Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Jean (given names: Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano; 5 January 1921 – 23 April 2019) reigned as Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 until his abdication in 2000. He was the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg of French agnatic descent.

Jean was the eldest son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix. Jean's primary education was initially in Luxembourg, before attending Ampleforth College in England. In 1938, he was officially named Hereditary Grand Duke as heir to the throne of Luxembourg. While Luxembourg was occupied by Germans during the Second World War, the grand ducal family was abroad in exile. Jean studied at the Université Laval in Quebec City. Jean later volunteered to join the British army's Irish Guards in 1942, and after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, received his commission in 1943. He participated in the Normandy landings and the Battle for Caen, and joined the Allied forces in the liberation of Luxembourg. From 1984 until 2000, he was colonel of the Irish Guards.

On 9 April 1953, Jean married Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium with whom he had five children. On 12 November 1964, Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated and Jean succeeded her as Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He then reigned for 36 years before he himself abdicated on 7 October 2000 and was succeeded by his son, Grand Duke Henri.

Early life

Jean was born on 5 January 1921, at Berg Castle, in central Luxembourg, the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and of Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. Among his godparents was Pope Benedict XV, who gave him his second name. He attended primary school in Luxembourg, where he continued the initial stage of secondary education. He completed secondary school at Ampleforth College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in the United Kingdom. Upon reaching maturity, on 5 January 1939 he was styled 'Hereditary Grand Duke', recognising his status as heir apparent.

Second World War

On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Luxembourg, beginning a four-year occupation. Having been warned of an imminent invasion, the Grand Ducal Family escaped the previous night. At first, they sought refuge in Paris, before fleeing France only weeks later. The Grand Ducal Family sought refuge in the United States, renting an estate in Brookville, New York. Jean studied Law and Political Science at Université Laval, Quebec City.

He joined the British Army as a volunteer in the Irish Guards in November 1942. After receiving officer training at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, Jean was commissioned as a lieutenant on 30 July 1943, before being promoted to captain in 1944. He landed in Normandy on 11 June 1944, and took part in the Battle for Caen and the liberation of Brussels. On 10 September 1944, he took part in the liberation of Luxembourg before moving on to Arnhem and the invasion of Germany. He relinquished his commission in the British Army on 26 June 1947. After the war, from 1984 until his abdication, he served as Colonel of the Regiment of the Irish Guards, often riding in uniform behind Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour.

Reign

Jean was named Lieutenant-Representative of the Grand Duchess on 28 April 1961. He became Grand Duke when his mother, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, abdicated on 12 November 1964. The same day, he was made a General of the Luxembourg Army.

From the beginning of his reign Grand Duc Jean's priorities included the well-being of his people and the completion of European unity. In the words of President Georges Pompidou of France, "If Europe had to choose a heriditery president, it would certainly be the Grand Duke of Luxembourg." In 1986, he was honoured with the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen for his efforts towards European integration.

The Grand Duke's reign was one of the most prosperous periods in the history of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The degree of stability in the country's politics, economy and social life was without precedent, thanks in part to the influence of the Grand Duke and his wife. He abdicated on 7 October 2000, and was succeeded on the throne by his son Henri.

Luxembourg's museum of modern art Mudam was officially named "Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean" to commemorate his reign which lasted 25 years.  It was inaugurated in his presence in July 2006.

Retirement and death

In the summer of 2002, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Charlotte took up residence at Fischbach Castle. After his wife died in January 2005, the Grand Duke continued to live there alone. On 27 December 2016, Grand Duke Jean was hospitalized due to bronchitis and was discharged from hospital on 4 January 2017, a day before he celebrated his 96th birthday.

Death

Grand Duke Jean died on 23 April 2019 at the age of 98 after he was hospitalized for a pulmonary infection. He had become the world's oldest living monarch by the time of his death.

Marriage and family

In October 1952, Jean was officially engaged to Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, the only daughter of King Leopold III of the Belgians and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. There had been speculation that the marriage was arranged to improve relations between Luxembourg and Belgium but it soon became apparent that a love match was blooming between two longtime friends.

They were married in Luxembourg on 9 April 1953 to Joséphine-Charlotte, daughter of [[]]. The marriage put an end to the tensions between Luxembourg and Belgium which arose from 1918 to 1920 when there had been a threat of annexation. The couple had five children, 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren:

• Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria (17 February 1954) she married Archduke Carl Christian of Austriaon 6 February 1982. They have five children and nine grandchildren.

• Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (16 April 1955), he married María Teresa Mestre y Batista on 14 February 1981. They have five children and four grandchildren.

• Prince Jean of Luxembourg (15 May 1957) he married Hélène Vestur on 27 May 1987 and they were divorced in 2004. They have four children and two grandsons. He remarried Diane de Guerre on 18 March 2009.

• Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (15 May 1957) she married Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein on 20 March 1982. They have four children.

• Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (born 1 May 1963) he married Sibilla Weiller on 8 September 1994. They have four children.

Titles, styles, and honours

Titles and styles

• 5 January 1921 – 12 November 1964: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon-Parma
• 12 November 1964 – 28 July 1987: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Bourbon-Parma
• 28 July 1987 – 7 October 2000: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau
• 7 October 2000 – 23 April 2019: His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau

His full title is "by the Grace of God, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Count of Sayn, Königstein, Katzenelnbogen and Diez, Burgrave of Hammerstein, Lord of Mahlberg, Wiesbaden, Idstein, Merenberg, Limburg and Eppstein." Many of the titles are held without regard to the strict rules of salic inheritance.

Change of dynastic titles

Jean renounced the titles of the House of Bourbon-Parma for himself and his family in 1986 when his eldest son, then-Hereditary Grand Duke Henri married Maria-Theresa Mestre. The reason for this was that the Duke of Parma, Carlos Hugo, ruled the marriage unequal in 1981, as well as the marriage of Prince Jean to Hélène Suzanna Vestur in 1987, for which he had renounced his rights to Luxembourg in 1986. It is not known if the marriage of Prince Guillaume was seen by Carlos Hugo as equal.

The Arrêté Grand-Ducal (Grand Ducal decree) of 21 September 1995 established that the title of Prince/Princesse de Luxembourg is reserved for the children of the sovereign and the heir to the throne. It also stated that the descendants in male lineage of the sovereign should be styled as Royal Highnesses and titled Prince/Princess of Nassau and that the descendants of unapproved marriages should be styled as Count/Countess of Nassau.

Luxembourg honours and awards See also: List of honours of the Grand-Ducal Family of Luxembourg by country

•  Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (Grand Master 1964–2000)
•  Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau (Grand Master 1964–2000)
•  Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown (Grand Master 1964–2000)
•  Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Grand Master 1964–2000)
•  Luxembourg War Cross (with bronze palm)
•  Military Medal (17 December 2002)