New Interview with Guillaume and Stéphanie

To mark their upcoming nuptials, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and his fiancée, Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, spoke with the Luxembourg media last week. The interview, and accompanying photographs, were embargoed until today, October 8th.

Guillaume and Stéphanie spoke of how they met, when they got engaged and what they liked about each other. They also addressed the recent issue of Stéphanie’s nationality following the wedding.

The couple met for the first time eight years ago, but lost contact until about three years ago. Their families and friends were discreet about the relationship, and the press respected their privacy, which Stéphanie said allowed them to create a solid foundation for their relationship. Guillaume proposed to the Countess three weeks before the engagement was announced in April, but did not say how or where the event occurred. Stéphanie said they have many things in common, including their reading habits. “I read three books at a time,” she said, while Guillaume reads just the one. They have taken to reading the same books, so that they can discuss them with each other.

When asked about his fiancee’s nationality post-marriage, Guillaume said that it was necessary for Stéphanie to become a Luxembourger as she would be the Hereditary Grand Duchess the moment they are married. “It is a generous gift,” Stéphanie said of receiving Luxembourger nationality, adding that she understood the debate about her being granted citizenship without having to follow the guidelines others require. She also said that she would be giving up her Belgian nationality.

Stéphanie kept details of her wedding gown under wraps, but did reveal that she will be wearing the veil her mother, the late Countess Alix de Lannoy, wore for her own wedding in 1965. Stéphanie will also wear her mother’s engagement ring on her right hand during the ceremony, and said that a minute’s silence will be observed at the beginning of the religious ceremony on October 20th to honour Countess Alix. She was wearing the ring during the interview.

And looking to the future, once they are married? Guillaume revealed they will not be living at Chateau Berg with his parents, but at a villa elsewhere in Luxembourg. Stéphanie wants to do the cooking (“Guillaume likes cooking too”, she said) and shopping for her family, which will be large – but not too large. “Honestly, eight is a bit much,” the Countess said, referencing her own seven siblings. Guillaume agreed: “Time will tell” how many children they will have.

Visit the special Luxembourg wedding sub-forum at TRF to read more about the interview and the wedding itself.

Filed under Luxembourg
Tagged Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Interview, Luxembourg Royal Wedding 2012.

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