Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg was the sovereign from January 14, 1919 until November 12, 1964. She was born Princess Charlotte Adelgonde Élise/Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine on January 23, 1896, at Berg Castle in Luxembourg, the second of six daughters of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal.

Charlotte had five sisters:

When Charlotte was born, Luxembourg did not allow female succession. However, having only six daughters, Grad Duke Guillaume IV had the laws changed to allow his daughters to succeed him. Upon his death in February 1912, Charlotte’s elder sister Marie-Adélaide succeeded as Grand Duchess. However, Marie-Adélaide’s actions during World War I and her perceived close relationship with the Germans forced her to abdicate the throne in January 1919. Charlotte became the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

 

On November 6, 1919, Grand Duchess Charlotte married her first cousin, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. He was the son of Robert I, Duke of Parma, and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. One of 24 children of his father’s two marriages, Felix was the younger brother of Empress Zita of Austria. Following a rather small and private civil ceremony in the morning, a large religious ceremony was held at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The couple lived at Berg Castle, and had six children:

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Luxembourg was a neutral country under the terms of the Treaty of London 1839. Despite this, just as they had done in World War I, German forces invaded Luxembourg in May 1940, and the Grand Duchess along with her leading ministers decided to place themselves under the protection of France. Charlotte and her family took up residence in southwest France but were soon forced to leave due to the German advances. They settled in Portugal but were soon on the move again. Charlotte went on to London where she began making radio broadcasts to the people of Luxembourg, something for which she would become well-known during the war.

Meanwhile, Charlotte’s husband and children sailed to the United States, on a US Navy ship sent for them by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Arriving in July 1940, they settled at Hillwood, the Long Island estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, a close friend of the Grand Duchess, and remained there for a few months before moving on to Canada. In October 1940, Charlotte and her mother settled in a home at 1305 Pine Avenue in Montreal and were soon joined by the rest of her family. In March 1941, she purchased the former Alexander Stewart House on Embassy Row in Washington DC. The house served as the base for the Luxembourg Legation and as the residence of Charlotte’s mother, the Dowager Grand Duchess Maria Ana. Charlotte later sold the house to the Luxembourg government in 1962.  The building remains the Luxembourg Embassy.  Sadly, in July 1942, the Dowager Grand Duchess passed away in New York City.  She was initially buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY, and following the war, her remains were moved to the Grand Ducal Crypt at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Luxembourg.

Grand Duchess Charlotte returned to London in 1943 and remained there for the duration of the war. Finally, on April 14, 1945, Charlotte returned to her homeland, and the family took up residence at Fischbach Castle, which had suffered significantly less damage than the other royal properties, Berg Castle and the Grand Ducal Palace. Charlotte’s focus now became the rebuilding of Luxembourg, and bringing the tiny nation to a more prominent profile in Europe. Through the remainder of her reign, she entertained world leaders and paid visits to many others. Her efforts to gain Luxembourg a place on the world’s stage were successful. In 1949, under Charlotte’s guidance, Luxembourg was one of the founding members of NATO.

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In April 1961, Charlotte transferred many of her constitutional duties to her son Jean, although she remained Head of State. Three years later, on November 12, 1964, Grand Duchess Charlotte formally abdicated the throne of Luxembourg, and Jean became the new reigning Grand Duke. Charlotte and her husband Felix celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1969, and he passed away a few months later, on April 8, 1970, at Fischbach Castle.

Grand Duchess Charlotte made her last public appearance in May 1985, at a visit from Pope John Paul II held at the Grand Ducal Palace. She died two months later, on July 9, 1985, at Fischbach Castle, aged 89. Her funeral was held at Notre-Dame Cathedral, following which her remains were interred in the Grand Ducal Crypt at the cathedral.

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