# Coronation imminent: on Friday, Luxembourg gets a new monarch **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 1, 2025, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553 "2025-10-01T07:31:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/21 "2025-10-01T16:09:52Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Most recently, there was some finger-wagging because the Grand Duke’s wife apparently yelled at some of the house staff one time. Now this just begs for details. What did the staff do to upset her? Did the Grand Duke give her a stern talking-to about it? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/22 "2025-10-01T17:23:13Z")
Just another reason not to trust the legacy media - suppressing news of the Luxembourgian succession! You hardly ever hear anything about Liechtenstein either, except for banking and skiing. 😡 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/23 "2025-10-01T17:28:27Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Americans of a certain age would be more familiar with the “Grand Duchy” of Fenwick. Whenever I hear “Grand Duchy” I think Fenwick. Have a fun day! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/24 "2025-10-01T17:47:27Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > **If the Grand Duke is a reigning monarch, does he have any power? I thought Europe was pretty much democratic.** > > The Grand Duke’s office is strictly ceremonial. His is the final signature on every law after it’s passed by the legislature, judicial appointments are made in his name after they’re agreed by the relevant panels, and so on, but his role is entirely symbolic. (This wasn’t always the case. A couple of decades ago, Henri refused to sign off on an assisted-suicide law, on religious grounds. The legislature swiftly assembled to make a Constitutional adjustment explicitly stating that the Grand Duke has a duty to affirm, full stop. He is now, fully and officially, just a rubber stamp.) This is different, at least in principle, from the constitutional monarchy in Britain and those Commonwealth countries that use that system. In Canada, for instance, the Governor General, who represents the monarch, theoretically has considerable reserve powers, although they’re very rarely exercised. In modern times, I don’t believe that royal assent has ever been refused for enacted legislation, nor the leader of the winning party (even if only a minority) not been invited to form the next government. However, the GG has in fact been involved in yes/no decisions about a Prime Minister’s request to prorogue Parliament, and there was a big kerfuffle some years ago when two parties tried to band together in a coalition to overthrow the ruling minority party. IIRC, the GG said no, and that was the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/25 "2025-10-01T17:54:45Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > I think most people in North America couldn’t tell you much about Luxembourg, I know they once invaded the United States and won because we were (ironically) in the middle of a civil defense drill. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/26 "2025-10-01T17:58:26Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I know they once invaded the United States and won because we were (ironically) in the middle of a civil defense drill. Hm, last time I looked on a map, Luxembourg was land-locked in the middle of Europe and doesn’t have a navy. How could they have invaded the USA? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/27 "2025-10-01T19:20:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Hm, last time I looked on a map, Luxembourg was land-locked in the middle of Europe and doesn’t have a navy. How could they have invaded the USA? Transport on a small merchant ship. It was only their Field Marshal, 3 men-at-arms and 20 longbowmen so they didn’t need a large transport. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/28 "2025-10-01T20:18:06Z")
I kinda remember that they wanted to lose and then ask for a Marshall Plan? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/29 "2025-10-02T07:44:36Z")
Catching up with some questions. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Nothing against your fine country, but is there any real reason that anyone outside of Luxembourg ought to have much interest in it? 682k population, 1000 sq miles. A tax haven with an abundance of rich bankers. First, it’s unfair to dismiss us as uninteresting if the only thing you know about us is wrong. Yes, there are rich bankers. But they’re all in Luxembourg City. The rest of the country is farmland, forests, and an occasional fortress. It’s not wall-to-wall vaults of hoarded cash, and it’s pretty insulting to make the implication. Second, as far as whether there’s any compelling argument for paying attention to us: In the practical, day-to-day sense, no, not really. However, if you have any interest in the last thousand years of European history, from Holy Roman Emperors through Napoleon up to the founding of the EU, knowledge of Luxembourg’s role is essential. It’s nicknamed “the cockpit of Europe” for good reason. Now, if you don’t care at all about European history or politics, and you make no claims for understanding and offer no opinions about the continent, then feel free to ignore us. > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Is there any reason it’s this Friday, besides the fact that it’s fairly close to exactly 25 years? When the handover date was announced, back in December (**[link](https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/12/25/Luxembourg-Grand-Duke-Henri-abdication/7341735138662/)**), there was no specific explanation why it had been chosen, and as far as I’m aware there’s been no clarification since. > [@](#): > > Is school canceled, or is a national holiday and everything’s canceled? No holiday has been declared. School (and everything else) is proceeding normally. Only students who have parental permission are joining the invited groups to meet the new Grand Duke in the city center. We were happy to grant permission, because how often does one get the opportunity to do something like this? > [@LurkMeister](#): > > > [@Cervaise](#): > > > > Most recently, there was some finger-wagging because the Grand Duke’s wife apparently yelled at some of the house staff one time. > > Now this just begs for details. What did the staff do to upset her? Did the Grand Duke give her a stern talking-to about it? Not much has been made public. Evidently there was some chaos at a family event and the Grand Duchess berated the staff for poor organization. The Prime Minister had to get involved to smooth things over. Here’s an article from February 2023. > **[Grand Ducal Court: New details emerge about poor staff treatment at Maison du...](https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/2031514.html)** > > Following reports that an employee had been mistreated, the Grand Ducal Court, and