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Luxembourg

New details reported on staff mistreatment in Luxembourg’s Grand Ducal Family

More details have emerged after reports of staff mistreatment by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.

At the end of December, it was revealed the Grand Duchess had been involved in a verbal altercation with a staff member.

RTL reported that the newspaper Lëtzebuerger Land published a report on the situation in 2022.

The altercation occurred at the end of October when the Grand Duchess was trying on clothes for a photo shoot for her daughter, Princess Alexandra’s wedding. More staff was called in as the staff on hand became overwhelmed.

A few days later, Maria Teresa called the Court Marshall and her assistants regarding the clothing situation. She lectured them for “poor organisation,” and concerned staff were not defended against the accusations. Two weeks later, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel went to the Grand Ducal Palace to discuss the incident with Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

Reportedly, the Prime Minister gave an ultimatum at the meeting and is said to be monitoring the situation “very closely.” The report on the government’s investigation is due next month.

According to d’Lëtzebuerger Land‘ and RTL, the employee involved was transferred away from the Grand Ducal Family to another department.

It is understood that the employee requested the transfer.

However, it did lead to an investigation by the government, led by the Secretary General of the Council of Government, Jacques Files.

The Grand Ducal Family called the verbal altercation an “isolated incident” and said it was “regrettable.”

This was not the first time Maria Teresa has been involved in a controversy regarding her treatment of staff. The government investigated the Grand Ducal Court in 2020 and determined that a culture of fear was dominant.

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.