Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg reigned from the abdication of his mother in 1964 until his own abdication in 2000.
He was the eldest son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix. He married Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium in 1953, and they had five children together. Jean was named Lieutenant-Representative of the Grand Duchess on 28 April 1961, followed by her abdication in 1964.
On 4 March 1998, Prince Henri was appointed as lieutenant representative. On 24 December 1999, Grand Duke Jean announced his abdication in favour of his son, Prince Henri. In a televised address, he said, “When I assumed the office of Lieutenant-Représentant in 1961 and that of Grand Duke in 1964, you wished me luck in turning Luxembourg into a modern country, together with you. Together we succeeded. Never before in its history had our country enjoyed the worldwide recognition it enjoys today. Never before has our standard of living been as high and our social security system as efficient as it is today. Never before have so many people worked and lived in our country, and never before has our country been so culturally rich. However, all these achievements would not have been possible without our participation in the construction of Europe.”1
The abdication and enthronement ceremony, which had been planned for 28 September, was delayed following a car accident in September near Paris in which Prince Guillaume, the youngest son of Grand Duke Jean, and his wife, Princess Sibilla, were seriously injured. Prince Guillaume awoke from his almost-month-long coma on 3 October. Both eventually made a full recovery.
On 7 October 2000, the abdication ceremony took place. “It is with regret that we gather here today for your departure,” Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said in a brief speech. “I can say today that you have ruled without fault, without error, and the Grand Duchess has been your most faithful collaborator. You are one of us, and you have never given us the impression that you are different from us. (…) We have been and remain proud of you.”
Grand Duke Jean was succeeded by his son, Henri, who passes the baton to his eldest son, Guillaume, tomorrow.
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