particularly Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, came under public scrutiny once again in late 2022. Incidentally, now that the event is upon us, it appears that some of the international media outlets are tossing in an occasional article. Here’s one. > **[Luxembourg's grand duke will abdicate, passing the throne to his son](https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/luxembourgs-grand-duke-abdicate-passing-throne-son-126142461)** > > Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is set to abdicate the throne on Friday after 25 years, passing the role to his eldest son, Guillaume Oh, and one last bit of interesting trivia: The current Grand Duke, Henri, is abdicating in favor of his eldest son, Guillaume. Next in line, of course, is Guillaume’s elder child Charles, who is five years old (and who, despite being a small child, has **[his own wiki article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Charles_of_Luxembourg_(born_2020))** because he’s a royal). When Guillaume officially takes the throne, Charles will be the youngest heir-apparent in the world at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/30 "2025-10-02T12:05:11Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > First, it’s unfair to dismiss us as uninteresting if the only thing you know about us is wrong. Yes, there are rich bankers. But they’re all in Luxembourg City. The rest of the country is farmland, … > > Second, as far as whether there’s any compelling argument for paying attention to us: In the practical, day-to-day sense, no, not really. However, if you have any interest in the last thousand years of European history, … I’m very glad you appreciate your adopted country. I should have either remained silent, or phrased my comments more politely. But finance IS - by far - the largest portion of Lux’s GDP, no? And the standard of living quite high - even among the farmers and forest-dwellers? I’m trying to figure how big 100 sq miles is. Probably about from my home west of Chicago, east to the lake, and N to Wisconsin. A pretty tiny slice of the planet. In terms of history - sure, they were major players 1000 years ago. But for the 500 or so prior to the 1800s, weren’t they sliced, diced, and traded among the major players? I’m sure it is a nice place. Funny that I did quite a bit of reading of European history over the past couple of years, but I don’t recall a single mention of Lux. About all I know is they are part of Benelux. But don’t feel bad. I know little about Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia… ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/31 "2025-10-02T16:54:47Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Only students who have parental permission are joining the invited groups to meet the new Grand Duke in the city center. We were happy to grant permission, because how often does one get the opportunity to do something like this? Yeah, this is a pretty cool opportunity for your kids. I hope they enjoy it! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/32 "2025-10-02T17:20:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > A tax haven with an abundance of rich bankers. And free public transport. And the Hopping Procession of Echternach. All together now: _It’s just a jump to the left And then a step to the right With your hands on your hips_ _You bring your knees in tight_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hxbHhzlpdK4/hqdefault.jpg "Dancing Procession Of Echternach (1924)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxbHhzlpdK4) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/33 "2025-10-02T17:23:01Z")
Moderating: > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m very glad you appreciate your adopted country. I should have either remained silent, or phrased my comments more politely. Yes, you should have. You really need to learn the lesson I previously mentioned to you, that if you don’t have anything nice to say, perhaps it’s best to say nothing at all. Much better than thread-shitting. The OP wished to educate others about his adopted country. If you’re not interested in that, no need to say anything. What purpose was there to your comments other than to be unpleasant? Because you have been warned about doing this previously, this is another Warning for engaging in thread shitting yet again. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/34 "2025-10-02T17:35:18Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > And the Hopping Procession of Echternach. Aka, in Luxembourgish, “D’Iechternacher Sprangprëssessioun.” Which they still have every year! > **[Luxembourg Times - Breaking News Luxembourg – Business and politics in...](https://www.luxtimes.lu/)** > > Covering the EU, business and finance, politics and life in Luxembourg ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/35 "2025-10-03T08:47:49Z")
Another update: for anyone who’s interested, Reuters is hosting a livestream of the event on their youtube channel. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2L-fGMQT8-U/maxresdefault.jpg "LIVE: Abdication of Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri, swearing-in of Grand Duke Guillaume") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L-fGMQT8-U) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/36 "2025-10-03T08:57:51Z")
Happy Trounwiessel! ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/37 "2025-10-03T11:22:17Z")
Is the local language (_**Luxembourgish)**_ spoken much in public, and is it taught in schools? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/38 "2025-10-03T11:44:13Z")
Yes and yes. When my kids talk to their friends, it’s the primary language used. French is second and German is a distant third for communication between young people. Exception: some of my kids’ friends prefer to speak to them in English, because it’s taught as an elective in schools and the fact that my kids are native speakers means those friends get an excellent chance to practice. Among adults, it depends where you are in the country. In the main city, and to the southwest, French predominates. In the north and east, you hear mostly Luxembourgish as the preferred tongue in casual conversation (though everyone is multi lingual and can switch if needed). I’ve been watching the live stream I posted above. When Luxembourg City’s mayor spoke to the crowd, she started in Luxembourgish and switched to French halfway through, almost in mid sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/39 "2025-10-03T12:01:32Z")
Incidentally, the native name of the language is _lëtzebuergesch_ and is roughly pronounced “letsa-boyish.” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553/40 "2025-10-03T12:03:53Z")
What would you say, is Luxembourgish a dialect/variant of German or rather a hybrid of German and French? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronation-imminent-on-friday-luxembourg-gets-a-new-monarch/1023553.md?page=3)