by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019
The funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg took place on May 4, 2019, at the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. A military vehicle transported Grand Duke Jean’s coffin from the Grand Ducal Palace to the cathedral. The coffin was carried into the cathedral while soldiers and Boy Scouts formed an honor guard.
A Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated by Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg. Princess Marie-Astrid, Grand Duke Jean’s eldest daughter, gave the first reading in French. A second reading was given by Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s youngest son, in Luxembourgish. Grand Duke Jean’s grandchildren Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau, Princess Marie-Anunciata of Liechtenstein, Prince Paul-Louis of Nassau, and Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria all participated in the reading of the universal prayer, speaking in French, Luxembourgish, or English. Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg used three languages delivering his sermon, praising Grand Duke Jean for his lifelong devotion, compassion, and love for his country, his family, and nature. The funeral ended with the playing of the Luxembourg national anthem “Ons Heemecht” (“Our Homeland”).
During World War II, Grand Duke Jean joined the British Army as a volunteer in the Irish Guards. He completed his military education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, was commissioned as a second lieutenant and later was promoted to lieutenant. Jean landed near Bayeux, Normandy on June 11, 1944, five days after D-Day. He took part in the Battle for Caen and the liberation of Brussels. On September 10, 1944, he took part in the liberation of Luxembourg before participating in the invasion of Germany. In a very moving part of the funeral, members of the Irish Guards played the bagpipes as Grand Duke Jean’s coffin left the cathedral which moved his son Grand Duke Henri to tears.
The Irish Guards continued playing as Grand Duke Jean’s coffin was slowly carried to the forecourt in front of the cathedral. The coffin was then taken to the Ducal Crypt beneath the cathedral where Grand Duke Jean was laid to rest in the presence of close family members.
- YouTube: Grand Duke Jean’s Funeral
- Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg: Funeral of HRH Grand Duke Jean
- RTL: Our live cover of Grand Duke Jean’s funeral, as it happened
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Members of Grand Duke Jean’s family walk behind his coffin in the procession from the Grand Ducal Palace to the Cathedral Notre-Dame
Members of Grand Duke Jean’s family who attended his funeral:
- Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s son
- Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s daughter-in-law
- Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, Guillaume’s wife
- Prince Félix of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Princess Claire of Luxembourg, Félix’s wife
- Prince Louis of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Prince Gabriel of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s great-grandson
- Prince Noah of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s great-grandson
- Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s daughter
- Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s son-in-law
- Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Count Rudolph of Limburg-Stirum, Marie-Christine’s husband
- Archduke Imre of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Archduchess Kathleen of Austria, Imre’s wife
- Archduke Christoph of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria, Christoph’s wife
- Archduke Alexander of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Archduchess Gabriella of Austria, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma, Gabriella’s husband
- Prince Jean of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s son
- Countess Diane of Nassau, Prince Jean’s wife
- Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Mr. Antonius Willms, Marie Gabrielle’s husband
- Prince Constantin of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Jean’s daughter
- Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Jean’s son-in-law
- Princess Marie-Anunciata of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Prince Josef of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s son
- Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s daughter-in-law
- Prince Paul-Louis of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Princess Charlotte of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s granddaughter
- Prince Leopold of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Prince Jean of Nassau, Grand Duke Jean’s grandson
- Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg, niece of Grand Duke Jean
- Mr. Mark Cunningham, Charlotte’s husband
- Prince Robert of Luxembourg, nephew of Grand Duke Jean
Many members of current monarchies and former monarchies attended the funeral including representatives from all the other nine reigning European monarchies. There was a large contingent from Belgium. King Albert II of Belgium was the brother-in-law of Grand Duke Jean as Jean had married his sister Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium. Philippe, King of the Belgians and his siblings Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent are first cousins of Grand Duke Jean’s son Grand Duke Henri and his other children.
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Members of the Belgian Royal Family arriving for the funeral
Grand Duke Jean’s sisters married into the Hohenberg, Henckel von Donnersmarck, Ligne, and Holstein-Ledreborg noble families and many representatives from those families attended the funeral. Grand Duke Jean had 51 first cousins from among several royal families such as the Bourbon-Parma, Habsburg (Austrian), Bavarian, and Bulgarian royal families and members of those families also attended his funeral. Besides members of royal families and other dignitaries, members of the public attended the funeral. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa expressed their wish that the public should be able to attend the funeral. The number of available places was limited and were allocated in the order of registration of the interested persons.
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Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain
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The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
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Princess Sarvath and Prince Hassan of Jordan, brother of the late King Hussein
Please note that the list below contains all the royal guests from reigning houses but it does not contain all the royal guests from non-reigning houses and other former monarchies.
REIGNING HOUSES
Belgium
- King Philippe
- Queen Mathilde
- King Albert II
- Queen Paola
- Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
- Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este
- Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este, husband of Astrid
- Prince Laurent
- Princess Léa, widow of Prince Alexandre of Belgium
Denmark
Jordan
Liechtenstein
Monaco
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
NON-REIGNING HOUSES
Albania
- Prince Leka II, Head of the House of Zogu
Bulgaria
- Princess Miriam, wife of Prince Kardam of Bulgaria, eldest son of former Tsar Simeon II
Greece
- Queen Anne-Marie, wife of former King Constantine II
- Crown Prince Pavlos
Portugal
- Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, Head of the House of Braganza.
Romania
- Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Head of the House of Romania
- Prince Radu, husband of Margareta
Yugoslavia
- Prince Serge, son of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
- Princess Eleonora, wife of Serge
OTHER FORMER MONARCHIES
Austria
- Karl von Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Bavaria
- Franz, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach
Bourbon-Parma
- Prince Charles-Xavier, Duke of Parma, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
Bourbon and Two Sicilies
- Prince Carlos, Duke of Castro, Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
France – Bourbon
- Prince Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou, Head of the House of Bourbon
France – Orléans
- Prince Jean-Carl d’Orléans, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans.
Prussia
- Prince Georg Friedrich, Head of the House of Hohenzollern
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