Sawt Falasteen - Luxembourg gets new Grand Duke with royal abdication

The small European nation of about 680,000 people is to light up with pomp and pageantry as foreign dignitaries flock to the financial hub to mark the historic occasion.

The Grand Duke "embodies the independence and stability of the state," Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden told AFP.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier are among those expected to attend a gala dinner in Luxembourg City.

Celebrations will kick off at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) with Henri, 70, taking part in an abdication ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace in presence of guests including the Dutch and Belgian royal couples.

An hour later it will be Guillaume's time to shine as he is officially appointed head of state during a swearing-in ceremony at the parliament.

The new Grand Duke and his wife, Stephanie, will then greet the public in the historic district of the capital, according to the official programme.

Guillaume, 43, will be the seventh sovereign of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, which has reigned over Luxembourg since 1890 and shares its lineage with the Dutch royal family.

The father-of-two is not expected to shake up the small monarchy, where the head of state promulgates laws and performs representative functions.

But observers say he might bring a more personal approach to the Grand Duchy.

- No 'whirlwind of modernity' -

"The new Grand Duke is 30 years younger than his father and was educated in Luxembourg schools, unlike his father, who had private lessons," said Frieden, the prime minister.

"So it will be a new style, perhaps more open, but in line with that of his father and grandfather."

The heir apparent is the eldest of five children born to Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa -- the Havana-born daughter of a wealthy Cuban businessman who lived in exile in Switzerland.

"With his mother being Cuban, we can imagine that he will have a more Latin approach, perhaps a little warmer," Belgian historian and monarchy expert Patrick Weber said.

"But I don't really expect a whirlwind of modernity," he added.

Henri launched the transition process in 2024, saying he wished to "slow down" and regain "a certain freedom" after a quarter of a century on the throne.

Guillaume studied in Luxembourg and Switzerland before attending the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in Britain.

He went on to earn a double degree in arts and political science from the University of Angers in France.

Guillaume has been married since 2012 to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, who hails from a noble Belgian family and is known to be passionate about art and literature and speaks French, Luxembourgish, German and English.

The couple has two sons: Charles, five; and Francois, three.

Celebrations for his accession to the throne are planned throughout the country until Sunday.

W.Mansour--SF-PST