Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri (Luxembourgish: [ˈhɑ̃ːʀi]; French: Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume; born 16 April 1955) is a member of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg who reigned as Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 2000 until his abdication in 2025.
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, as the second child and eldest son of the future Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He became heir apparent upon the accession of his father in 1964 at the age of nine, and was officially created hereditary grand duke on his 18th birthday in 1973. Henri was educated in Luxembourg and France, where he received his Baccalauréat in 1974. He then undertook military officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, on the Standard Military Course (SMC) 7, and then studied political science at University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, graduating in 1980.
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
In 1998, he was appointed as regent by his father, the traditional first step in the transition of reigns. Two years later, Jean abdicated and Henri became grand duke. Henri's role was largely ceremonial as a constitutional monarch. However, he sparked a minor constitutional crisis in 2008 when he refused to grant royal assent to a new euthanasia law, resulting in the requirement for laws to receive his assent being abolished. In October 2024, Henri appointed his son Guillaume as regent, and abdicated the throne the following year.
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