.
During his reign, Henri lived with his family at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg. He also has a holiday home in Cabasson, a village in the commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas in Southern France.
Henri was alleged by Business Insider to be one of the world's richest monarchs, with a net worth estimated around US$4 billion in 2019, though representatives of the grand duke's administration have disputed this claim as seeming to incorrectly account for historical and cultural property not actually owned by the grand ducal family, and claimed that the real value of their net worth was "a fraction of these $4 billion".
Media and publicity controversies
Since the accession of Henri to the Grand Ducal Throne in 2000, the court's approach to media and publicity has varied markedly. In 2002, Grand Duke Henri expressly identified himself with a press conference called by Maria Teresa with a view to discussing with journalists the shortcomings of her personal relations with her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.In contrast, when the grand ducal couple's first grandchild was born in 2006, the Court Circular pointedly omitted to mention the event, probably as the father Prince Louis was not married at the time. However, the pregnancy was announced in 2005, so the country was informed that the prince and his girlfriend were going to be parents. The press also had access to the child's baptism.
The grand ducal family's approach to media and publicity issues has given rise to media comment regarding the quality of communications advice which has been sought and followed. As well as the public airing of the difficulties between the grand duchess and her mother-in-law, several other events have resulted in adverse publicity, most notably: in 2004, the opening of parliament by the grand duke in person, the first time in over 100 years the monarch had done so; in 2005, the grand duke announced he intended to vote in favour of the European Constitution in the impending referendum, only to be reminded by senior politicians that he had no such right. The proposed sale of large tracts of the Gruenewald in the summer of 2006 was shortly followed by the proposed sale at Sotheby's of recently deceased Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte's effects.
Euthanasia and constitutional reform controversies
On 2 December 2008, it was announced that Grand Duke Henri had stated he would refuse to give his assent to a new law on euthanasia that had been passed earlier in the year by the Chamber of Deputies. Under the constitution then, the grand duke "sanctions and promulgates the laws" meaning the need for the grand duke's sanction or approval was required in order for laws to take effect. In the absence of clarity on the long-term implications for the constitutional position of the grand duke posed by such a refusal, it was announced by Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker that a constitutional amendment would be brought forward.The Luxembourg ruling house had tried to block a decision by Parliament only once before, when Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde refused to sign a bill in 1912 to reduce the role of Roman Catholic priests within the education system. The ultimate solution was that the grand duke would be declared unable to perform his duty temporarily. This was similar to the "escape route" provided to his uncle King Baudouin of Belgium when he refused to sign an abortion law in 1991; thus the law could take effect without the signature of the grand duke, but also without the need to enact far-reaching changes in the constitution.
Article 34 of the constitution was subsequently amended to remove the term "assent", leaving the relevant provision to read: "The Grand Duke promulgates the laws..." As a result, his signature is still needed but it is clear that his signature is automatic and that he has no freedom of decision. The head of state no longer has to "sanction" laws for them to take effect, as the officeholder merely promulgates them.