Crowned heads attend Luxembourg royal wedding
LUXEMBOURG: Crowned heads of Europe and ordinary citizens gathered for Luxembourg’s biggest royal event in decades to see heir-to-the-throne Prince Guillaume wed Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy.
The cream of Europe’s royalty were on hand for a Catholic wedding mass at Notre Dame cathedral blending tradition with modernity, the day after the couple tied the knot in an intimate civil ceremony.
Luxembourg’s openly gay mayor, Bettel Xavier, was accompanied by his partner to the festivities, along with nearly 300 ordinary residents of the Grand Duchy.
In another modern touch, the rings the couple exchanged were made from fair-trade gold.
Luxembourg Archbishop Jean- Claude Hollerich celebrated the multilingual mass, which began shortly after 11am as the blonde countess, wearing an ivory lace gown embroidered with silver filigree, entered the cathedral on the arm of her brother Jehan.
The 28-year-old bride is amember of one of Belgium’s oldest aristocratic families and the youngest of eight children.
Prince Guillaume, the 30-yearold Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, arrived in full military regalia with his mother, Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa, wearing a bright coral outfit with a silver brooch.
The event, at an estimated cost of 500,000 (RM1.98mil) to the Luxembourg taxpayer, includes free concerts, street shows and a giant fireworks display. — AFP