It’s a name that will go down in Luxembourg’s history books as the baby who bears it is set, one day, to rule the Grand Duchy. Now, the parents of Prince Charles of Luxembourg have revealed how they chose their son’s names.
Speaking to RTL, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie explained that their son’s first name was inspired by two relatives. Firstly, they were inspired by Grand Duchess Charlotte who ruled Luxembourg from 1919 until 1964 and who brought stability to both the country and its monarchy during her reign. Charlotte, who died in 1985, is the baby prince’s great, great grandmother. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume described her in the interview as being ”emblematic of the monarchy”.
The name Charles is also inspired by her younger son. Prince Charles was born in 1927 and was forced to flee his home country in World War Two during the Nazi invasion. He returned with his family following the liberation and dedicated much of his life to Luxembourg. Guillaume said that he was ”much loved” in the country and had provided an inspiration for the name of his baby son.
The heir to the throne of Luxembourg went on to confirm what many already knew, that the little prince’s middle names were family ones. Jean is after Guillaume’s paternal grandfather, the late Grand Duke who died in 2019, while Philippe is to honour Stephanie’s father who also passed away that year. Joseph, the Hereditary Grand Duke explained, was the name of his maternal grandfather while Marie-Guillaume is a family name.
During the interview, the couple also revealed that their son is a very curious baby who loves his food and gets angry when it doesn’t appear quickly. They also said they’d realised how little sleep new parents get. When asked about expanding their family, the Hereditary Grand Duke said it was a wish for them both but went no further. Earlier in the chat, his wife had said the arrival of their son had been a little stressful but that the joy of meeting their baby for the first time had made them forget all the worry.
Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie-Guillaume, second in line to the throne of Luxembourg, was born on May 10th 2020.
