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European Royals

Condolences pour in for Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

5 January 1921 – 23 April 2019

Copyright: Cour grand-ducale / Jochen Herling

As Luxembourg mourns their former head of state, Grand Duke Jean, royals from around Europe have sent their condolences to Grand Duke Henri on the death of his father.

Grand Duke Jean was 98 and died peacefully surrounded by his family on 23 April 2019.

Grand Duke Henri made the announcement early this morning saying, “It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of my beloved father, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean, who has passed away in peace, surrounded by the affection of his family.”

Royals have sent their sympathies to the Grand Ducal Family with both private and public statements. Those who have publicly released their messages are below:

The first to send a condolence message was Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, whose divorce from Grand Duke Jean’s grandson, Prince Louis was recently finalised. She posted her message on Instagram saying:

“Today Gabriel and Noah lost their most loved Great Grand Father in this whole world. I have never looked up and admired a man so much as HRH Grand Duc Jean. He welcomed me with open arms, he always made me feel incredibly loved and welcomed, we shared incredible moments together, laughed a lot, talked a lot with each other, I loved him so much!
Rest in Peace Monseigneur. I will always hold you close in my heart and profound memories❣ Luxembourg and the world lost an incredible leader- one we can and should all aspire too.”

The Belgian Royal Family were among the first to share their condolences. Grand Duke Jean was the uncle of King Philippe of the Belgians and brother-in-law of King Albert and Queen Paola.  In a tweet, the family said ”Grand Duke Jean was unanimously respected and well loved in Belgium as well as in Luxembourg. His courage, his dignity and his elevated sense of duty will stay with us as an example. The whole of Belgium shares the sadness of the people of Luxembourg.”

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands paid a touching tribute to Grand Duke Jean which underlined the value they placed on his friendship. In a statement, they said “We were greatly saddened to learn of the death of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. We are grateful for his friendship and warmth, and we cherish our many fond memories of him. Grand Duke Jean was a wise and unassuming man who sought to unify. His considered approach and humanity helped foster peace and trust, both in his own country and in Europe as a whole. We have lost a friend, and we look back with affection on many special moments with him. Our thoughts are with Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and all the members of their family.”

More tributes came from Margareta, Custodian of the Crown in Romania who said, in a statement ”Her Majesty Margareta learned with much sorrow the news of the passing of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. The entire Royal Family of Romania is alongside the Grand Ducal Family, in these difficult and painful moments.”

King Carl XVI Gustaf told Svenskdam, “Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg was highly respected by me and my family. He was a faithful and devoted scout and it was a pleasure to share this interest with him. I will remember a very nice and friendly man.”

This is an evolving story. Please check back as more condolences are released. 

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.