Guillaume d’Orange-Nassau, nouveau grand-duc du Luxembourg : « Une nouvelle génération n’est pas une révolution »

LE FIGARO : PORTRAIT - Changement de souverain dans le plus petit pays de l’Union européenne. Après vingt-cinq ans de règne, Henri abdique en faveur de son fils, Guillaume d’Orange-Nassau, 43 ans, dans une certaine indifférence des Luxembourgeois.

« Il n’y a pas de place au Luxembourg pour deux grands-ducs », confiait récemment Henri de Luxembourg, fixant ainsi son futur rôle. En descendant du trône, après l’avoir occupé vingt-cinq ans, le prince, qui a fêté son 70e anniversaire en avril dernier, entend bien laisser les mains libres à Guillaume, l’aîné des cinq enfants, que son épouse, la très charismatique María Teresa, lui a donné. Une abdication qui n’a d’autres motivations que celle de prendre sa retraite : « Je n’aime pas ce mot, mais effectivement, ça y ressemble », précisait encore le monarque constitutionnel. Le couple régnant a déjà plié bagage et quitté le château de Berg, résidence officielle et chef-d’œuvre néogothique, pour le plus discret château de Fischbach. » | Par Philippe Viguié-Desplaces, pour Le Figaro Magazine | samedi 4 octobre 2025

Henri de Luxembourg, 25 ans de règne entre tradition et modernisation de la monarchie

MADAME FIGARO : Après 25 ans passés à la tête de la cour grand-ducale de Luxembourg, le grand-duc Henri abdique au profit de son fils aîné, Guillaume, ce vendredi 3 octobre. Portrait d’un homme qui a toujours cultivé ses paradoxes, entre extrême rigueur et coups d’éclat.

La fin d’une ère au Luxembourg. Après 25 ans de règne, le grand-duc Henri abdiquera de ses fonctions, ce vendredi 3 octobre, au profit de son fils aîné, le prince Guillaume. Descendant de Sissi, l'impératrice d'Autriche, du roi de France, Charles X, ou encore d'Albert 1er, roi des Belges, tout prédisposait Henri de Luxembourg à régner.

Sa naissance le 16 avril 1955 est célébrée à coups de canon. Le nouveau-né voit le jour à Betzdorf, dans le sud-est du pays. Fils aîné du grand-duc (1) Jean de Luxembourg et de la grande-duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte, Henri coule une enfance paisible dans une propriété de 500 hectares. Et vit surtout à l'abri des yeux du public, comme l'exige la tradition familiale. Tout juste assistera-t-il, à l'âge de 2 ans, à la visite officielle du président français, René Coty, sur ses terres. » | Par Chloé Friedmann | Samedi 4 octobre 2025

World Leaders Arrive for Dinner in Honour of Luxembourg's New Grand Duke | Macron

Oct 3, 2025 | Royals and heads of states from neighbouring countries attended a gala dinner in Luxembourg on Friday (October 3), as the tiny western European country welcomed its new Grand Duke.

Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri formally signed the Act of Abdication on Friday (October 3) ending nearly 25 years on the throne. His eldest son, Crown Prince Guillaume, has become the new Grand Duke following the ceremony.

Luxembourg lies between France, Germany, and Belgium and has a population of under 700,000. It is a constitutional monarchy in which the Grand Duke holds executive power and bills only become law with his signature.

Among the attendees were the Belgian royal families and the French and German Presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier respectively.

Historic Farewell: Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri Abdicates after 25 Years on Throne

Oct 3, 2025 | In a historic moment, Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri abdicated the throne in an official ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace on October 3, 2025. The abdication marks the end of his 25-year reign and opens a new chapter for the monarchy. …

Luxembourg: Poverty in Europe's Wealthiest Country | DW Documentary

Apr 30, 2024 | Luxembourg is seen as an oasis of luxury in Europe, but poverty and homelessness are on the rise. While the government has done little to respond here, NGOs are doing what they can to combat the most extreme levels of hardship.

Luxembourg is a financial hub and home to the European Court of Justice as well as countless shell companies. And with the highest per capita GDP anywhere in the world, the country is also known for its wealth and luxury. But there's a different, lesser-known side to the grand duchy. Alexandra Oxacelay is with "Stëmm vun der Strooss,” an NGO dedicated to taking care of people who are homeless and socially vulnerable. The soup kitchen run by this charity is seeing a growing number of people searching for shelter, a hot meal and support. One of them is Stephan from Hungary, who's spent the last seven years living in a tent - even during winter. Alexandra has also noticed an increase in the number of "working poor,” or people struggling to make ends meet despite having a job. Serge Kappel suffers from chronic inflammatory back pain and has been unable to find an apartment he can afford due to a dramatic increase in rental costs. Researcher Antoine Paccoud attributes this to rampant speculation on the real estate market and insufficient funding for social housing. Alexandra can at least provide affordable housing for some people in need. But that help is limited when compared to the growing number of Luxembourgers and refugees who have become dependent on the NGO while living in the shadows of high-profile office buildings.

