Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Princess Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born Countess Stehanie Lannoy on 18 February 1984), is the wife of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, heir apparent to the throne of Luxembourg. She became engaged to the Hereditary Grand Duke on 26 April 2012 and married him, in a civil ceremony, on 19 October 2012, followed by a religious service the next day. The couple have a son, Prince Charles.

Early Life

Stephanie Lannoy was born on 18 February 1984 in Ronse, East Flanders. She is the youngest child and fourth daughter of the eight children of Count Philippe Lannoy (1922-2019) and Alix Della Faille de Leverghem (1941-2012).

The House of Lannoy has been tracked back to the 13th-century nobility of Hainaut, its members distinguishing themselves in military command and affairs of state. Those descended from Charles Lannoy, 1st Prince of Sulmona, the victor of Pavis, held the title of Imperial count/countess from 1526. One branch of the family emigrated to the United States, changed their name to Delano and were ancestors of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Education and Career

Stephanie attended the Dutch-language Sancta Maria Ronse school and continued her education in College Saint-Odile in France. She then retuned to Brussels for studies at L' Institute de la Vierge Fidele, before taking up Russian language and literature in Moscow for a year. She majored in German philology at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Louvain-la-Neuve and also earned a master's degree at Humboldt University of Berlin. She is fluent in Dutch, French, English and German.

She is able to speak a fair amount of Luxembourgish and Russian.

While in Berlin, Stephanie worked as an intern at the Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency under the sponsorship of the Belgian Embassy. When she returned to Belgium, she worked for an investment fund company in Brussels. Stephanie studied art history at the Sotheby’s Institute during her time with her husband in London from 2018 until 2019.

Marriage and Motherhood

Stephanie first met Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in 2004, while attending a social gathering in Germany. They met each other for the second time in 2009 and stated dating after the meeting.

Guillaume and Stephanie dated for about two years prior to their engagement. The betrothal was announced on 26 April 2012. Countess Stephanie and the Hereditary Grand Duke married in a civil ceremony at the Town, Hall on 19 October 2012. Their religious wedding took place on 20 October 2012 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg. The bride wore a dress designed by Elie Saab and the Lannoy family diamond tiara. Wedding attendants included the groom's sister Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg and nephew Prince Gabriel, and the bride's nieces and nephew: Antonia and Madeleine Hamilton, Caroline and Louise Lannoy and Isaure and Lancelot Court.

Stephanie and Guillaume have a son, Prince Charles, born on 10 May 2020. He is second in the line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg. In September 2022, it was announced that the couple was expecting their second child, with the birth due in April 2023.

Stephanie became naturalized Luxembourg citizen and renounced her Belgian citizenship. She decided not to hold dual citizenship of Belgium and Luxembourg: "As the Hereditary Grand Duchess, I am proud to share my husband's nationality. Belgium will always be the country of my childhood and where my roots are, but I don't think keeping Belgian citizenship is consistent with the job that awaits me from now on."

Activities

As the hereditary grand duchess, Stephanie accompanies her husband on foreign visits, as well as many events within Luxembourg.

Since June 2012, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie has been a member of the board of directors of the Foundation Grand-Duc Grande-Duchesse. In January 2016, she became The Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art's chair of the board and became the honorary president in 2021. In 2013, she became a patron to the Les Amis Musees Art History of Luxembourg association and regularly took part in "Midis I'Art" that was organized by the organization. In 2014, she became the patron to the Scienteens Lab, a biomedical research laboratory for secondary school students founded by the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB). She is also the patron to Bletz asbl, a Luxembourg association that aims to help those affected by stroke. As a patron of Bletz asbl, she support activities during World Stroke Day and learn about the conditions and possibilities of treatment through attending conferences, such as attending Conference Ergotherapie face a I'AVC in 2018. Since May 2017, she holds the position of honorary president and administrator of the De Mains de Maitres Luxembourg association, an organization with mission of supporting artisans. She became a patron of Let'z Arles association which supports Luxembourg photographers to exhibit their works at the annual Rencontres de la photographie in Arles. The Hereditary Grand Duke couple organized an exhibition in 2016 which aims to revalorize Luxembourg crafts sector. Princess Stephanie regularly visits local organic agricultural producers and participates in academic sessions on the subject.

In July 2021, Princess Stephanie with her husband and son, inaugurated the Ettelbruck Agricultural Fair 2021. On 12 July, she and her family visited Luxembourg nursing homes to meet elderly people and ensure their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. At each of their visits, the couple expressed their gratitude to the staff of the nursing homes for their effects in maintaining a warm environment for the residents throughout the pandemic. On 5 November, Stephanie attended the Salon Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg, an art exhibition. Several weeks later, she attended the "Ideal Collection of Diane Venet" exhibition at the Cercle Cite in Luxembourg. In May 2022, she attended a charity concert titled "Luxembourg For Peace," organized by the Luxembourg Chamber Choir to support the actions of the Red Cross towards victims of the war in Ukraine.

Titles

18 February 1984-20 October 2012 Her Illustrious Highness Countess Stephanie Marie Claudine Lannoy

20 October 2012 Her Royal Highness Princess Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon-Parma

House: Lannoy (by birth) Luxembourg-Nassau (by marriage) Bourbon-Parma (agnatic)

Religion: Roman Catholic

Honors

-Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (2019)

-Luxembourg: Grand Cross of Order of Adolphe of Nassau

-Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (23 May 2018)

-Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (23 May 2017)

(https://en.wikipedia.org)