by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
Photo: Zimbio
In October 2012, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy were married in Luxembourg. The civil ceremony was held on October 19, 2012, at the Luxembourg City Hall, with the religious ceremony held on October 20, 2012, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.
Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Embed from Getty Images
Prince Guillaume (top left) with his parents and siblings, 1992
Prince Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie was born on November 11, 1981, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City (named in honor of his great-grandmother), the eldest of five children of the then-Hereditary Grand Duke Henri and the former Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla. After his primary education in Luxembourg City, he completed his secondary education at the Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil in Switzerland. He then attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and was commissioned as an officer in the Luxembourg Army in 2002. He later earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Angers in France. He became The Hereditary Grand Duke upon his father’s accession in 2000.
For more information about Guillaume see:
Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy
Stéphanie with her parents.
Countess Stéphanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy was born in Ronse, Belgium, on February 18, 1984, the youngest of eight children of Philippe, Count de Lannoy and Alix della Faille de Leverghem. The Counts of Lannoy are members of the Belgian nobility and trace their roots back to the 13th century. Raised at Anvaing Castle in the Belgian province of Hainaut, Stéphanie received her primary education at a Dutch-speaking school in Ronse. She then attended the Collège Sainte-Odile in France and the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, graduating in 2002. After a year in Moscow studying the Russian language and literature, she received her degree in philology from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Stéphanie received a Master’s degree in Berlin and later worked for an investment company in Belgium. Stéphanie is fluent in English, French, and German, and has a knowledge of Dutch, Luxembourgish, and Russian.
Sadly, Stéphanie’s mother passed away suddenly following a stroke at the end of August 2012.
For more information about Stéphanie see:
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
The Engagement
Guillaume and Stéphanie with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Grand Duke Jean, Count Philippe and Countess Alix de Lannoy. source: Grand Ducal Court, Photo: Jean-Claude Ernst/Luxpress
On April 26, 2012, Guillaume and Stéphanie’s engagement was announced by the Marshal of the Grand Ducal Court. The couple was introduced by mutual friends in 2004. Five years later, they met again and soon began dating, although they managed to keep it very quiet. In November 2011, Guillaume mentioned publicly that he was in a relationship, and months of speculation began. Guillaume proposed about three weeks before the engagement was announced.
The two are distantly related, through several lines of mutual descent from Charles Marie Raymond, Duke of Arenberg (1721-1778). The official engagement ceremony took place on April 27, 2012, at Berg Castle, attended by members of both families, the government, the church, and the armed forces. Later that afternoon, there was a reception and the couple met with the media.
Pre-Wedding Festivities
Guillaume and Stéphanie attending the reception at the Grand Théâtre
On the morning of October 19, 2012, Guillaume and Stéphanie attended a reception for young people at the Grand Théâtre, held in their honor by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg attended by members of the Government, representatives of several youth organizations, people who shared a birthday with either Guillaume or Stéphanie, and couples also marrying on October 20, 2012. Guillaume and Stéphanie individually greeted the guests before proceeding into the hall. There, the Family Minister made a brief speech, followed by Guillaume, who thanked everyone for their good wishes and expressed his happiness. Following the speeches, Guillaume and Stéphanie spent time at each table, chatting with the guests, and receiving some small gifts.
The Civil Ceremony
source: Grand Ducal Court, photo: Christian Aschman
Shortly before 3:30 on Friday, October 19, 2012, Guillaume and Stéphanie, along with members of their families, left the Grand Ducal Palace and walked the short distance to the Luxembourg City Hall for the civil ceremony. This was a break from tradition, as previous civil ceremonies for members of the Grand Ducal family had been held in the palace. The brief ceremony was conducted by the Mayor of Luxembourg City Xavier Bettel and was attended by the couple’s immediate families and members of the Government. The bride wore an ivory Chanel suit while the groom wore a dark suit and striped tie.
