Sparkling Royal Jewels to Welcome a New Grand Duke in Luxembourg

There’s officially a new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess in Luxembourg! On Friday, Grand Duke Henri abdicated in favor of his son, Grand Duke Guillaume, with plenty of sparkling royal jewels on hand to witness the moment.

Abdication has been a tradition in Luxembourg for more than a century. The last Luxembourgish sovereign to die in office was Grand Duke Guillaume IV, who passed away in 1912. Since then, each of the subsequent Luxembourgish monarchs—Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess Charlotte, Grand Duke Jean, and now Grand Duke Henri—have abdicated during their lifetimes, for various reasons. Over the past several reigns, it has become normal for the Grand Duke to abdicate as a form of retirement, allowing the next generation to take charge.

Grand Duke Henri became the country’s head of state when his father, Grand Duke Jean, abdicated in October 2000. Twenty-five years later, he sat at the same desk and signed his own abdication papers, handing over the role to his eldest son, Guillaume.

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa smiled broadly alongside their son, the new Grand Duke Guillaume V, after Henri officially abdicated on Friday.

During the ceremony, which was attended by family members, dignitaries from Luxembourg and the European community, and the monarchs of Belgium and the Netherlands, Prime Minister Luc Frieden gave a speech that paid tribute to Henri’s contributions to the nation over the course of his 25-year reign.

For the ceremony, Grand Duke Henri wore his military uniform with the sash and star of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, Luxembourg’s highest chivalric decoration. Beside him, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a dress in a deep shade of berry, paired with a glittering clutch bag and impressive jewels.

For her husband’s abdication ceremony and her son’s swearing-in ceremony, Maria Teresa wore a pair of amethyst and gold earrings with a matching ring and a coordinating bracelet. The bracelet can be placed on a frame and worn as a tiara.

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Maria Teresa memorably wore the bracelet in its tiara setting for the National Day gala at the Grand Ducal Palace back in June 2005.

Guillaume and Stéphanie wore a pair of ensembles during one of the most important mornings of their lives. For the abdication ceremony and the swearing-in that followed, Guillaume wore his military uniform and Stéphanie wore a long gown in a soft shade of periwinkle blue. Both wore the sash and star of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau. This was the first time that Stéphanie was photographed in public wearing that decoration.

Then, they made a change, wearing a suit and a white dress to greet various dignitaries.

The new Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore the same jewels with both ensembles: a pair of gorgeous diamond earrings that come from her own family’s jewelry collection, paired with diamond bracelets from the grand ducal vaults.

Virtually all members of the larger grand ducal family were on hand to witness Grand Duke Henri’s abdication ceremony. Here, his children and in-laws are pictured: Prince Sébastian, Nicolas Bagory and Princess Alexandra (who is expecting their second child), Prince Louis, and Princess Claire and Prince Félix.

Princess Alexandra wore a lovely pair of pearl drop earrings from the family’s jewelry collection for her father’s abdication ceremony.

Princess Claire, wife of Prince Félix, wore a big pair of statement earrings for the occasion, with glittering crystal studs and orange leather pendants. Claire borrowed the earrings, which were made by Lucia Odescalchi, from Grand Duchess Maria Teresa for the ceremony.

Behind Henri’s children, his siblings and their spouses were seated to witness the moment. From left to right: Princess Sibilla and Prince Guillaume, Countess Diane and Prince Jean, Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus, and Archduchess Marie-Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian.

I was particularly interested in the jewelry worn by Archduchess Marie-Astrid: pearl drop earrings and a strand of pearls, as well as a golden brooch that looks to be a midcentury piece.

Because of the strong ties with the Benelux monarchs, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands were also on hand to witness the transition of power, as were King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians. (Philippe is also Henri’s first cousin.) They were joined by their heirs, Princess Amalia and Princess Elisabeth, for the occasion.

Queen Mathilde got the berry-tones memo, wearing a dark red dress with matching accessories, while Princess Elisabeth was lovely in a structured dark blue dress with beaded embellishments.

Queen Mathilde added substantial sparkle with a pair of classic diamond pendant earrings from her personal jewelry collection. These feature various cuts of diamonds surrounding large square stones.

Elisabeth also opted for an impressive pair of earrings for the ceremony, featuring triangular diamond studs and baguette “strings” with gorgeous sapphire cabochon pendants.

Here’s a look at the ensembles worn by the Dutch royals for the ceremony. Queen Máxima wore olive and camel for the occasion, while Amalia was right in line with the autumnal dark red colors favored by many ladies on the day.

Máxima wore diamonds that belonged to Queen Wilhelmina, including an enormous pair of diamond earrings and a diamond scroll brooch. Fittingly, these pieces were gifts to Wilhelmina from her father, King Willem III of the Netherlands, who was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until 1890. (The personal union between the two thrones ended with his death, because a woman was not then able to become the Luxembourgish monarch. Those laws were changed in 1907.)

Máxima also wore her diamond wedding bracelet and her diamond family initial bracelet. And, Máxima being Máxima, she snuck in even more sparkle, wearing three of the family’s glittering diamond stars in her hair.

Princess Amalia continued the warm colors of her ensemble with her jewels, wearing pieces from the family’s collection of citrines. Here, you’ll spot citrine drops at the ends of her diamond pendant earrings.

And here, if you peek behind Queen Máxima, you’ll see that Amalia wore the family’s gorgeous diamond citrine brooch pinned to the right shoulder of her dress.

After the abdication ceremony was finished, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa immediately switched into grandparent mode, escorting Guillaume and Stéphanie’s elder son, five-year-old Prince Charles, to his father’s swearing-in ceremony. Charles now also has a new title: Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

The new Grand Duke Guillaume V of Luxembourg was sworn in during a ceremony inside the Chamber of Deputies, home of Luxembourg’s legislature. Note that the royal cypher over the thrones was already changed to Guillaume’s monogram before the ceremony.

Guillaume was officially sworn in as Grand Duke of Luxembourg in front of his wife, his son, his parents and siblings, and his fellow Benelux monarchs during the ceremony.

Afterward, the family headed out on to the palace balcony, where they were cheered by people gathered in the streets below. The littlest member of the family, two-year-old Prince François, joined his parents and his brother for the appearance.

The other members of the grand ducal family also joined Guillaume and Stéphanie on the balcony, and later the Belgian and Dutch royals waved to the crowds as well.