Everything you need to know about Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, mother of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and aunt of Belgian King Philippe.
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte was born into the Belgian royal family
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte was born on October 11, 1927 in Brussels. She is the first child of Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium and his wife Princess Astrid of Sweden. At the time of his birth, his paternal grandfather, King Albert I, was on the Belgian throne.
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium with her mother Princess Astrid of Sweden, in the 1930s
Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images / © Keystone-France
The little girl was 6 years old when her father took the crown under the name of Leopold III, on February 23, 1934. And she was not yet 8 years old when her mother, Queen Astrid, died tragically in a car accident in Switzerland, at only 29 years old.
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Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium with her father King Leopold III and her younger brother Prince Baudouin, in the 1930s
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Two brothers, a half-brother and two half-sisters
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte has two little brothers: Princes Baudouin and Albert. Born respectively on September 7, 1930 and June 6, 1934, both would experience a royal destiny since they would successively be the fifth and sixth kings of the Belgians.
Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg with her brother the Belgian King Albert II in Brussels, March 13, 1999
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But she also has a half-brother and two half-sisters, the fruit of their father’s remarriage to Lilian Baels on September 11, 1941. The latter gave birth to Prince Alexandre on July 18, 1942, then to Princesses Marie-Christine and Maria-Esméralda, February 6, 1951 and September 30, 1956.
A marriage with the son of his godmother, sovereign of Luxembourg
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte was 25 years old when she married Prince Jean of Luxembourg, heir to the throne of the neighboring grand duchy of the Kingdom of Belgium, on April 9, 1953.
First official photo of Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium and Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg before their wedding. Photo from November 15, 1952
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Eldest son of Grand Duchess Charlotte – who is none other than the young woman’s godmother – and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma, he is six years her senior. Their civil marriage takes place in the Festival hall Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg. It is followed by a religious ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium and Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, during their religious wedding in Luxembourg on April 9, 1953
Getty Images / © Kurt Hutton / Keystone
“Leaving the cathedral, 200,000 people will cheer the new heir grand duchess of Luxembourg,” wrote “Paris Match” at the time, also emphasizing that “60 big names from Gotha, including 1 king, 3 queens, 2 ex -kings, 42 princes and princesses, had been invited to the ducal palace where the lunch and reception was to take place.”
Joséphine Charlotte gives two girls and three boys to her husband
Ten months after their wedding, on February 17, 1954, the one who became the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg gave her husband a first child: Princess Marie-Astrid. Then came a boy, Prince Henri, on April 16, 1955 (the current Grand Duke Henri), then twins, Prince Jean and Princess Margaretha, on May 15, 1957. Finally, a third boy, Prince Guillaume, expands the siblings, six years later, on 1er May 1963.
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium and Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg with their five children
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Grand Duchess for almost half of her life
It was at the age of 37 that Joséphine-Charlotte became Grand Duchess Consort of Luxembourg, her husband being enthroned on November 12, 1964 as sovereign of the Grand Duchy following the abdication of his mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte.
Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte with Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, during the latter’s enthronement on November 12, 1964, in the presence of their two eldest children, Princess Marie-Astrid and Prince Henri, and the Prince Charles of Luxembourg, brother of John
SIPA / © DALMAS
She remained so for almost 36 years, until her husband in turn left the throne to Henri, their eldest son, on October 7, 2000.
Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte and Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg with their eldest son Hereditary Grand Duke Henri and his wife Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, July 1, 1982
ABACA / © DPA
A woman passionate about contemporary art with bold choices
Passionate about contemporary art, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte does not just visit galleries and museums. She is herself a collector, as Luxembourgers discovered in 2003 when 108 works belonging to her were presented in the exhibition “From Manessier to Wim Delvoye” at the National Museum of Art and History of Luxembourg.
Evoking this private collection in 2005, as a prelude to the opening of the Grand-Duc Jean contemporary art museum, the Belgian daily “La Libre” recalled that it had notably acquired the very audacious sculpture “La rose des vents”, by Wim Delvoye “composed of four naked young men, squatting, each turned towards a cardinal point and pierced from the anus to the mouth by a telescope. They cover their eyes and ears, but the distorted vision comes out of the mouth, looking for stars.
Joséphine-Charlotte dies at 77 from cancer
On January 10, 2005 at 5:55 a.m., the wife of the former Grand Duke Jean and mother of Grand Duke Henri died at her home, at Fischbach Castle, at the age of 77. The people of Luxembourg were not unaware that she was suffering from cancer, however her death aroused great emotion in the country.
Former Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte and former Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, August 5, 2002
SIPA / © Frank Rollitz/REX
“Everyone in Luxembourg knew that Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte was ill and of the inevitable tragic outcome. The fact remains that, yesterday morning, the shock was profound upon the announcement of the death of the woman who, coming from Belgium, had managed to be adopted and loved almost like a mother by every Luxembourger, because the sister of King Albert II marked the history of his country. Through constant action for the benefit of the most deprived and through his great culture and his passion for the arts,” says “La Libre”.
National mourning was established until his funeral, celebrated on January 15 in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg in the presence, in addition to the Grand Ducal Luxembourg and Belgian royal families, of numerous foreign crowned heads. For three days, the population was able to pay their respects to his coffin, a funeral chapel having been installed at the Grand Ducal Palace.
The funeral of the former Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg on January 15, 2005
SIPA / © VIRGINIA MAYO/AP
According to her last wishes, the body of the former Grand Duchess was cremated and the urn containing her ashes placed in the vault of the Grand Ducal family located in the crypt of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Her husband survived her by 14 years, passing away on April 23, 2019, at the age of 98.