While walking to the Luxembourg City Hall, the couple stopped often to greet the crowds who had gathered, leading to the ceremony being delayed a few minutes. Upon arrival at the City Hall, the Mayor, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, and other officials greeted the couple and Stéphanie was presented with a bouquet. After the civil ceremony, a brief reception was held, and then the couple and their families emerged to walk back to the palace. While the families went ahead, Guillaume and Stéphanie spent nearly an hour greeting the people outside.
The Gala Dinner
Later that evening at the Grand Ducal Palace, a gala dinner was held for senior foreign royals and members of the Government. Two smaller dinners were held at the Chambre des Députées and the Cercle Cité (the City Palace) for the other wedding guests.
The menu consisted of:
Cannelloni de bar sauvage et tartare de langoustines et de
vinaigrette aux huîtres et caviar osciètre
(Cannelloni of wild sea bass and lobster tartare with an oyster
vinaigrette and caviar osciètre)
*****
Poitrine de pigeonneau farcie d’une escalope de foie gras en papillote de chou vert
de cuisse confite aux jus mousseline de céleri rave at marrons glacés
(Chicken breast stuffed with foie gras escalope in papillote of green cabbage and thigh confit with celery and candied chestnuts)
*****
Sphère de chocolat noir grand cru façon poire Belle-Hélène arrosée de sauce chocolat chaud
(sphere of dark chocolate with pears poached in sugar with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with hot chocolate sauce)
Wedding Guests
source: Daily Mail
In addition to the large extended families of both the bride and groom, guests at the wedding included many members of current and former royal and noble families, members of the government, military, and clergy. Below is a partial guest list.
The Groom’s Immediate Family
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa
Grand Duke Jean
Prince Félix of Luxembourg and Miss Claire Lademacher
Prince Louis and Princess Tessy of Luxembourg
Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah of Nassau
Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg
Archduchess Marie Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian of Austria
The Groom’s Extended Family
Archduchess Marie Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian of Austria
Archduchess Marie Christine and Count Rodolphe of Limburg-Stirum
Archduke Imre and Archduchess Kathleen of Austria
Archduke Christoph of Austria and Adélaïde Drapé-Frisch
Archduke Alexander of Austria
Archduchess Gabriella of Austria
Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Countess Diane of Nassau
Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau
Prince Constantin of Nassau
Prince Wenceslas of Nassau
Prince Carl-Johan of Nassau
Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein
Prince Leopold of Liechtenstein
Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein
Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein
Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein
Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg
Prince Paul Louis of Nassau
Prince Léopold of Nassau
Princess Charlotte of Nassau
Prince Jean of Nassau
Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau
Princess Anna of Hohenberg and Count Andreas of Bardeau
Princess Sophie of Hohenberg and Jean-Louis de Potesta
Countess Charlotte Henckel von Donnersmarck and Count Christoph Johannes von Meran
Princess Lydia, Hereditary Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg
Countess Veronica Holstein til Ledreborg
Countess Silvia Holstein til Ledreborg and John Munro
Princess Charlotte of Nassau and Marc-Victor Cunningham
Princess Alix of Luxembourg, Dowager Princess of Ligne
Michel and Eleanora, The Prince and Princess of Ligne
Princess Alix of Ligne
Prince Wauthier and Princess Régine of Ligne
Princess Elisabeth-Eleonore of Ligne and Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pelichy
Princess Anne of Ligne and Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils et Grâce
Princess Christine and Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza
Countess Sophie de Nicolay
Prince Antoine-Lamoral and Princess Minthia de Ligne
Princess Yolande of Ligne and Hugo Townshend
Hélène Vestur
Luis and Nicole Mestre
Maike Mestre
Luis Mestre
Antonio Mestre
Catalina Esteve
Natalie Esteve
Katarina Esteve
Victoria Esteve
The Bride’s Family
Philippe, Count de Lannoy
Count Jehan de Lannoy
Countess Caroline de Lannoy
Countess Louise de Lannoy
Count Christian and Countess Luisa de Lannoy
Countess Nathalie de Lannoy and John Hamilton
Antonia Hamilton
Madeleine Hamilton
Countess Gaëlle de Lannoy
Count Amaury de Lannoy
Count Olivier and Countess Alice de Lannoy
Countess Isabelle de Lannoy and Jean-Charles de le Court
Isaure de le Court
Lancelot de le Court
