Princess Claire's Family and Background

[Lenora]

With the engagement announcement, many would be interested more in Claire's family, education etc. Maybe the members, whose native language is German, could add more details to this topic. As I've understood Claire's father is a very rich businessman, that owns some entreprises and hotels,Hartmut Lademacher, and she has also a brother.
So, Claire is German, though I've always thought that she has some Italian background.

 

[Charlotte_Aster]

Luxarazzi blog has a good profile on her:
Luxembourg: Engagement Announced

 

[tommy100]

Wow so she comes from a rich family!

 

[Lenora]

Wow so she comes from a rich family!

A very rich family.

 

[Saschana]

Around 600 million euros. Her father is a selfmade millionaire, his company was specializes in billing and costumer care for mobile networks.

(Source: Luxembourg: Luxarazzi 101: Claire Lademacher)

 

[tommy100]

Isnt if funny how things work out, guillaume married a noble but not overly wealthy lady and now his brother marries into a very rich family. Similar to how Henri married a noble but not rich MT and his brother guillaume married a very rich Sybilla.

 

[Biri]

And Louis married a commoner, AFAIK, not very rich - and his countrywoman!

 

[MidnightSonatta]

Isnt if funny how things work out, guillaume married a noble but not overly wealthy lady and now his brother marries into a very rich family. Similar to how Henri married a noble but not rich MT and his brother guillaume married a very rich Sybilla.

MT isn't noble and from what I have read, she too comes from a wealthy family. I don't know how wealthy or not wealthy Stephanie's family is, I doubt they are middle-class judging from the chateau she grew up in along with the hotel her family owns. The maintenance and upkeep for those properties could be costly.

 

[lula]

Isnt if funny how things work out, guillaume married a noble but not overly wealthy lady and now his brother marries into a very rich family. Similar to how Henri married a noble but not rich MT and his brother guillaume married a very rich Sybilla.

Sybilla´s father was rich, but her mother Olimpia is daughter of an Infanta of Spain and an Italian nobleman, she is cousin of King Juan Carlos.

 

[tommy100]

I was pointing out is the two younger brother of their generation ended up marrying very rich people. Where does Claire live now? I think I read that her family have a home in St Tropez, maybe they cold get married there?

 

[Saschana]

As Claire is studying in Rome, she very likely lives there.

Maria Teresa also comes from a very rich family, as far as I know.

 

[pravda101]

I thought that Claire was in Washington DC now as a guest of some program?

 

[Meraude]

I thought that Claire was in Washington DC now as a guest of some program?

She has spent a couple of months as a visiting researcher at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., but she's back in Rome now. From the CV of Claire Lademacher at the Luxembourg site: http://tinyurl.com/c4k7ehp

 

[Bielle]

Here you go :

Visiting Researchers Program :: The Kennedy Institute of Ethics

 

[4Pam]

Isnt if funny how things work out, guillaume married a noble but not overly wealthy lady and now his brother marries into a very rich family. Similar to how Henri married a noble but not rich MT and his brother guillaume married a very rich Sybilla.

I'd always thought Stephanie came from a very wealthy family as she's a noble. I assumed her family is wealthier than Claire's but after reading Claire's biography it sounds as if Claire comes from the wealthier family.

 

[NGalitzine]

^^^^
Being from a noble family does not necessarily mean your come from a very wealthy family, especially in terms of liquid assets. Land and a chateau have value but do not necessarily generate a lot of revenue and are very expensive to keep up. Ancient buildings require a lot of up keep every year.

 

[Rayarena]

With the engagement announcement, many would be interested more in Claire's family, education etc. Maybe the members, whose native language is German, could add more details to this topic. As I've understood Claire's father is a very rich businessman, that owns some entreprises and hotels,Hartmut Lademacher, and she has also a brother.
So, Claire is German, though I've always thought that she has some Italian background.

Claire does look rather mediterranian, doesn't she? At least to me she does, although her parents and brother* do look typically Germanic. I wonder if she is mixed with something else?

*I'm presuming that the young man next to Princess Alexandra in the photographs that were published of the presentation of Claire's family is her brother.

 

[Lenora]

Claire does look rather mediterranian, doesn't she? At least to me she does, although her parents and brother* do look typically Germanic. I wonder if she is mixed with something else?

*I'm presuming that the young man next to Princess Alexandra in the photographs that were published of the presentation of Claire's family is her brother.

At some other sources, I've read the idea that Claire could have been adopted, but in fact it doesn't matter.

 

[Rayarena]

At some other sources, I've read the idea that Claire could have been adopted, but in fact it doesn't matter.

I wouldn't be surprised, since both her parents are blond [unless her mother dyes her hair] and Claire's a brunette. I don't think that it's genetically possible for two blonds to have a brunette child. That said, I do see a little of her father [feature wise not color wise] in her.

 

[nascarlucy]

Very seldom do you hear of a royal marrying someone who doesn't come from a wealthy or very comfortable economic and social background or marrying someone who comes from a more humble background.

I was adopted at birth and look nothing like the parents that raised me. I also don't look anything like the older brother I was raised with. I'm also very different personally wise and my interests were quite different, although they are some similiar interests.

I have dark brown hair and blue eyes. My body shape is very different than the rest of the family. My features are also very different.

No one in the family that I was raised in has dark brown hair and blue eyes. They either have dark brown hair and hazel/brown eyes, or have blonde hair and blue eyes. The dark hair and the brown eyes have been the most dominant in the family I grew up with. A few here and there had the blonde hair and blue eyes. In the 120 or so years of pictures of family members that I've seen or had possesion of, no one has this variation of dark brown hair and blue eyes. What I was told is that it was a distant ancestor who wasn't photographed or that my genes mixed up differently than the rest of the family.