Poverty in Luxembourg has become an increasingly divisive issue. Yannick Wirtz, who is out of work, feels let down by the government and says there should be greater restrictions on immigration. Whereas NGO director Alexandra Oxacelay refuses to discriminate when it comes to the disadvantaged - insisting that in the wealthiest country in Europe, everyone deserves to be helped.

Divorce Rate in Luxembourg

Oct 10, 2024 | “I was shocked when I discovered what the divorce rate in Luxembourg is running at. … In what is arguably the richest country in the world, we have among the unhappiest people in relationships.”

Un salaire minimum qualifié à 3 000 euros brut dès le 1er avril

LE QUOTIDIEN (LU): Dès le 1er avril, une nouvelle tranche indiciaire va être appliquée, comme le prévoyait l’accord de la tripartite du 31 mars 2022. Les salaires, mais aussi certaines allocations, sont revus à la hausse.

Après février, les travailleurs du Grand-Duché vont à nouveau bénéficier d’une augmentation de salaire en raison du déclenchement d’un nouvel index. Au lieu d’être appliqué en juin 2022, cet index avait été remplacé par le crédit impôt énergie, versé dès juillet 2022, pour compenser la perte du pouvoir d’achat face aux flambées des prix de l’énergie. Mais le voici donc, comme prévu par la tripartite. Concrètement, cela signifie que le salaire minimum à 2 447,07 euros brut par mois depuis février, passe à 2 508,24 euros (+61,17 euros). Le salaire qualifié va augmenter de 73,4 euros brut pour s’établir à 3 009,88 euros. » | Le Quotidien | Publié : mercredi 29 mars 2023 ; mis à jour : jeudi 30 mars 2023

Luxembourg PM’s Same-sex Husband Seated Next to Viktor Orbán at Summit

THE GUARDIAN: Hungarian leader was criticised by Xavier Bettel in 2021 for introducing homophobic law

Nato leaders’ spouses including Gauthier Destenay (centre), husband of Luxembourg’s PM, in Madrid. Photograph: Ballesteros/EPA
The dozens of invitees were carefully seated along the lengthy table, flanked by columns fashioned out of Bagnères marble and surrounded by paintings from Spain’s Francisco de Goya.

As photos of the Nato dinner at Spain’s royal palace filtered out, many were swift to spot what one Spanish news site described as the image of the summit: the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, seated next to Gauthier Destenay, the first same-sex spouse of a leader of an EU member state.

Amid speculation as to whether the seating arrangement was intentional – perhaps a nod to this month’s Pride celebrations – or whether it was simply the mysterious hand of protocol working its magic, Spain’s royal palace did not respond to a request for comment.

The eye-catching seating arrangement came one year after Destenay’s husband, Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, blasted Orbán over a Hungarian law banning any portrayal of LGBT people in materials meant for children.

“To be nationally blamed, to be considered as not normal, to be considered a danger for young people – it’s not realising that being gay is not a choice,” said Bettel, who in 2015 became the first EU leader to marry someone of the same sex.

“But being intolerant is a choice,” Bettel continued. » | Ashifa Kassam in Madrid | Thursday, June 30, 2022

Luxembourg Leader’s University Thesis Was ‘Mostly Plagiarised’

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister Xavier Bettel admits postgraduate dissertation ‘should have been done differently’

Xavier Bettel said his thesis was ‘written with a clear conscience’ but an inquiry found just two of the work’s 56 pages had not been plagiarised. Photograph: Johanna Geron/EPA
Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has admitted his university thesis “should have been done differently” after a media investigation concluded that only two of the work’s 56 pages had not been plagiarised.

A local news outlet, reporter.lu, said on Wednesday that Bettel had lifted three-quarters of the text, describing it as “an impressive hodgepodge of copied passages that does not meet the customary requirements of academia”.

Bettel, 48, who has been prime minister since 2013, said in a statement the thesis was “more than 20 years old” and “written with a clear conscience”. But “from today’s standpoint, it could have – yes, maybe should have – been done differently”, he said.

