The Grand Ducal Family

H.R.H. the Crown Princess

Born on

18 February 1984

in Renaix, Belgium

S.A.R. la Princesse Stéphanie — © Maison du Grand-Duc / Sophie Margue

Biography

Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy is the youngest of the eight children of Count de Lannoy († 10.01.2019) and Countess de Lannoy, born Alix della Faille de Leverghem († 26.08.2012). She grew up at the Anvaing family estate in the Belgian Hainaut region, surrounded by her seven brothers and sisters.

La Princesse Stéphanie à 1 an — © Private collection

Princess Stephanie at 1 year

On October 20, 2012, she married His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg at the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City. Since then, she bears the title of Her Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Photos of the Royal Wedding

Mariage du Couple héritier - Balcon du Palais grand-ducal — © 2012 SIP / Zineb Ruppert

Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie on the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace on their wedding day

Princess Stéphanie and Prince Guillaume are parents to two boys, Prince Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume, born on 10 May 2020 and Prince François Henri Luis Marie Guillaume, born on 27 March 2023. Both were born at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg.

The Hereditary Couple with Prince Charles in the park

2020: Planting of a tree in honour of Prince Charles

The Hereditary Couple with Prince Charles

Education

The Crown Princess studied at the École Sancta Maria in Renaix, Belgium. She started her secondary studies at the Collège Sainte-Odile in the north of France and continued at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, where she obtained her diploma in 2002. At the age of 18, she spent a year in Moscow, studying Russian language and literature and practicing the violin assiduously. In addition to her mother tongue, French, Princess Stéphanie is fluent in Luxembourgish, German and English.

La Princesse Stéphanie en 1991 — © Private collection

Princess Stephanie in 1991

Princess Stéphanie graduated with grande distinction in Germanic Philology from the Université Catholique of Louvain. She finished her thesis about the influence of German romanticism on Russian romanticism based on the case studies of E.T.A. Hoffmann and Pushkin during her stay at the Humboldt Universität in Berlin. She decided to stay in Berlin and subsequently completed an internship at the Agence wallone à l'Exportation before working for an investment company.

Later on, during the couple's stay in London in 2018 and 2019, Princess Stéphanie attended an art history class at Sotheby's Institute.

Official activities and High Patronages

Princess Stéphanie chooses to carry out most activities together with Prince Guillaume, which shows the close bond they share. During official activities, such as the National Day celebrations, New Year's Audiences or State visits, Princess Stéphanie fulfils her representation duties with ease and spontaneity.

Le Prince et la Princesse en mission économique au Royaume du Maroc — © SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen

Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie while on an economic mission to the Kingdom of Morocco in September 2019

During the many economic missions chaired by the Hereditary Grand Duke and led by the Minister of Economy, the Hereditary Grand Duchess is usually at his side, whether they are in Europe, Africa, Asia, or the United States.

She also attends numerous commemorations with her husband. She often joins Prince Guillaume in his activities on company anniversaries and visits to associations of which he is the Patron.

Since her marriage, the Hereditary Grand Duchess has been one of the four administrators of the Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse.

Journée commémorative de la fin de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale - Paris — © 2015 Cour grand-ducale / David Nivière

Commemoration of the end of the Second World War in Paris in May 2015

More recently, the Crown Princess also granted her High Patronage to Blëtz a.s.b.l., a Luxembourg association that aims to help people who have suffered a stroke. Taking on this High Patronage had a special meaning for her, as both of her parents had had one. Her commitment to this association had led her to support its activities launched for World Stroke Day and to attend conferences, such as the Stroke Occupational Therapy Conference in 2018, to learn more about treatment possibilities. Princess Stéphanie takes an interest in the issues of an increase in loneliness in our societies, particularly among the elderly.

Because of her interest in the latest technological advances, she granted her High Patronage to the Scienteens Lab, founded by the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LSCB), in 2014. This is the first research laboratory that welcomes high school students in order to stimulate their interest in science.

Visite du "Scienteens Lab" du Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine — © Michel Brumat / Université du Luxembourg

Visit of the Scienteens Lab of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)

The Crown Princess also closely follows the progress of organic farming. She is particularly interested in improving production systems in order to generate smaller ecological footprints. Thus, together with the Crown Prince, she regularly visits local organic farmers and participates in academic sessions on the subject.

Princesse Stéphanie à la présentation du projet LeguTec — © SIP / Charles Caratini

Princess Stéphanie attends the presentation of the LeguTec project

Her commitment to the arts

The Crown Princess is also passionate about art and supporting artisans. When she arrived in Luxembourg, she discovered an exceptional local savoir-faire, which had hitherto sometimes been underappreciated. She made it her mission to support and help showcase local artists and craftsmen. Princess Stéphanie enjoys meeting artists and having the opportunity to learn more about their creative ideas and processes. She also promotes Luxembourg art both nationally and internationally.

Visite du Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg en 2017 — © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

Visit of the Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg in 2017

She is passionate about arts and crafts, both classical and contemporary. Among the forms of artistic expression, she is particularly fascinated by pictorial and decorative art, photography and handcrafted works of art. Thus, Princess Stéphanie granted her High Patronage to the association Les Amis des Musées d'art et d'histoire du Luxembourg in 2013 and regularly participates in the Midis de l'Art organised by the association.

In 2016, she became Chair of the Board of Directors of the Fondation Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (MUDAM).

vernissage des expositions Su-Mei Tse — © Mudam / Marion Dessard

H.R.H. the Crown Princess gives a speech at the opening night of the exhibitions Su-Mei Tse – Nested and Flatland / Abstractions narratives #2

Having noticed a decline in interest and a loss of expertise in craftsmanship in Europe and Luxembourg, Princess Stéphanie and Prince Guillaume organised an exhibition in 2016 highlighting the Luxembourg arts and crafts sector. As it was such a resounding success, they decided to create the association De Mains de Maîtres Luxembourg the following year. The association's mission is to support artists and craftsmen: in addition to a biennial exhibition in Luxembourg, it organises exhibitions abroad, distributes scholarships and sets up pop-up shops, etc. The aim is to support people already active in the field as well as to motivate young people to follow their dreams of being an artist.

Exposition De Mains de Maitres — © Cour grand-ducale / Charles Caratini

Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie attend an exhibition of De Mains de Maîtres dedicated to artisans

As part of her commitment to promoting the arts, the Crown Princess has also given her High Patronage to the Lëtz'Arles association, which supports Luxembourg photographers to exhibit their works at the annual Rencontres de la photographie in Arles.

Other interests and hobbies

The Crown Princess has always had a keen interest in classical music. She was encouraged from an early age by her parents to study music. She learned to play the piano first and then the violin. As a teenager, she developed a passion for reading and she studied different foreign languages, which allowed her to discover classical authors in their native language.

Princess Stéphanie has fully embraced motherhood since the birth of Prince Charles. She enjoys making new family memories together while ensuring her son grows up with the values of family and respect that she shares with Prince Guillaume.