Today marks the Wedding Anniversary of Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Josephine Charlotte of Belgium, who got married on this day in 1953! A match arranged by the bride’s grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, and the groom’s mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, both were reportedly in love with other people, but eventually the marriage was very happy. The couple had five children and succeeded to the Grand Duchy in 1964. Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte reigned until 2000, when he abdicated in favour of their son, and the couple had a 52-year marriage.
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Some photos of the wedding from the Belgian magazine Le Patriote Illustré. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/H8Z6CVqTkA
— RoyalArjan (@RoyalArjan) April 9, 2018
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Some photos of the wedding from the Belgian magazine Le Patriote Illustré. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/H8Z6CVqTkA
— RoyalArjan (@RoyalArjan) April 9, 2018
Following a Civil Ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace officiated by mayor Emile Hamiliu, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte travelled in an open carriage to the Cathédrale Notre Dame in Luxembourg City. Afterwards the couple returned to the Grand Ducal Palace and waved to crowds from the Balcony. The new Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte as pale and drawn throughout the ceremony, and fainted during the reception, which led to the honeymoon being cancelled, not only due to the pressure regarding the marriage but also because of family drama regarding the position of her stepmother, the Princess de Réthy, in the order of precedence.
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Royal Guests and Relatives in attendance included King Baudouin (brother of the bride), Queen Elisabeth (grandmother of the bride), King Leopold (father of the bride) and the Princess de Réthy leading the Belgian Royal Family, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, King Umberto II and Queen Marie Jose of Italy (aunt of the bride), Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway (aunt of the bride), Prince Axel of Denmark and Princess Margretha of Denmark and Sweden (aunt of the bride), the Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein, and the Duke and Duchess of Braganza among a host of Royals and Nobles from around Europe.
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Hereditary Grand Duke Jean wore the Uniform of the Luxembourgish Army with the Luxembourg Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau and the Belgian Order of Leopold. Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte wore a white tulle gown with a veil of Belgian lace along with the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara for the Ceremony and the Belgian Scroll Tiara for the Reception.
