General Information and Questions about the Luxembourg Grand Ducal Family

[RoseMary]

Yes, The articles made her sound like a rich, spoiled, socialite.

I wrote better than she does when I was in the second grade.
I couldn't stop laughing.

 

[Danielle]

Yes, The articles made her sound like a rich, spoiled, socialite.

I wrote better than she does when I was in the second grade.
I couldn't stop laughing.

That's embarrassing. For her I mean.

 

[Josefine]

do people have more Questions to ask about the family

 

[hillary_nugent]

was Grand Duchess Maria-Therese a commoner prior to her marriage? how did she meet her husband?

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

Yes she was. They met at university.

 

[Ennyllorac]

Grand Duchess Maria-Therese was born in Cuba. Her family left Cuba because of the revolution.

 

[hillary_nugent]

Her family left Cuba because of the revolution.

Where did they go, to Luxembourg???

 

[Ennyllorac]

New York, Spain, France and Switzerland I believe.

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

She is well traveled.

 

[Solange]

Genes

Does anyone notice that the luxembourg princes (especially the heirs) look alot like their mothers. I mean, look at Henri, just put a wig on him and some make-up and voila, you have Josephine-Charlotte. Same with Guillaume and Maria-Theresa.

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

Thats probably coincidental. Lots of people look like their mothers.

 

[hillary_nugent]

muhahahahahahaha...that's hilarious Solange 'just put a wig on him and some make-up and voila, you have Josephine-Charlotte'!!! yes alot of people look lot like their mother for example Princess Caroline of Monaco and her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi!

 

[KatieLouise]

This is a bit odd but I think that my Grandmother looks a little like GD Joséphine-Charlotte. They have the same strong jaw and almost the same mouth and eyes. I wonder if they're related... I hope so because then I can get in good with Euro royals. Hehehehehehehe!

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

That would be amazing!

 

[hillary_nugent]

This is a bit odd but I think that my Grandmother looks a little like GD Joséphine-Charlotte. They have the same strong jaw and almost the same mouth and eyes. I wonder if they're related... I hope so because then I can get in good with Euro royals. Hehehehehehehe!

wow that's so cool you might be a distant relative of the Luxembourg Royal family!!! My friend is a distant relative of the Windsors and they sent her family a letter of acknowledgement of their distant kinship...apparently i'm suppose to address her as Lady Kristel but i can't be bothered hahaha

 

[KatieLouise]

That'd be cool to find out you're distantly related to a royal family... I guess so many people must be without realising it!

 

[hillary_nugent]

hehehehe...back to Genes of the LRF...ao all the princes and princess have brown eyse? i know Guillaume and Felix...and Alexandra...

 

[KatieLouise]

Speaking of genes - there's a thread on King Leopold III and Queen Astrid of Belgians here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=153080&posted=1#post153080
They are Joséphine Charlotte's parents. You can see a definite resemblance between JC on her wedding day and her beautiful mama! (I hope the link works because I'm nortoriously bad at that sort of thing - I just hope it doesn't accidentally link you to a rude site by mistake!)

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

Don't worry! I can't put in photos, even if I try!

 

[Josefine]

how many castles or palaces are there

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

1 palace, 3 castles.

 

[hillary_nugent]

Do they own all the palace and castles? I mean does the government have control over the palace and castles? can they take it away from the RLF in certain circumstances?

 

[drimal]

Do they own all the palace and castles? I mean does the government have control over the palace and castles? can they take it away from the RLF in certain circumstances?

Well I found a report of 4 pages in a book in German about this subject!
It is difficult to translate the whole text in English and thus I will try a summary here.

The residences of the Grand Ducal Family:

1. Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg: A certain Warnier de Berghe sur l'Arlisante was the builder of this castle in the 14th century. In 1845 the King-Grand Duke Wilhelm II of the family of Blochausen bought the castle for 632000 Gulden (ancient currency of the Netherlands). His successor Wilhelm III renovated the castle and lived later several times with his family in it. After the line of Nassau-Weilburg achieved the throne in 1891 with Grand Duke Adolf the castle this family owned the castle after a buying. It was at that time entailed estate and in 1934 the state bought the castle and give it the family for living. (It is very very difficult to translate it because there are German law terms like Hausfideikommiss I have never heard in my live and so to translate this in English. But I hope you have understand it)
2. Fischbach Castle has also a long history! The men of the ancient nobility of Fischbach were named in texts of the year 1050. The original castle walls were destroyed by flames in 1635. It was rebuild in 1685 and in 1850 the King-Grand Duke Wilhelm III bought it and since 1905 the Nassau family ownes that castle (it is private property)
3. The Palace is the only dwelling of the Grand Ducal family which can be visited! The building was the city hall of Luxembourg (city) before 11th June 1554. At that date the city hall was going up into flames. 18 years later it was rebuild. Than it was a Prefecture des Departements des Forêts under Napoleon in the 19th century and after the threaty of Vienna in 1815 the parliament moved into the palace. 1860 the parliament left the palace and moved into the right site where itis today yet! Under Wilhelm II it became an exclusive seat of the Grand Ducal family and in 1895 Grand Duke Adolph and Grand Duchess Marie-Adelheid moved into the castle.
4. Betzdorf Castle was build in 1912 and the state ownes it. It was given to Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte for living and they live in it from 1953 up to 1964. Prince Henri and his siblings were born in Betzdorf! Today Betzdorf is the seat of SES Société Européenne des Satellites!
5. The holiday villa in Cabasson was bought in 1949 by Grand Duchess Charlotte.

I hope that the questions are answered for the satisfaction of everybody.

 

[hillary_nugent]

Thank you VERY much for answering my question Drimal! Golly must have took you a while to translate it...well it would have taken me forever! ^__^ So the government actually owns some of the castles...that stinks because they could take it back any time...

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

I don't think they would take them back.

 

[carlota]

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Charities and Patronages

as another member of TRF did with mathilde, maxima, mary, mette marit and letizia... which ones are the associations maria teresa is involved with in luxembourg?
thanks very much.

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

She is big in UNICEF.

 

[CarrieCooldge]

She is in involved with:
UNESCO
Prince Henri - Princess Maria Teresa Foundation
Honoray President of the AIDS Research Foundation
Patroness of:
Luxembourg Alzheimers Assoication
Association for the Blind
European Theatre and Music Festival

She also is involved with an orphanage in Belarus that is named after her

 

[suturegeisha]

She is also the president of the National Nurse's Association of Luxembourg.

I'm sure she's involved with the Red Cross as well.

 

[drimal]

Since 1997, the Grand Duchess acts as a Good-Will Ambassador of UNESCO and supports in this respect specifically organisations which are active in the field of micro-credits and child protection.

The Grand Duchess is showing a strong interest in the social situation in her country, dedicating her efforts mainly to the children and families in danger, to the social integration of persons who are physically, mentally or socially handicapped and to gender related issues.

She has granted her patronage and active support notably to the Luxembourg League of Blind People, the National Nurses' Association and the Alzheimer Association of Luxembourg. She is furthermore chairing the Foundation Prince Henri-Princess Maria Teresa for the handicapped and occupying the Honorary Chair of the Foundation for Research on Aids.

She is member of the Council of Trustees of the Mentor Foundation (London) which is concentrating on the prevention of substance abuse among children and young people and which is maintaining a special relationship with World Health Organisation.

In October 1999, HRH Crown Princess Maria Teresa is named Docteur Honoris Causa to the Seton Hall University, School for diplomatics and international relations in the USA.
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