Guillaume V

Luxembourg Archduke of the Nassau-Weilburg family .[1]

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg on November 11, 1981. He was the first born of Henri and Archduchess Maria Theresa . His godparents were his aunt, Princess Marie Astrid, and his uncle, Prince Guillaume, and he had four younger siblings, including Prince Felix, Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Sebastian.

He began his studies at public schools, receiving his primary education at Lorenzweiler and his secondary education at Lisse Robert Schumann in Luxembourg City. Afterwards, he went to Switzerland to study, studied at the prestigious boarding school Institut Le Roset and Collège Alpin International Beausoleil, and passed the Baccalaureate , the French university entrance exam, in 2001. Regarding his military experience , he graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in Cambury, England .

Afterwards, he took university courses at Durham University and Brunel University in the UK, and in 2006, he entered the Philanthropos Institute in Friborg, Switzerland, where he studied philosophy and anthropology for one year. He then studied literature and political science at the Albert Le Grand Academy in Angers, France, and obtained a bachelor's degree with excellent grades from the University of Angers in 2009 through credit exchange. Relatively recently, from 2018 to 2019, he completed top-level training at the Royal College of Defense (RCDS) in London, England.

In 2000, when his father Henri ascended the throne, he became crown prince and gained a variety of practical experience. Starting with the Belgian chemical company UCB in 2003 , he completed internships at Deutsche Bank in London in 2004 and ArcelorMittal's Spanish subsidiary in 2005. In March 2001, he served as honorary chairman of the Luxembourg Economic Development Board. He then began serving as a member of the State Council on June 24, 2005, and in the same year, he became a member of the New York State Council. I also attended the Millennium Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters. In 2012, he also gained practical experience at the European Commission (EC) and the Luxembourg EU Delegation in Brussels .

He also had a deep interest in humanitarian activities and service, so in the summer of 1997, he participated in a humanitarian camp in Nepal as a Luxembourg scout and participated in various support activities such as afforestation projects. Based on this relationship, he joined the board of directors of the World Scout Foundation in 2017 and supports the development of the scout movement around the world. In 1999, he visited an underdeveloped area in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and participated in charity work to provide education and social support to underprivileged youth. In addition, after serving as chairman of the Kräizbierg Foundation, which supports the disabled, for more than 10 years (2000-2011), he was appointed honorary chairman from March 2011.

In the military, he has maintained the rank of colonel ever since he took the oath of commission as an officer in December 2002, but upon being crowned as archduke, he was promoted to general and became commander-in-chief of the military.

On October 19, 2012, a civil ceremony was held with Stéphanie de Lanois at the city hall of Colmarberg, located in Merchesge , and a religious ceremony was held at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg the following day.[2] The eldest son, Prince Charles , was born in 2020, and the second son, Prince François, was born in 2023 .

In September 2018, Prince Guillaume and his wife moved to London and entered the highest level course at the Royal College of Defense (RCDS).[3]

On June 23, 2024, his father, Archduke Henri, announced at the Luxembourg National Day event that he would appoint Guillaume as Lieutenant-representative in October of that year as the first step in the transfer of the throne.[4] Accordingly, the appointment ceremony of the deputy was held at the Grand Duke's Palace on October 8, and related procedures were followed in the National Assembly. Guillaume led state affairs as regent from the 8th, and two months later, on December 24th, Archduke Henry announced a specific schedule in his annual Christmas speech to abdicate the position of archduke on October 3, 2025 and transfer full power to Guillaume.

At 10 am on October 3, 2025, his father, Henri , left, and at 11:00, he oath at the House of Representatives. The retirement and crowning ceremony were attended by the Dutch Billum Alexander , Queen Maxima , the aura girl Katarina Armalia and Belgium , Queen Matilde , and Elizabeth, the Duke of Bravant .

Upon ascending the throne, he decided to use his official name as 'Guillaume V', a choice that emphasized legitimacy in continuing the lineage of the four previous grand dukes (Guillaume I-IV) who used the name Guillaume (or Willem).

As his first official move after taking the throne, Guillaume V visited the Vatican with Archduchess Stephanie on January 23, 2026, and had an audience with Pope Leo XIV . In the presence of his two sons, Prince Charles and Prince François, he once again confirmed the strong friendly relationship between Luxembourg and the Vatican. This meeting is the Archduke and his wife's first official overseas visit since taking over as Archduke on October 3, 2025.