The government has yet to decide whether Friday October 3, 2025 will be a public holiday, as it is the day Crown Prince William is due to ascend the throne of Luxembourg.
Grand Duke Henri announced during his Christmas speech on December 24 that he would retire next year and that his son would take over as monarch of Luxembourg on Friday October 3, almost 25 years to the day after Henri himself succeeded his father, Grand Duke Jean, on October 7, 2000.
William became his father’s lieutenant-representative in October, a formal title similar to that of prince regent and which confers additional duties on him. This period of transition in the transmission of power from one monarch to another is traditional in Luxembourg.
A decision only next year
But while the UK marked the coronation of King Charles with a public holiday on May 8 last year, following the May 6 ceremony, nothing of the sort is yet planned for Crown Prince William’s enthronement .
The government will only decide next year and closer to the event whether the day will be a public holiday in Luxembourg, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office told Luxembourg Times.
Grand Duke Henry took office on a Saturday almost 25 years ago, so the question of whether or not to grant a public holiday did not then arise.
Looking at other recent ceremonies in European monarchies, the succession day in Denmark where King Frederik succeeded his mother, Queen Margrethe, took place on January 14 this year, a Sunday. The inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands took place on April 30, 2013, Victoria Day, which was then a public holiday.
King Felipe of Spain was proclaimed head of state in July 2014 in a discreet ceremony, without an official coronation and without visits from dignitaries, after the abdication of his father Juan Carlos under investigation for corruption .
In Belgium, King Philippe ascended the throne to succeed his father, King Albert II, on July 21, 2013, a national holiday.
This article was originally published on the website Luxembourg Times.
Adaptation: Mélodie Mouzon
