This April 16, 2024, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg were invited to a state banquet offered by the Belgian sovereigns at the end of the first day of their state visit to Belgium. Grand Duke Henri was surprised to find cousins invited to the banquet, which also coincided with his 69th birthday. Among these cousins, there was Princess Sophie de Hohenberg, accompanied by her husband.
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Princess Sophie de Hohenberg, first cousin of Grand Duke Henri, invited to the state banquet
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, made the first day of their three-day state visit to Belgium, this April 16, 2024. After a busy day of visit, including a passage by the Grand-Place in Brussels with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, or even a visit to the Palais de la Nation with the presidents of the two chambers of the Federal Parliament, the Luxembourg sovereigns were invited to the traditional state banquet at the Château de Laeken.
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King Philippe, first cousin of Grand Duke Henri, wanted this banquet and his evening to be memorable. In addition to sealing the diplomatic friendship between the two neighboring countries, the banquet was also a moment of family reunion. Grand Duke Henri celebrated his 69th birthday this Tuesday. To make this anniversary a success, invitations were sent to those close to the Luxembourg sovereign. Among them was her first cousin, Princess Sophie de Hohenberg, who was accompanied by her husband, Jean-Louis de Potesta.
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The cousin of Grand Duke Henri for his 69th birthday at Laeken Castle
Princess Sophie, who turns 64 in a month, is the great-granddaughter of the infamous Crown Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Princess Sophie is the daughter of Princess Élisabeth of Luxembourg, one of the daughters of Grand Duchess Charlotte. Princess Elisabeth was therefore a sister of Grand Duke Jean and an aunt of Grand Duke Henri. Another first cousin of Grand Duke Henri, Prince Michel de Ligne, was present at the banquet. Prince Michel is the son of Princess Alix, a sister of Princess Elisabeth and Grand Duke Jean.
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Princess Sophie bears the name Hohenberg, recalling the morganatic union of her ancestor. In 1900, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Habsburg-Lorraine, nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and also his heir, received permission from his uncle to marry Countess Sophie Chotek.
Despite the authorization of the marriage by the emperor, the heir archduke had to accept the exclusion from the order of succession of future children born within this marriage. Sophie Chotek received the title of Princess of Hohenberg. The couple’s children and their descendants are princes and princesses of Hohenberg, with a ducal title for the head of the family. Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were assassinated in Sarajevo, in an attack considered to trigger the First World War.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
