Newlyweds

http://wort.lu  photo by Luxembourg Wort.

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy were married earlier today in a civil ceremony at Luxembourg-ville's City Hall.    The Belgian-born countess is now HRH Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg. 

Tomorrow, by decree, she will be styled the Hereditary Grand Duchess.

The young couple, accompanied by members of their families, walked from the Grand Ducal Palace to the City Hall.  Guillaume was joined by his parents, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria, his brothers, Princes Félix, Sébastian, and Louis, his sister, Princess Alexandra, and his sister-in-law, Princess Tessy.  

The new princess' elderly father, Count Philippe de Lannoy, attended the ceremony in a wheelchair.   Stéphanie's eldest brother, Count Jehan, will be walking her down the aisle at tomorrow's religious wedding.

After the brief civil service, required by Luxembourg law, the newlyweds emerged to cheering crowds -- lots of young school children -- and bright sunshine.

I have never seen a newlywed couple work the crowd as Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie did today.  They took time to chat, pose for photographs, and meet and greet many of the people who had stood for several hours.  Stéphanie is a natural.  She has a forceful personality, and a confident, New York City-style walk.  She kissed kids (and they kissed her back).  She accepted flowers and handmade cards, which she and Guillaume would hold and pose with for the cameras.

Princess Stéphanie  will certainly be an asset to the Grand Ducal family. 

I also want to give a shout out to Thierry at Wort, one of Luxembourg's main newspapers, who has been so sweet and kind .. and has allowed me to use some of Wort's photos, as long as I provide the proper credit.  Not a problem. 

Yes, I will be getting up early tomorrow to watch Wort's livestream of the wedding.