Prince Félix is the second child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and was born 3rd June 1984 in Luxembourg. He is currently third in the line of succession. He was named after his great-grandfather, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Palma.
After his initial schooling in Luxembourg, he boarded at a school in Switzerland before enrolling at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. His time at Sandhurst finished early, due to a knee injury. The Prince then attended schools in England and Belgium in addition to gaining work experience in several companies. Félix then joined the marketing and public relations department of a Swiss company specialising in sports events – as we will see Prince Félix is a keen sportsman. He is still a consultant for the firm.
Prince Félix has an interest in bioethics and in 2009 completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Bioethics studying in Rome. With his travels throughout Europe, the Prince has also shone at languages; in addition to Luxembourgish, he is fluent in French, English, German and Italian. He has also studied Spanish – the mother tongue of his Cuban-born mother.
Following the announcement of an engagement in December 2012, Prince Félix married the German-born Claire Lademacher. The civil wedding took place on 17 September 2013 in Königstein im Taunus, Germany, followed by a religious ceremony on 21 September in the Basilica of Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, France. Since the marriage, the couple have been living in the south of France looking after one of the Lademacher family vineyards. The couple have been keen to join the French viniculture world, and since 2016, Prince Félix has been chair of the Lorgues Terre de Vins Association, a group of winegrowers of Lorgues promoting their municipality as a region of interest in the Provence.
The couple have two children; Princess Amalia was born just after her father’s birthday on 15th June 2014 in Luxembourg and then later christened at the Chapelle Saint-Ferréol in Lorgues. Their son Prince Liam was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on 28th November 2016.
Prince Félix has always been a keen adventurer and sportsman; he regularly plays tennis, volleyball and football. He also has an interest in athletics, golf and basketball where he has been Honourary President of the Luxembourg Basketball Federation for over ten years. Not just satisfied with those, he also enjoys winter sports including acrobatic skiing, classical slalom, giant slalom and snowboarding. He also plays polo and enjoys kitesurfing and water-skiing; he is also Honourary President of the parachute arm of the Luxembourg Aeronautical Federation – quite an act for young Prince Liam to follow!
By Peter Anderson
