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Luxembourg

Grand Duke Henri welcomes Nancy Pelosi to Luxembourg

On Sunday, His Royal Highness Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg welcomed the American Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D California) to Luxembourg. The US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, met the monarch at the Grand Ducal Palace to commemorate the Battle of the Bulge. Speaker Pelosi led a joint Democrat and Republican congressional delegation that took part in the celebration of the anniversary.

“We commemorate the courage of our service members who braved weeks of bitter winter to secure the victory of freedom over tyranny, not only for Europe but for all the world,” said Pelosi in a speech during the visit.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi greeting HRH Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Marge

Pelosi thought it was nice to meet the Grand Duke. Shortly after her visit, she posted the following message on her Twitter profile: “During our visit to Luxembourg for the 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge, I was honoured to meet with HRH the Grand Duke Henri to discuss our nations’ history and our commitment to advancing shared values.” Pelosi also used the occasion to commemorate the merits of Grand Duchess Charlotte who spent her years in exile in the US and Grand Duke Jean, who participated in the invasion of Normandy.

The US Ambassador to Luxembourg, Randolph Evans said: “Their presence here to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and engage with senior officials is a welcome reminder of the continued strong bond between Luxembourg and the United States.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in conversation with HRH Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. Photo: Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II and took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg.

The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied armies and force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers’ favour. The battle ended in an allied victory. However, the Western Allied offensive plans were delayed by five or six weeks.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.