Europe’s elite gather to celebrate Luxembourg’s royal wedding

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) ― Kings, queens and commoners gathered Saturday to celebrate Luxembourg’s biggest royal event in decades, when heir-to-the-throne Prince Guillaume wed Belgian countess Stephanie de Lannoy.

Following a somber religious ceremony, thousands crammed the centre of Luxembourg city to demand the newlyweds exchange their first public kiss as a married couple, belying the tiny country’s reputation for a lack of exuberance.

“A kiss! A kiss!” flag-waving onlookers yelled as the couple appeared on the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace.

The cream of Europe’s royalty ― including the monarchs of Belgium, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries ― had attended the Catholic wedding Mass at Notre Dame cathedral blending tradition with modernity, the day after the pair tied the knot in an intimate civil ceremony.

Luxembourg’s openly gay mayor, Bettel Xavier, was accompanied by his partner to the festivities, along with some 270 ordinary residents of the Grand Duchy.

In another modern touch, the rings the couple exchanged were made from fair-trade gold?

Luxembourg Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich celebrated the multilingual Mass, which began shortly after 11:00 a.m. as the blonde countess, wearing an ivory lace gown embroidered with silver filigree, entered the cathedral on the arm of her brother Jehan.

The gown, designed by Elie Saab of Lebanon, featured three-quarter length sleeves and a silk tulle veil, also adorned with the silver floral motif, that trailed some 4 meters behind her.

The 28-year-old bride is a member of one of Belgium’s oldest aristocratic families and the youngest of eight children. The wedding was one of her first big outings as a public figure and offered Luxembourg a chance to show the world it is more than just a banking haven.

The countess’s efforts to learn Luxembourgish paid off as she pronounced her vows in the language, raising cheers of praise from a crowd watching the ceremony on a giant screen in a central square.

Prince Guillaume, the 30-year-old Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, sported a tightly groomed beard and wore full military regalia. He arrived with his mother, Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa, wearing a bright coral outfit with a silver brooch.

Crowned heads and lesser royals had rolled up in black limousines or more modest green minibuses, stepping out onto a long red carpet to enter the cathedral in the bright sunshine of an unseasonably warm day.

Princess Caroline of Monaco, Britain’s Prince Edward, and Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito were among them, as well as King of the Belgians Albert II and Queen Paola, who have family ties with the Luxembourg monarchy.

Also in attendance were Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja, Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her consort Prince Henrik, Sweden’s Queen Silvia and Princess Lalla Salma, wife of Moroccan King Mohammed VI.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, also in full dress uniform, was accompanied by Stephanie’s aunt, the sister of Countess Alix de Lannoy, who died in late August. Saturday’s wedding mass began with a minute of silence in her honor.

The wedding, at an estimated cost of 500,000 euros ($650,000) to the Luxembourg taxpayer, included free concerts, street shows and a giant fireworks display in the evening.