Bettel said he had full confidence in the University of Lorraine in eastern France to assess whether the work met its standards of the time, and that he would “naturally accept” its decision, even if it meant his qualification was withdrawn. » | Jon Henley | Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Luxemburgischer Premierminister gesteht Plagiate indirekt ein: Der luxemburgische Regierungschef hat bei seiner Abschlussarbeit an der Universität Nancy plagiiert. Heute würde er es anders machen, sagt Xavier Bettel. Folgt nun der Rücktritt? »

German politicians suffer higher degree of embarrassment from plagiarism than from sex scandals: Third minister in Angela Merkel’s administration falls foul of the country’s fixation on academic credentials »

Xavier Bettel’s Testimony – LGBTI Inclusion in the Workplace

avier Bettel’s testimony (Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) concerning LGBTI inclusion in the professional environment.

The project "LGBTI inclusion in the workplace" aims to raise awareness and provide tools to the company's different audiences to prevent discrimination against LGBTI employees. The testimonies from which this video is taken and multiple actors' contributions were used to construct a good practice guide to collect companies' inclusion ideas. Available on www.imslux.lu.

Project in collaboration with the Lëtzebuerg Diversity Charter, the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region, and the European Social Fund.

En français :

Témoignage de Xavier Bettel (Premier Ministre du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg) concernant l’inclusion des personnes LGBTI dans le monde professionnel.

Le projet « LGBTI inclusion in the workplace » vise à sensibiliser mais également à outiller les différents publics au sein de l’entreprise pour prévenir toute situation de discrimination à l’encontre des collaborateurs ou collaboratrices LGBTI.

La série de témoignages, dont est issue cette vidéo, et les apports de multiples acteurs ont été utilisés dans la construction d’un guide de bonnes pratiques afin de recueillir des idées inspirantes d’actions inclusives. À retrouver sur www.imslux.lu

Projet en collaboration avec la Charte de la Diversité Lëtzebuerg, le Ministère de la Famille, de l’Intégration et à la Grande Région, et le Fonds Social Européen.


Related

Gay Wedding for Luxembourg: PM a First for [a] Serving EU Leader | 2015

May 16, 2015 • It is a marriage that will go down in the history books. The prime minister of Luxembourg has become the first serving leader in the European Union to marry someone of the same sex. Xavier Bettel tied the knot with his Belgian partner, architect Gauthier Destenay. A law allowing gay marriage came into force in Luxembourg in January. "I wish everyone to be as happy as I am," said the prime minister. "Thank you to the people of Luxembourg, thank you, and to everybody, I make no distinctions, … Read more here.

Xavier Bettel est sorti de l’hôpital

LE QUOTIDEN : Le Premier ministre Xavier Bettel a pu quitter jeudi le Centre hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), où il était soigné depuis dimanche dernier pour son infection au Covid, a annoncé le ministère d’État.

L’état de santé du Premier ministre, testé positif le 27 juin, s’est amélioré au terme de quatre jours de traitement. Pour rappel, au moment de son admission, il lui avait été diagnostiqué une saturation d’oxygène insuffisante. Son état était alors jugé “sérieux, mais stable”. » | LQ | jeudi 6 juillet 2021

Xavier Bettel toujours hospitalisé, son état jugé “sérieux mais stable”

LE QUOTIDIEN : Le Premier ministre Xavier Bettel restait lundi hospitalisé en observation suite à son infection au Covid, en raison de la persistance des symptômes, a indiqué le ministère d’État dans l’après-midi.

Durant le week-end, les symptômes constatés (fièvre et maux de tête) ne se sont pas atténués, ce qui a mené le Premier ministre à être hospitalisé par précaution dimanche. Une saturation d’oxygène insuffisante a été diagnostiquée et Xavier Bettel est depuis placé sous surveillance médicale continue, précise le ministère d’État.

Actuellement, l’état de santé du Premier ministre “est jugé sérieux, mais stable”, soulignent ses services, ajoutant que le personnel soignant a de fait décidé qu’une hospitalisation reste actuellement nécessaire afin de pouvoir poursuivre l’observation, “ceci pour une durée estimée à 2-4 jours”. Selon l’un de ses collaborateurs, Xavier Bettel “a le souffle court mais n’est pas intubé”. » | LQ | lundi 5 juillet 2021

Luxembourg Prime Minister Admitted to Hospital with Covid

THE GUARDIAN: Xavier Bettel attends as a precautionary measure after testing positive last week

Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has been admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, local media have reported, citing a statement from his office.

Multiple outlets said Bettel, 48, attended hospital as a precautionary measure on Sunday morning. Unless doctors advised otherwise, he was due to spend 24 hours under observation while “additional tests and analyses” were carried out. There was no immediate report on his condition.

