Luxembourg / Luxembourg

The Head of State, His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henry (his full name being Henry Albert Gabriel) was born on April 16, 1955.

He was educated in France, Great Britain, the USA and Switzerland. He has obtained education in diverse fields having acquired a diploma of the Royal Military Academy of Great Britain and that of Specialist in Politics and Economics of Geneva University. Besides his native Luxembourgic he is fluent in English, French and German. The Grand Duke Henry is also a colonel of the Luxembourg Army and a major of the British Airborne-Landing Forces.

The Grand Duke Henry of Luxembourg is a person of broad scope. He is a “social animal” and keen on communication with people. Pending his succession to the throne the Luxembourg monarch declared that he did not intend to alter his accustomed mode of living. He has married in a non-traditional manner for the family – a girl born in Cuba who he met during his study in Geneva. Henry and his wife Maria-Teresa put their five children to an ordinary school where they study on a par with other children.

The Grand Duke Jean, the father of the present monarch, signed the Abdication Act in favour of his son in autumn of the year 2000. That his father decided to repose his power in the hands of his son just on the eve of the millennium the Grand Duke Henry envisages a peculiar symbolic meaning, that is, in the new century a representative of a new generation should be in charge of the country.

Jean, the Duke of Nassau, Prince Bourbon and Parma was born in 1291. He was educated in France, in Great Britain as well as in Canada. Immediately after the fascist Germany’s occupying Luxembourg on May 10, 1940 he left the country. At the age of 20 he joined the British Military Forces, took part in landing of the allied troops in Brittany, in the liberation of Belgium and Luxembourg and ended the war up as a captain.

The father of the present monarch, Jean, became Head of State in 1964 and was reining during 36 years. For this period this tiny and predominantly agricultural country transformed into one of the richest and most prosperous European states. With his direct participation Luxembourg was developing on the principles of openness towards the outer world and became one of pivots of the world’s banking entrepreneurship.

The House of Nassau is one of the oldest in Europe.

The House of Nassau ruling in Luxembourg is one of the oldest in Europe with its roots dating as back as centuries ago. It is noteworthy that during the whole history of his dukedom there were no excesses between monarchs and their lieges. After World War II when surges of changes were swinging through the Continent, in Luxembourg at the initiative of the left forces there was held a general referendum as to the status of the country whether it should remain as a monarchy or become a republic. The overwhelming majority of the population voted in favour of preservation in the country of century long state order.

So nowadays the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy on the will of the people. It means that all draft laws must be approved by both the Grand Duke and the Parliament. The Monarch guarantees the execution of laws and preservation of order in the country. He disposes of public domain, represents the country abroad, signs international treaties, appoints and dismisses senior officials and awards medals and stars. Besides he acts as the Supreme Commander of Military Forces and has the prerogative of pardon.