Countess Chantal de Lannoy
Count Bruno and Countess Christine de Limburg Stirum
Countess Isabelle de Lannoy
Count Claude and Countess Claudine de Lannoy
Ladislas and Anne della Faille de Leverghem
Dominique and Lydia de Schaetzen
Dominique and Claude della Faille de Leverghem
Arnaud and Marie-Pascale della Faille de Leverghem
Royal and Noble Guests
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi
Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria-Este, Countess of Arco-Zinneberg
Countess Anna of Arco-Zinneberg
Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg
Princess Dainé d’Arenberg
Archduke Martin and Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este
Archduchess Isabella of Austria-Este and Count Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi
Archduke István and Archduchess Paola of Austria
Archduchess Yolande of Austria
Archduke Rudolf and Archduchess Marie-Hélène of Austria
Archduchess Priscilla of Austria
Archduchess Anna Gabriele of Austria
Archduke Karl-Peter and Archduchess Alexandra of Austria
Archduke Simeon and Archduchess Maria of Austria
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria and Prince Peter Galitzine
Archduchess Catharina-Maria of Austria and Count Massimiliano Secco-d’Aragona
Archduke Michael and Archduchess Christiana of Austria
The Margrave and Margravine of Baden
The Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Baden
Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria
Prince Ludwig of Bavaria
The King and Queen of the Belgians
Queen Fabiola of Belgium
The Duke and Duchess of Brabant
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium
Prince Amedeo of Belgium
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium
The Duke and Duchess of Bragança
Tsar Simeon and Tsaritsa Margarita of Bulgaria
Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, Princess of Turnovo
Prince Kyril of Bulgaria, Prince of Preslav
Duchess Gabriele of Croÿ
Duke Rudolf and Duchess Alexandra of Croÿ
The Queen of Denmark and The Prince Consort
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark
Count Axel and Countess Jutta of Rosenborg
King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
The Princess of Hanover
The Crown Prince of Japan
Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan
Prince Rashid and Princess Zeina of Jordan
The Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein
Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein
Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein
Princess Nora of Liechtenstein
Princess Maria Francisca, Princess of Lobkowicz
Prince Charles-Henri of Lobkowicz
The Prince and Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Baroness Blanche (née Princess of Mérode) and Baron Philipp von und zu Bodman
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon
The Queen of the Netherlands
The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
The King and Queen of Norway
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Mr. Ari Behn
Sheikha Al-Mayassa of Qatar
Sheikh Hamad of Qatar
The Duke and Duchess of Parma
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu of Romania
Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
The Prince and Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia
The Prince and Princess of Asturias (Spain)
The Prince and Princess zu Stolberg-Stolberg
Princess Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg
The Queen of Sweden
The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel of Sweden
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
The Earl and Countess of Wessex (United Kingdom)
The Duke and Duchess of Vendôme
The Prince and Princess of Venice
The Prince and Princess of Windisch-Graetz
The Hereditary Countess of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg
The Wedding Attendants
source: Grand Ducal Court, photo: Nicolas Bouvy
Maids of Honour
Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg – Guillaume’s sister
Antonia Hamilton – Stéphanie’s niece
Bridesmaids and Pageboys
Madeleine Hamilton – Stéphanie’s niece
Countess Caroline de Lannoy – Stéphanie’s niece
Countess Louise de Lannoy – Stéphanie’s niece
Isaure de le Court – Stéphanie’s niece
Prince Gabriel of Nassau – Guillaume’s nephew
Lancelot de la Court – Stéphanie’s nephew
The Wedding Attire
source: Daily Mail
Stéphanie’s dress, designed by Elie Saab, was made of ivory lace, embroidered with silver thread leaves, three-quarter length sleeves, and a 4-½ meter train. It consisted of 50 meters of Chantilly lace, 40 meters of Calais lace, 30 meters of silk organza, and 70 meters of tulle and silk crepe. The dress took 10 seamstresses 700 hours to create, with another 15 people working 3200 hours to do the embroidering and beading work. The veil was made of ivory silk tulle embroidered with silver thread leaves and contained 15 meters of silk tulle.
