Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born Countess Stéphanie de 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. Stéphanie de 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 de Lannoy (1922–2019) and Alix della Faille de Leverghem (1941–2012). The House of Lannoy has been traced back to the 13th-century nobility of Hainaut, its members distinguishing themselves in military command and affairs of state. Those descended from Charles de Lannoy, 1st Prince of Sulmona, the victor of Pavia, 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. Stéphanie attended the Dutch-language Sancta Maria de Ronse school and  continued her education in Collège Saint-Odile in France. She then returned to Brussels for studies at L'Institut de la Vierge Fidèle, 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, Stéphanie 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. Stéphanie studied art history at the Sotheby's Institute during her time with her husband in London from 2018 until 2019. Marriage and motherhood. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Stéphanie dated for about two years prior to their engagement. The betrothal was announced on 26 April 2012. Countess Stéphanie 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 de Lannoy, and Isaure and Lancelot de le Court. Stéphanie 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. Activities. As the hereditary grand duchess, Stéphanie accompanies her husband on foreign visits, as well as many events  within Luxembourg itself. Since June 2012, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie has been a member of the board of directors of the "Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la 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 des Musées d’art et d’histoire du Luxembourg" association and regularly took part in "Midis de l'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 "Blëtz asbl", a Luxembourg association that aims to help those affected by stroke. As a patron of "Blëtz asbl", she support activities during World Stroke Day and learn about the conditions and possibilities of treatment through attending conferences, such as attending "Conférence ergothérapie face à l’AVC" in 2018. Since May 2017, she holds the position of honorary president and administrator of the "De Mains de Maîtres Luxembourg" association, an organization with mission of supporting artisans. She became a patron of  Lët'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 Stéphanie regularly visits local organic agricultural producers and participates in academic sessions on the subject. In July 2021, Princess Stéphanie with her husband and son inaugurated the Ettelbruck Agricultural Fair 2021. On 12 July, she and her family visit Luxembourg nursing homes to meet elderly people and ensure their well-being during COVID-19 pandemic. At each of their visits, the couple expressed  their gratitude to the staff of the nursing homes for the efforts made in maintaining a warm environment around the residents, throughout the pandemic. On 5 November, Stéphanie attended the Salon Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg, an art exhibition. Several weeks later, she attended “Ideal Collection of Diane Venet” exhibition at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg.