BU Mint Set

Guillaume is the eldest son of the then Luxembourgish Grand Duke Henri and his wife Maria Teresa. Since Henri’s accession to the throne in 2000, he had been the designated successor to the head of state as Hereditary Grand Duke. At the time of the coin’s issue, he was therefore first in line to the Luxembourgish throne. The grand ducal family belongs to the House Nassau-Weilburg. Luxembourg is a parliamentary monarchy; political decisions are made by the government and parliament, while the Grand Duke primarily performs constitutional and representative duties.

Stéphanie comes from the Belgian noble family de Lannoy. Before her marriage, she studied in Belgium and Germany, among other places. As Hereditary Grand Duchess, she assumed public and social responsibilities, including patronages and activities in the cultural and social fields. The couple has two sons. Prince Charles, born in 2020, moved into the next position in the line of succession behind his father.

The marriage was celebrated in two parts: the civil wedding at the town hall of the City of Luxemburg was followed the next day by the religious ceremony in Notre-Dame Cathedral. In Luxembourg’s state life, such weddings have a dynastic component alongside their private character, as they concern the family of the future head of state. However, this does not entail any political involvement or a separate constitutional office for the wife.

Luxembourg regularly features anniversaries and events from the grand ducal house on its euro coins. These include jubilees of accession to the throne, birthdays, births and marriages. The round wedding anniversary therefore provided a clearly definable occasion within this issuing tradition. At the same time, the choice refers to Guillaume’s position at the time as heir to the throne and to the couple’s public representative role. No further official justification for the choice of theme is evident from the announcement.