HGD Couple expecting their first child

[Countessmeout]

It's such great news! May is a wonderful time to have a baby.

I'm a little surprised Guillaume and Stephanie were only in London for a little over a year. When it was first announced it sounded as though they would be there for some time, although I can imagine they want to settle back in before their baby arrives.

The baby would not have impacted their return, as time to prepare. They returned in August, around the time the baby would have been conceived (mid August to early September). They wouldn't have even known likely when they had moved back.

A year is a significant amount of time to be abroad, when you are talking about the adult heir to the throne and his wife. For full time working royals to leave behind most of their royal duties for that time. No time line or sense of length was given in the announcement, simply that he would be taking a course at the defense college. A course that was an one year program.

 

[MsJulie]

I am curious and premature maybe asking but how are the first name chosen....like from past relatives or just what the parents like? Also, the last name....is that different like in England?

Thanks.

 

[Rayarena]

I am curious and premature maybe asking but how are the first name chosen....like from past relatives or just what the parents like? Also, the last name....is that different like in England?

Thanks.

I believe that its just like in England. I doubt that if Guillaume and Stephanie have a boy, they will name him Guillaume at least if we go by the family history. For instance, the late former Grand Duke Jean named his heir, Henri and Henri named his own heir, Guillaume. All of these royals have so many illustrous ancestors that they are always given enormously long lists of names taken from their many remote ancestors. For instance, the crown Princess of Sweden Victoria is named after Queen Victoria of the UK who was an ancestor of hers.

Regarding the last name, he will be Nassau just like Prince William is a Windsor.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

how are the first name chosen....like from past relatives or just what the parents like?

I'm not familiar with the parents' thinking when the names were chosen, but all of the earlier heirs apparent to the Grand-Ducal crown were namesakes of earlier monarchs of Luxembourg. The names Guillaume, Henri, and Jean were used by reigning counts of Luxembourg during the Middle Ages, with Guillaume also being the name of the Dutch king-grand dukes of Luxembourg in the 19th century.

Also, the last name....is that different like in England?

It was declared in a grand-ducal decree of July 28, 1986 that descendants in male line from a sovereign would use the family name "Nassau" for legal purposes, and a decree of February 3, 2006 adapted it to "of Nassau". New house laws decreed in 2012 clarified that the name "of Nassau" is translated into the country's different languages, so this child will use "de Nassau" in French-language and "zu Nassau" in German-language legal documents.

But much like the British royals, the Princes(ses) of Luxembourg have a habit of using their title as an informal last name in private life, so the child might be known as "Jean de Luxembourg/Jean von Luxemburg/Jean vu Lëtzebuerg" at school.

For instance, the crown Princess of Sweden Victoria is named after Queen Victoria of the UK who was an ancestor of hers.

Isn't it more likely that she was named after Queen Victoria of Sweden, who was also an ancestor of hers? Additionally, I seem to recall that the name day of Victoria was associated with her family history (the day of her parents' engagement, perhaps?).

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I am curious and premature maybe asking but how are the first name chosen....like from past relatives or just what the parents like? Also, the last name....is that different like in England?

Thanks.

In most Royal and aristocratic families, names are chosen that have been used in the dynasty.

Even "rebellious" Stephanie of Monaco chose dynastic names for her children.

There are a few outliers I suppose...Princess Anne with "Zara"...and i cannot locate the names of any of her grandchildren in the Royal family tree either.

Then there is Marina Ogilvy with "Zenouska" and Charlotte Casiraghi's " Balthazar". I am sure there are a few others.

But I am 100 per cent certain that Guillaume and Stephanie will choose dynastic Nassau/de Lannoy names for this child and any others that they have in the future.?

 

[Biri]

Princess Anne's daughter and granddaughters as well as Zenouska Mowatt are not even titled, whereas this child will be (Hereditary) Grand Duke/Duchess of Luxemburg in the future.

 

[Stefan]

In most Royal and aristocratic families, names are chosen that have been used in the dynasty.

Even "rebellious" Stephanie of Monaco chose dynastic names for her children.

There are a few outliers I suppose...Princess Anne with "Zara"...and i cannot locate the names of any of her grandchildren in the Royal family tree either.

Then there is Marina Ogilvy with "Zenouska" and Charlotte Casiraghi's " Balthazar". I am sure there are a few others.

But I am 100 per cent certain that Guillaume and Stephanie will choose dynastic Nassau/de Lannoy names for this child and any others that they have in the future.?

but sometiems you have names like Estelle which have not been used in the direct Family before. Only be a married-in distant relative.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Yes i thought of "Estelle" as an example but did not use it because even if it has not been used recently it can be located in the Bernadotte family tree. She was the wife of the assassinated Swedish diplomat Count Folke Bernadotte, i believe.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In most Royal and aristocratic families, names are chosen that have been used in the dynasty.

I'm not sure if that is true outside of European families. In the Japanese imperial family, I don't think any recent names have been repeated.

The Middle Eastern royals, on the other hand, seem to reuse names with some regularity.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

That's why I said "most" instead of ALL.

Since i am not at all knowledgeable about royalty outside of England and the Continent.

 

[carlota]

It's such great news! May is a wonderful time to have a baby.

I'm a little surprised Guillaume and Stephanie were only in London for a little over a year. When it was first announced it sounded as though they would be there for some time, although I can imagine they want to settle back in before their baby arrives.

when did they come back to luxembourg? i believe they left back in september 2018 (?)