Before I was told I was adopted, I thought this was very odd and someone told me that it would be highly or extremely ususual that this would happen but not impossible.

Put me in a picture with my biological father's family and my facial features fit right in as well as hair and eye color. I look like I fit right into the picture.

 

[Blog Real]

Claire's family has ties to the aristocracy?
What professionally is Claire's brother, Felix Ladmacher?

 

[Rayarena]

To my knowledge, the family is not aristocratic at all, though they are extremely wealthy [his wedding gift to his daughter and son-in-law was a vineyard in France!]. However, I believe that they are new money. My understanding is that the father who must be a very driven and ambitious man, created the fortune. In the engagement and marriage pictures, the father is obviously deliriously happy that his daughter married Felix. I suspect that he was thinking, Wow! now my family has really made it to the top! We've married into royalty!

I don't know what Claire's brother does.

 

[carlota]

i think they are new money, but in the best sense of new money - they seem so well mannered, well educated and well behaved. somehow nowadays we tend (or at least i do) to associate new money to bling and superficialism, but claire's family look a lot more grounded and responsible than that. i believe they also contribute to philanthropic causes?

 

[SydneyLux]

Princess Claire's father, Hartmut Lademacher, is a self-made millionaire who has an estimated fortune of around 600 million euros. He regularly donates large sums of money to various causes from his children's school to his local 11th division home town club. Neither he nor his wife seem to have forgotten where they come from and by all accounts they tought their children how important education and work is - something you can't necessarily say about all of Claire's in-laws.

More about Princess Claire's family...
Luxarazzi : Luxarazzi 101: Claire Lademacher

 

[carlota]

Princess Claire's father, Hartmut Lademacher, is a self-made millionaire who has an estimated fortune of around 600 million euros. He regularly donates large sums of money to various causes from his children's school to his local 11th division home town club. Neither he nor his wife seem to have forgotten where they come from and by all accounts they tought their children how important education and work is - something you can't necessarily say about all of Claire's in-laws.

More about Princess Claire's family...
Luxarazzi : Luxarazzi 101: Claire Lademacher

what do you mean, sydney? as far as i know all of the children of Henri and MT have attended university, and, i believe so did their chosen wives (with the exception of tessy, who i believe chose a military career, although i believe she has been attending university after marrying louis). most of henri's siblings attended university if memory doesn't fail me.

 

[Blog Real]

But all the children of Maria Teresa and Henri attending university. And I think that are involved in social projects.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

what do you mean, sydney? as far as i know all of the children of Henri and MT have attended university, and, i believe so did their chosen wives (with the exception of tessy, who i believe chose a military career, although i believe she has been attending university after marrying louis). most of henri's siblings attended university if memory doesn't fail me.

I agree. I think HT and MT have hit a virtual lottery where their children's spouses are concerned. All of them educated, from great families, scandal free, and a credit to the Grand Duchy. Even unwed mother Tessy has obtained a degree and has turned into a very model of a Royal princess.

Henri and MT must be pinching themselves.

 

[SydneyLux]

what do you mean, sydney? as far as i know all of the children of Henri and MT have attended university, and, i believe so did their chosen wives (with the exception of tessy, who i believe chose a military career, although i believe she has been attending university after marrying louis). most of henri's siblings attended university if memory doesn't fail me.

Well, I don't consider taking up to 10 years to gain a bachelor's degree (Guillaume, Félix, Louis) and changing universities (and courses) multiple times along the way, studying around 5 years without gaining a degree (Alexandra) or taking 4 years to finish a 2-year-degree (Sébastien) as parents having taught their children the value of education and hard work. And yes, I understand the temptation to travel around almost every weekend to attend some party instead of studying when you have the necessary funds to do so. However, many of their cousins have shown that you can do both: Party hard and finish your degree in time.

 

[Mbruno]

Well, I don't consider taking up to 10 years to gain a bachelor's degree (Guillaume, Félix, Louis) and changing universities (and courses) multiple times along the way, studying around 5 years without gaining a degree (Alexandra) or taking 4 years to finish a 2-year-degree (Sébastien) as parents having taught their children the value of education and hard work. And yes, I understand the temptation to travel around almost every weekend to attend some party instead of studying when you have the necessary funds to do so. However, many of their cousins have shown that you can do both: Party hard and finish your degree in time.

The Luxembourg princes may be an extreme example, but changing courses/universities multiple times and taking much longer than expected to get a bachelor's degree is actually not that rare among European students. If I recall it correctly, CP Victoria also got her bachelor's degree when she was already in her early 30s.

 

[SydneyLux]

The Luxembourg princes may be an extreme example, but changing courses/universities multiple times and taking much longer than expected to get a bachelor's degree is actually not that rare among European students. If I recall it correctly, CP Victoria also got her bachelor's degree when she was already in her early 30s.

I didn't say it was uncommon, but when you look back at my original post I was merely comparing Princess Claire and her brother - and how they were apparently raised by their parents with a sense that having your own career despite their immense wealth is important - to the children of the Grand Ducal Couple. Both Princess Claire, and her sister-in-law Princess Stéphanie, to name two examples, entered university after school (and a gap year) and then finished their bachelor degrees in the usual amount of time. Again, there is nothing wrong with taking ten years to finish a degree but considering that all five of the children of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa took a long time, I just don't believe they put the same value in teaching their children how important a career of their own is.

Btw, I was a "European student" not that long ago and I can tell you that studying might be cheaper in some countries in Europe but still many cannot afford to attend about 4-5 universities around the world (both the U.S. and various European countries) for 1-2 terms before deciding that they want to move on to another place.