Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg to visit Laos

His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his entourage will pay a working visit to Laos from December 5-9.
The visit is in response to an invitation from President Thongloun Sisoulith to strengthen and enhance the splendid tradition of strong cooperative relations between Laos and Luxembourg, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Grand Duke Henri.

His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri was born on April 16, 1955, at Betzdorf Castle in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Grand Duke Henri, Prince of Nassau and Prince of Bourbon-Parma, is the eldest son of the five children of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte.
On February 14, 1981, the Hereditary Grand Duke married Maria Teresa Mestre. They have five children.
He became Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on October 7, 2000.
Preparing for his role as the future Head of State, Prince Henri completed his secondary education in Luxembourg and France. He trained at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst in Great Britain and obtained the rank of officer in 1975.
Prince Henri graduated with a Licence en Sciences Politiques in 1980 from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales (Graduate Institute of International Studies) in Geneva, Switzerland.
He also travelled extensively overseas to further his knowledge and education, particularly to the United States and Japan.
From 1978 to 2000, Prince Henri was Honorary Chairman of the Economic Development Committee. As such, he presided over numerous international trade and economic missions in order to promote the image of the Grand Duchy.
His personal involvement in these missions facilitated access to new commercial markets and contributed to attracting investments to Luxembourg.
Prince Henri was appointed Lieutenant-Representative of His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean on March 4, 1998. He was thus delegated certain powers in some specific areas, after having pledged to obey the Constitution.
His experiences as Hereditary Grand Duke had prepared him for the role all along.
At the age of 79, Grand Duke Jean decided to abdicate after 35 years as Head of State, entrusting the throne to his eldest son, Grand Duke Henri.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update December 1, 2022)