Stéphanie wore the Lannoy Tiara, a piece privately owned by the Lannoy family. The diamond tiara is set in platinum and contains 270 old-cut brilliants in a scrolling design, with several large brilliants and a large pear-shaped diamond at the top. Despite having the Grand Ducal collection at her disposal, Stéphanie chose to continue the tradition in her family of wearing this tiara for her wedding. She also wore her mother’s engagement ring along with her own, as she had done since her mother died.
Stéphanie’s bouquet consisted of light yellow roses and white orchids and was created by Maison Lachaume Paris.
Prince Guillaume wore his Grand Ducal uniform with the sash and star of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau and the star of the Order of the Oak Crown.
The Religious Ceremony
source: Grand Ducal Court, photo: Vic Fischbach
The religious ceremony was held on October 20, 2012, at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The church was decorated with nearly 3,000 roses, 500 green plants, and other flowers. Later, the cut flowers were offered to the public after the ceremony, and the potted plants were re-planted in parks and gardens within Luxembourg. Archbishop of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Hollerich officiated, assisted by the Apostolic Nuncio in Luxembourg, the Archbishop Emeritus, and the Father Abbot of Clervaux. Music was provided by three choirs from the Cathedral and two orchestras:
- La Maîtrise de la Cathédrale
- La Chapelle de la Maîtrise
- Le Petit Ensemble
- l’Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg
- La Musique Militaire Grand-Ducale
Just before 11:00 AM, once the other guests had arrived and were seated, Grand Duke Henri arrived, accompanying Stéphanie’s aunt, followed by the groom and his mother Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. After greeting the crowds, they entered the Cathedral and the procession began.
Finally, the bride arrived, in a blue Daimler from the Grand Ducal fleet. Stéphanie was escorted and walked down the aisle by her eldest brother Count Jehan because their father was confined to a wheelchair. Upon reaching the altar, Stéphanie’s father was helped to his feet, kissed his daughter, and spoke with the couple. In a touching tribute, the service began with a moment of silence in memory of the bride’s mother Countess Alix de Lannoy who had passed away two months earlier. The statue of the Our Lady of Consolation in the cathedral was draped with a veil that had belonged to the late Countess.
After the readings and homily, the marriage rites were performed. Conducted in French, the couple exchanged their vows and then rings, before receiving a blessing from the Archbishop.
Following the final blessing and the singing of the national anthem, Guillaume and Stéphanie and their witnesses signed the marriage register. Once all had signed, it was held up for the guests to see and the Cathedral erupted in applause for the newly married couple.
Witnesses for Guillaume
Prince Félix of Luxembourg
Don Lawrence Doimi de Frankopan
Witnesses for Stéphanie
Baroness Blanche von und zu Bodman (née Princess Blanche of Mérode)
Princess Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg
After returning to the Grand Ducal Palace, the newly married couple appeared on the balcony to the cheers of the well-wishers gathered below. After several minutes and several kisses, they went back inside to attend a reception for family and royal guests.
Post-Wedding Celebrations and Honeymoon
In the evening, following the reception, Guillaume and Stéphanie left the palace and attended a fireworks display in their honor. They then slipped away to Berg Castle to begin their honeymoon. Following a tradition in the family, Guillaume made all the plans for the honeymoon and it was all a surprise for Stéphanie. It also remains a mystery to the public! Both Guillaume and Stéphanie, while very aware of their public roles, are intensely private people. Just as they remained quiet about the proposal, they have remained quiet about the honeymoon. Even their residence is kept private, although, during a pre-wedding interview, they stated that they did not intend to live at Berg Castle but would be somewhere nearby.
This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.