British State Visit to Luxembourg, 1976

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Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte of Luxembourg hosted the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on their State Visit to Luxembourg on this day in 1976. The visit began with an Official Welcome at at Findel Airport, followed by another at the Grand Ducal Palace, as well as a Reception at the City Hall.

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In the evening, Grand Duke Jean (in the Order of the Garter) and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte (wearing the Emerald Peacock Tiara and the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau) hosted a State Banquet in honour of the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau) and Duke of Edinburgh (in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau) at the Grand Ducal Palace. Hereditary Grand Duke Henri (wearing the Royal Victorian Order), Princess Marie Astrid (in the Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara), Princess Margretha (wearing the Citrine Tiara), and Prince Jean were also present.

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Other events included a visit to the Fortress walls overlooking Luxembourg City, visits to the towns of Esch-sur-Alzette and Echternach, and a tour of the steel works at Arbed-Differdange. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh also went on a walk with the Grand Ducal Family at Berg Castle, where they stayed for the duration of the State Visit.

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On the final evening, the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace) and Duke hosted a Return Banquet for Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte (in the Belgian Scroll Tiara), which was also attended by Hereditary Grand Duke Henri, Princess Marie Astrid (wearing the Sapphire Bracelet Tiara), Princess Margretha (in the Amethyst Tiara), and Prince Jean. The Sword Dancers of the Black Watch gave a performance. The Grand Ducal Couple went on a State Visit to Britain in 1972 and the Duchess of Cambridge visited Luxembourg in 2017 to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Treaty of London.

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For more information, check out:

A film about the visit

Wort

Old Version

5 thoughts on “British State Visit to Luxembourg, 1976

  1. There are strong ties of friendship between the UK and Luxembourg ever since WWII. The late Grand Duke Jean was the Colonel of the Regiment of the Irish Guards until he abdicated, and he even rode with the Queen during the Trooping of the Colors in London. I wonder why the Grand Duke Henri hasn’t been made a Stranger Knight of the Order of the Garter. Maybe because he hasn’t made a state visit?

    1. Yes, Grand Duke Henri hasn’t been made a Knight of the Order of the Garter for that very reason! Lets hope there is a State Visit soon but I very much doubt it!

      1. I know! Everyone has to be very careful these days and will have to be for quite a while! Looking at the photos again I noticed that Prince Philip and the Grand Duke are wearing the exact same ties in the second photo. In fact, they also have the same blue suit! Is that tie indicating some sort of heraldry? Does it have any special meaning? It would seem a bit odd to have the two men dressed identically like that if it didn’t mean anything, don’t you think?.

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