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The Belgian Royal Family privately bids farewell to Grand Duke Jean

King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, King Albert and Princess Astrid have driven to Luxembourg to bid farewell to Grand Duke Jean this afternoon. The Belgian Royal Family is closely related to the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg.

Only hours after the announcement of the death of Grand Duke Jean, the Belgian Royal Family has paid a private visit to the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg to express their condolences. The two families are closely related as King Albert of the Belgians is the brother-in-law of Grand Duke Jean. King Philippe and Princess Astrid are, therefore, first cousins of Grand Duke Henri.

A video of their arrival can be seen here.

On Tuesday afternoon, a convoy of four official cars brought King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, King Albert and Princess Astrid to Berg Castle in Luxembourg. It is not clear how long they stayed. The Belgian Royal Family wanted to take the time to say their goodbyes privately before the State Funeral on 4 May at the Cathedral of Luxembourg.

Earlier today the Belgian Royal Court released a statement on the passing of Grand Duke Jean: “Grand Duke Jean was an extremely respected person and very loved, in Luxembourg and in Belgium. His courage, dignity and sense of responsibility are an example for us all. The whole of Belgium shares the grief of the people of Luxembourg.”

Even though nothing has been confirmed officially, it is expected that King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, King Albert and his wife, Queen Paola, Princess Astrid and her husband, Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent and his wife, Princess Claire will be attending the funeral.

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg died aged 98 at 12.25 am on Tuesday morning surrounded by his family. Grand Duke Henri announced the death of his “beloved” father on Tuesday morning. The State Funeral will take place on 4 May at 11 am at the Cathedral of Luxembourg.

Grand Duke Jean reigned for nearly 36 years before abdicating in favour of his son, Grand Duke Henri in 2000. He was married to Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, born as a Belgian Princess, until she passed away in 2005. The couple had five children together.

About author

Laura is from Belgium and has a passion for all things royal. She is Europe Correspondent for Royal Central since October 2016 and has contributed to other news websites. In her daily life she is a fulltime student in EU-politics and political communication.