BeNeLux set

The French title “lieutenant-représentant” designates a deputy of the head of state in Luxembourg. The reigning Grand Duke can commission the heir to the throne to assume part of his constitutional responsibilities. The appointment is neither an abdication nor a premature change of throne. Rather, it enables a gradual transition of official duties and gives the future head of state the opportunity to perform state responsibilities before his accession to the throne.

Charlotte had been Grand Duchess since 1919. She had assumed the throne following the abdication of her older sister Marie-Adelheid. In a referendum held that same year, the majority of the Luxembourg population voted to retain the monarchy. During the German occupation of Luxembourg in the Second World War, Charlotte, her family and the government went into exile. From there, she addressed the population, among other means, through radio broadcasts. She returned to Luxembourg after the end of the war. Her reign ended in 1964 with her abdication.

Jean, Charlotte’s eldest son, was a soldier in the British Irish Guards during the Second World War. After his return, he increasingly assumed public and state responsibilities. Three years after beginning his service as lieutenant-représentant, he succeeded his mother as Grand Duke. He remained in office until 2000 and then abdicated in favour of his eldest son Henri.

The selected anniversary thus refers to an orderly dynastic and constitutional transition. At the same time, it links three successive generations of the Luxembourg ruling house. A comparable preparation for the change of throne took place again later: before his own abdication, Jean also appointed Henri as “lieutenant-représentant”. The occasion was therefore suitable for depicting not only a personal family anniversary but also the institutional continuity of the Luxembourg monarchy.