Bettel tested positive for coronavirus and began self-isolating for 10 days on 27 June, two days after attending a European Council meeting in Brussels with fellow EU national leaders. He received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on 6 May. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Sunday, June 4, 2021

The Royal Who Kept Hope Alive | Charlotte: A Royal At War | Real Royalty

This is the previously untold account of Charlotte of Luxembourg - a wife, mother of six children and head of state of the tiny duchy of Luxembourg. Charlotte became a Royal propagandist in pearls who inspired a nation through the power of radio, reaching her people in their darkest hour. The film reveals a powerful truth: ordinary people will endure hardship, imprisonment, even death, if they have someone to believe in, to keep their hopes alive. The feature length documentary combines vivid eyewitness testimony with dramatic reconstruction and unique, previously unseen, colour archive.

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg »

Raw Politics In Full: Brexit Disconnect

Tesa Arcilla is joined by politicians and journalists to discuss the major political issues that are defining and dividing Europe today.

Bettel's Anger Highlights a Bleak Truth: The EU27 Just Wants Britain to Go

THE GUARDIAN: Luxembourg PM’s exasperation is shared by EU officials and national leaders

It was, by any standards, an unusual spectacle: the leader of the European Union’s second-smallest country deciding to empty-chair the British prime minister at what was supposed to have been a joint press conference after their meeting.

Ostensibly, logistics were the problem: No 10 was concerned by the small but very noisy protest awaiting Boris Johnson outside; Luxembourg government officials said there was no room big enough to move the event inside.

Whatever the reason, the press conference that Xavier Bettel ended up giving alone – gesturing to the lectern where his counterpart should have stood – served as a striking symbol of EU leaders’ mounting frustration with the Brexit process.

The Luxembourg prime minister did not hold back. The leave campaign had been built on lies, he said. Johnson’s oft-repeated claims of progress in the talks were baseless. London had come up with nothing to replace the backstop.

Above all, the UK – not the EU – was to blame for the impasse. “I just want to repeat and remind that Theresa May accepted the withdrawal agreement,” he said. Britain’s “homemade” problems were causing “general problems” for the whole of the EU. » | Jon Henley | Monday, September 16, 2019

Xavier Bettel on Brexit, mocks Boris Johnson »

Incredible Sulk Morphs from Green to Yellow as He Is Bested by Bettel

THE GUARDIAN: PM implodes under weight of his own narcissism as Luxembourg leader lets rip

Exit the Incredible Sulk. It was bad enough getting owned on Twitter by the actor who played the Incredible Hulk – comparing yourself to a comic book hero with anger management issues was always asking for trouble when you’ve got form with the Camberwell police. Classic Dom.

But Boris Johnson’s day just got a whole lot worse when he was completely owned by about 50 unthreatening protesters – this was Luxembourg, where crime waves are measured in the number of people not paying parking fines – and Xavier Bettel, the country’s prime minister.

Faced with a handful of people shouting: “We don’t like you very much,” Johnson imploded under the weight of his own narcissism. The Incredible Bulk morphed from green to yellow and fled sobbing indoors. He’d been in some tricky situations before where the future of the world had been at risk from super-soldiers powered by gamma radiation. But nothing as dangerous as this.

He begged Bettel to move their joint press conference somewhere less noisy. Preferably somewhere no one would ask him any difficult questions. Bettel demurred. The lecterns were set up, the journalists were in place and he’d go ahead without him. Johnson was about to be humiliated by the second smallest country in the EU. Taking back control by losing control. Classic Dom. » | Johnn Crace | Monday, September 16, 2019

Johnson Humiliated by Luxembourg PM at 'Empty Chair' Press Conference

THE GUARDIAN: Xavier Bettel gesticulates at empty podium as British PM skips press conference amid loud protests

Boris Johnson has been left humiliated after being forced by anti-Brexit protesters to cancel an appearance at a press conference, leaving Luxembourg’s prime minister to lecture and gesticulate at an empty podium about the dangers of the UK prime minister playing politics with people’s lives.

Johnson was booed and jeered as he left a working lunch in Luxembourgwith the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, before being forced to abandon plans to speak alongside the country’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel.

The cancellation left Johnson scuttling past the waiting lecterns in a courtyard outside the prime minister’s office to chants by British protesters a few metres away.

Bettel did not mince his words as he took the lectern next to the one left empty by the British prime minister’s no-show, with the union flag still in position. » | Daniel Boffey in Luxembourg | Monday, September 16, 2019

Charlotte - A Royal At War – World War 2 Documentary | Timeline