Prince Jean of Luxembourg
Encyclopedia
Prince Jean of Luxembourg (Given names: Jean Félix Marie Guillaume) was born on 15 May 1957 at Betzdorf Castle
Betzdorf Castle
Betzdorf Castle is a former castle in the commune of Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. It is the headquarters of SES S.A., the world's largest satellite operator in terms of revenue and the largest component of Luxembourg Stock Exchange's main LuxX Index. It is located north-west of Betzdorf...
, the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma...
and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as spouse of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
. He is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha
Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein
Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein is the fourth child and second daughter of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg...
. His godparents are Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Princess Margrethe of Denmark
Princess Margaretha of Sweden
Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Norway, later just of Sweden, Margaretha Sofia Lovisa Ingeborg was a Princess of Sweden by birth and Princess of Denmark by marriage...
. He frequently goes by the name of Jean Nassau.
On 26 September 1986, Prince Jean renounced his right of succession to the Luxembourg throne.
Education and youth
Prince Jean was educated in LuxembourgLuxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Switzerland and France, where he obtained his baccalaureate. He then undertook a language course at he Bell School of Languages in Cambridge England.
In 1977, Prince Jean began his military officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England and member of the Champion Platoon, he was commissioned in August 1978, . He was made a captain of the Luxembourg Army in 1979. After completing his University in Geneva, he went to New York and joined W.R. Grace as a financial analyst working in the Finance, Planning & Analysis Division of the Group that reported to the President & CEO of the company, at the time, Mr J. Peter Grace. Back in Europe in 1985, in 1986 he obtained an MBA from INSEAD
INSEAD
INSEAD is an international graduate business school and research institution. It has campuses in Europe , Asia , and the Middle East , as well as a research center in Israel...
in Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, France.
Marriage and family
On 27 May 1987, Prince Jean married morganatically in Paris Hélène Suzanna Vestur (born Saint-Germain-en-LayeSaint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
, 31 May 1958), now a high civil servant, "Conseiller d'Etat" judge, daughter of François Philippe Vestur and wife Cécile Ernestine Buisson. His wife and children bore the title "Count(ess) of Nassau." On 27 November 2004 Grand-Duc Henri issued an Arrêté Grand-Ducal upgrading the issue of Prince Jean to Prince/Princesse de Nassau with the qualification of Altesse Royale, without succession rights. The prince and former countess are now divorced, after having had four children together:
- Countess, now HRH Princess Marie-Gabrielle of NassauPrincess Marie-Gabrielle of NassauPrincess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau born 8 December 1986, is the first child and only daughter of Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Helene Vestur.Marie-Gabrielle was born prior to her parents marriage and held no title at birth...
(b. Paris, 8 September 1986) - Count, now HRH Prince Constantin Jean Philippe Marie Albert Marc d'Aviano of Nassau (b. Paris, 22 July 1988)
- Count, now HRH Prince Wenceslas François Baudoin Léopold Juraj Marie Marc d'Aviano of Nassau (b. Paris, 17 November 1990)
- Count, now HRH Prince Carl-Johan Félix Julien Marc d'Aviano of Nassau (b. Paris, 15 August 1992)
On 18 March 2009, Prince Jean married Diane De Guerre.
Prince Jean works in the water industry, he is an advisor to the GDF-Suez Group, Executive VP of the Suez Fondation and a Member of the Executive Board of Degrémont
Degrémont
Degrémont is a company specializing in the production of drinking water, and in the treatment of sewage and sludge. After starting as a family business in France in 1939, it has since become a subsidiary of Suez Environment, employing 4,600 people in 70 countries, and generating annual revenues of...
, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement
Suez Environnement
Suez Environnement S.A. is a French-based utility company which operates largely in the water treatment and waste management sectors. Formerly an operating division of Suez, the company was spun out as a stand-alone entity as part of the merger to form GDF Suez on 22 July 2008. GDF Suez remains...
. It is unclear what his exact function is at Degremont-Suez, even to people working within the company. After having been President of the "Chambre de Commerce belgo-luxembourgeoise en France", for two mandates Prince Jean remains Honorary President of the Chambre de Commerce belgo-luxembourgeoise en France. In 2006 he bought the Southern African Water subsidiary of Suez Environnement, WSSA (Water & Sanitation South Africa) and created Mea Aqua, with the objective to develop water and energy solutions in the Middle East and in Africa. Mea Aqua and its subsidiaries employ today over 2,500 employees.
Prince Jean is, among other, member of the board of the MIP, a business school based in Paris and a board member of a number of financial institutions : Banque Degroof Luxembourg, EFG Bank and EFG International, Ecofin, Hedge funds that are active in the utility segment.