On 4 March 1998, Prince Henri was appointed Lieutenant-Representative of his Royal Highness, the Grand Duke. This means that henceforth, his orders have the same authority as those of the Grand Duke, himself. The Prince will be sworn in as Head of State of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg on October 7, 2000.

Biographical notes

His Royal Highness, Prince Henri, eldest son of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, was born on 16 April 1955 at the Château de Betzdorf in Luxembourg.

He completed his schooling in Luxembourg and France, where he passed his baccalaureate in 1974. The prince graduated in political sciences from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) in 1978.

In 1975, the Prince trained in England at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst where he graduated as an officer.

Between 1978 and 1980, he continued his studies in the United States.

In 1989, the Prince, who currently bears the rank of Colonel in the Luxembourg army, was appointed an Honorary Major in the Parachute Regiment of the United Kingdom.

He has been awarded several honorary doctorates (Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut; Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; University of Khon Kaen, Thailand; and University of Trier, Germany).

He has served as a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1998.

The Prince is also an extremely active Vice-President of the Mentor Foundation, created under the patronage of the World Health Organisation. This foundation’s mission is to prevent drug abuse by young people.

In fulfilment of his role as Honorary President of the Committee for Economic Development, Prince Henri has travelled around the world, promoting the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as a centre of investment.

Prince Henri’s family

On 14 February 1981, Prince Henri married Maria Teresa Mestre, who graduated in political sciences from the University of Geneva in 1980.

She bears the titles of Grand Duchess Heiress to the Throne and Princess of Luxembourg.

The royal couple have four sons and one daughter:

Prince Guillaume, born 11 November 1981
Prince Felix, born 3 June 1984
Prince Louis, born 3 August 1986
Princess Alexandra, born 16 February 1991 and
Prince Sebastien, born 16 April 1992.

Luxembourg, august 2000