 

[Moonmaiden23]

They were in England for one year, returning to Luxembourg in Aug/September of 2019.

 

[principessa]

What "ceremonies" will take place when the baby is born? Will there be salute-shoots, a meeting with the press,....?

Thanks for your answers!

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I am not sure they fire off cannon in Luxembourg when an heir is born, like they do in England and Monaco.

I remember seeing photos of a smiling, radiant but exhausted looking Maria Teresa holding newborn Guillaume from her hospital bed.

But somehow, I simply cannot imagine Guillaume and especially Stephanie allowing photos of herself in her hospital bed released to the public. I also don't think there will be a press call on the hospital steps when she is released.

They will almost surely release photos of the infant soon after he/she is born, and given the significance of this birth and how long it's been anticipated, a brief interview with Guillaume or with both he and Stephanie.

 

[Countessmeout]

Formal press conference like in the UK? Unlikely. But photos leaving the hospital are very likely. There are photos of Felix and Claire leaving with their children. There will certainly be more interest in the heir and his wife.

https://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalt...x-princess-claire-leave-hospital-baby-amalia/

The couple later released a formal first photo of the family.

With Liam the first family photos were a bit over a week later.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Cool. I guess twins born on 1st May 2020:

Henri Jean Philip Ben
Elizabeth Alix Therese Claudine
Named after London treasures Big Ben and QEII

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Nice names....but why would a future Grand Duchess of Luxemburg be named after QEII?

Especially when there are so many beautiful names to choose from in the Nassau and de Lannoy dynasties...

 

[King of the Jungle]

The names are a light hearted reference to the exciting news being announced while the two were in London.
The Uk is associated with good karma for their pregnancy.

Luxembourg names for the twins:

Henri Philippe Marie Guillaume
Charles Philippe Marie Christian
Claudia Alix Marie Therese
Beatrix Philippa Marie Alix

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Charlotte-Alix Marie Therese for a princess

Jean-Philippe Henri Guillaume for a prince

 

[DukeOfAster]

I am very happy for them and wish them a wonderful life with the new baby.

 

[Sister Morphine]

Such wonderful news! I was beginning to think they weren't going to have children, considering they've been married for nearly eight years. I don't know if they had fertility issues or just weren't ready yet — I know in my parents' case, it was because they got married at 22 and weren't ready/didn't have enough money to start a family. Hence why I was born 10 ½ years later. Obviously, finances are not a concern for Guillaume and Stéphanie.

 

[Somebody]

Such wonderful news! I was beginning to think they weren't going to have children, considering they've been married for nearly eight years. I don't know if they had fertility issues or just weren't ready yet — I know in my parents' case, it was because they got married at 22 and weren't ready/didn't have enough money to start a family. Hence why I was born 10 ½ years later. Obviously, finances are not a concern for Guillaume and Stéphanie.

It's highly unlikely they weren't ready yet for all of those 8 years as before their wedding they expressed that they would like to have a large family but not immediately (they might have said that to take the pressure of) but starting within 3 years... (and it's unlikely that they were truly planning to wait 3 years; as they knew the media would remember) - see also the discussion earlier in this and other topics.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

In what church will the baby's baptism occur?

 

[mellie]

I'm not sure if that is true outside of European families. In the Japanese imperial family, I don't think any recent names have been repeated.

The Middle Eastern royals, on the other hand, seem to reuse names with some regularity.

Asian countries have different customs/traditions. To show respect we do not use the names of our forebears/ancestors, hence we do not name our children after them.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

In what church will the baby's baptism occur?

If memory serves, Guillaume and his siblings were all baptized in the private chapels of one or other of the Royal palaces.

I have no idea if Guillaume and Stephanie will do the same thing, or follow the example of Monaco with a lavish ceremony in the Cathedral for their heir.

I really hope for the latter....but I doubt it.

 

[theroyalfly]

I am hoping it would be a lavish occasion and I hope godparents will be from other royal families. It would be nice to see another royal reunion.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

The Nassau's...just like their Belgian cousins...seem to do quiet family baptisms.

But since Gui and Stephanie's baby has been so long in coming and so highly anticipated , just like Albert and Charlene's, i hope they will make an exception.

 

[Stefan]

If memory serves, Guillaume and his siblings were all baptized in the private chapels of one or other of the Royal palaces.

I have no idea if Guillaume and Stephanie will do the same thing, or follow the example of Monaco with a lavish ceremony in the Cathedral for their heir.

I really hope for the latter....but I doubt it.

Perhaps the could use the local Church in Fischbach where they now live. Some of Henri and Maria Teresa'ss chidlren had their first communion there.

 

[rominet09]

Yes but he/she will be the heir/heiress of the throne, so I presume they will make an exception and let us see it !

 

[Helen.CH]

The Nassau's...just like their Belgian cousins...seem to do quiet family baptisms.

But since Gui and Stephanie's baby has been so long in coming and so highly anticipated , just like Albert and Charlene's, i hope they will make an exception.

This is not only a royal thing but a catholic. Traditionally the baptism is a event with only neat family and godparents. Even familys who have the money prefr to do it in a quiet way and often do not even go out to a restaurant but keep it at home. From earlier days when babies were baptised shortly after birth and mothers understandably prefered not to take the lil ones out this tradition sources. ?