Hundreds of people, including European royalty, thronged Luxembourg on Friday (October 3, 2025) to witness the enthronement of Grand Duke Guillaume as monarch after his father, Henri, officially abdicated, ending a 25-year reign in the tiny EU nation.Wearing a green military uniform topped by a yellow sash, Guillaume, 43, formally acceded to the throne during a ceremony at the parliament in the eponymous capital.Who is Guillaume?
Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attend the swearing-in ceremony for Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Guillaume at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg
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Guillaume will now be the ceremonial Head of the State of the small European nation of about 680,000 people. Luxembourg has the richest per capita and is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets.Guillaume will be Luxembourg’s seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Across the duchy, his photo will replace that of his father’s. His monogram, symmetrical golden “G” letters below a crown, will also be added to the uniforms of the army, the police, emergency services, the prison service and customs.Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdom’s military academy, Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms.
