Tessy Antony, Princess of Luxembourg, has revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that she once broke the nose of a United Nations Peacekeeper who attempted to sexually assault her.
It was during her time in Kosovo where she was stationed as part of the BELUKOS 13/15 detachment in 2004 that the incident took place.
She told MailOnline, “It was one evening, and I went into my room and someone knocked very obnoxiously on my door. I kept the door shut and shouted: ‘What is going on?’
“Finally, I open the door, because I knew the person, and he pushed me in on the bed. I pushed him out straight back. I broke his nose.”
She added, “I didn’t tell anyone about it, for me it was done and dusted. But the day afterwards everybody knew about it. As I went for breakfast, everyone stood up and clapped.
“I didn’t understand why at first but then my supervisor came to me and said: ‘I knew I would have no problems with you. I knew you would be fine.’ And that was fantastic. Just to know I could defend myself in such terrible situations.”
Princess Tessy went on to say that nothing happened as she was able to defend herself but recognised way too many women are taken advantage of. She also revealed that the officer who attempted to assault her was sent home just a few days later as he “clearly had trouble controlling himself” after he was revealed to have had sex with a local woman.
“Once I finished my boot camp of four months and passed all the physical endurance and academic exams as the only woman of the whole group, it was a given for me that I want to join the Mission in Kosovo as the only female of my draft. I like to challenge the status quo, especially in male-led environments in order to encourage other women to do the same. This creates diversity, opportunity and equality in the workforce,” the royal said while explaining her reason for volunteering for the Kosovo mission to Royal Central.
Tessy served in the Luxembourg Army, following in the footsteps of her sister and twin brother.