LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri officially stepped down in a solemn ceremony Friday, leaving the throne to his son Guillaume who is to be sworn-in later in the day.
Wearing a green military uniform topped by a yellow sash, Henri, 70, ended a 25-year reign signing his abdication at the Grand Ducal Palace in the presence of guests including the Dutch and Belgian royal couples.
Flanked by his wife, the outgoing monarch looked emotional as Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden thanked him for his service.
“You have carried out this role with the perfect balance between dignity and warmth, seriousness and openness, formality and humanity,“ Frieden said.
“This role was not one you chose. It has been yours by birth. But the people of Luxembourg -- all of us -- could not have wished for a better sovereign”.
At 11:00 am (0900 GMT) it will be Guillaume's time to shine as he is officially appointed head of state during a swearing-in ceremony at the parliament.
The new Grand Duke and his wife, Stephanie, will then greet the public in the historic district of the capital, according to the official programme.
The small European nation of about 680,000 people lit up with pomp and pageantry as foreign dignitaries flocked to the financial hub to mark the historic occasion.
“I am very excited about these festivities,“ said Nicolas Graas, a local businessman, adding that for weeks he has been telling friends of his American wife to make sure to tune in for the occasion.
“They should be sure to watch television because, for once, there will be a lot of talk about Luxembourg,“ he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier are among those expected to attend a gala dinner in Luxembourg City.
Guillaume, 43, will be the seventh sovereign of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, which has reigned over Luxembourg since 1890 and shares its lineage with the Dutch royal family.
The father-of-two is not expected to shake up the small monarchy, where the head of state promulgates laws and performs representative functions.
But observers say he might bring a more personal approach to the Grand Duchy.
No 'whirlwind of modernity'
“The new Grand Duke is 30 years younger than his father and was educated in Luxembourg schools, unlike his father, who had private lessons,“ said Frieden, the prime minister.
“So it will be a new style, perhaps more open, but in line with that of his father and grandfather.”
The heir apparent is the eldest of five children born to Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa -- the Havana-born daughter of a wealthy Cuban businessman, who lived in exile in Switzerland.
“With his mother being Cuban, we can imagine that he will have a more Latin approach, perhaps a little warmer,“ Belgian historian and monarchy expert Patrick Weber said.
“But I don’t really expect a whirlwind of modernity,“ he added.
Henri launched the transition process in 2024, saying he wished to “slow down” and regain “a certain freedom” after a quarter of a century on the throne.
Guillaume studied in Luxembourg and Switzerland before attending the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in Britain.
He went on to earn a double degree in arts and political science from the University of Angers in France.
Guillaume has been married since 2012 to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, who hails from a noble Belgian family and is known to be passionate about art and literature and speaks French, Luxembourgish, German and English.
The couple has two sons: Charles, five, and Francois, three.
Celebrations for his accession to the throne are planned throughout the country until Sunday - AFP
