Another European Royal Is Set to Abdicate the Throne—Though When, Exactly, Remains Unclear

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published 22 April 2024

After the surprise abdication in January of Queen Margrethe of Denmark—the first Danish monarch to voluntarily leave the throne in nearly 900 years—another European royal is also planning to step down, People reports.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg told the French outlet La Libre that he “intends to retire at some point,” but didn’t specifically share when that retirement should be expected. He is expected to be succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Guillaume.

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg — Prince Guillaume and his wife, Princess Stephanie, will inherit the throne upon his father's abdication.

“All this is planned in family consultation,” Henri told La Libre on April 16, his 69th birthday. (Coincidentally, April 16 also marked Margrethe’s 84th birthday.) “I find that it is very important to give young people a perspective.” He added that “There are plans, it will happen,” and when La Libre asked if Henri had chosen a date for his abdication, he replied “Yes, but I won’t tell you that!” He added, further, “I am a happy man. But I could not choose my destiny.”

Henri took the throne in October 2000 when his father, Grand Duke Jean, abdicated at age 79 after a 35-year reign. For the head of state of Luxembourg—who are styled either Grand Duke or Grand Duchess—“voluntary abdication has become somewhat of an informal pattern,” People reports. Jean inherited the throne when his mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, abdicated in 1964; she ascended to the throne after her elder sister, Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide, abdicated in 1919. Forbes ranks the royal family of Luxembourg as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a population of just 672,050.

Henri and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, spent his 69th birthday on a state visit to Belgium from April 16 to April 18, at the invitation of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. The evening of Henri’s birthday, they took part in “a glamorous banquet at the Royal Castle of Laeken,” People reports. Henri and Philippe are first cousins and share almost identical birthdays—Philippe’s is April 15. To celebrate, the two blew out candles on a raspberry tart in a photo shared by the Belgian Royal Palace on Instagram.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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