Prince Gabriel of Nassau

Prince Louis of Luxembourg (Louis Xavier Marie Guillaume; born 3 August 1986) is the third son of the Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.

Prince Louis has two elder siblings: Guillaume and Felix; and two younger siblings: Alexandra and Sébastien. He was married to Tessy Antony, a former NCO in the Luxembourg Army, from whom he separated in 2017. They have two sons: Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah.

Early life and education

Prince Louis was born in 3 August 1986 at Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City.

After completing his primary education at the Ecole de Lorentzweiler, Prince Louis continued his secondary education at the American School of Luxembourg. He then went to the Collège Beau Soleil in Switzerland, where he earned his high school diploma in 2005.

During his time in Switzerland, he developed a particular interest in social and humanitarian work. He has taken part in missions organised by an NGO, in cooperation with his school, in Mumbai, India. There, he taught English to children from the poorest neighbourhoods of the city and to children living on the street. After his return to Europe, he followed what seems to have become a calling and carried out a one-year traineeship at the headquarters of the Red Cross in Geneva. During his school holidays, he also participated in programmes for looking after groups of children and supporting the elderly.

After spending two years in the United States, where Prince Louis underwent training in "Aeronautics and Aeronautical Management" and gained his "Private pilot certificate", the princely family moved to the United Kingdom. There, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy attended university. In May 2014, Prince Louis graduated from Richmond, The American International University in London with a BA in Art in Communications. He wrote his undergraduate dissertation on humanitarian advertisement. He then continued his study at Birkbeck College in London and obtained a Master Degree in Psychosocial Studies.

In the International Forum on Learning Disabilities, held on January 30, 2016 in Luxembourg, Prince Louis testified for the first time in public about his struggle with dyslexia. He was diagnosed at the age of 10. He said of his learning difficulty, "I did not understand what was happening. I was constantly forced to try to achieve the same levels as others. That takes a lot of time and leaves you frustrated because you can't do it." The Prince also said that he took sport, especially rugby, as the outlet of his frustration. Prince Louis has a deep understanding and willingness to support dyslexic people, thanks to his personal experience and training with Béatrice Sauvageot, a recognized expert in this field. Currently, he lives in Paris and works as a consultant for Laurent Meeschaert Conseil.

Prince Louis speaks Luxembourgish, French, English and German fluently. He also has a sound knowledge of Spanish.

Marriage and family

On 12 March 2006, Tessy Antony gave birth to a boy, named Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny de Nassau, who was born at a private Swiss hospital, Clinic des Grangettes, in Geneva. The boy was the first grandchild for Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Prince Louis married Tessy Antony on 29 September 2006 in Gilsdorf's Roman Catholic parish church. Upon his initially morganatic marriage, he gave up his succession rights and those of all the couple's children. Although Louis retained his title of "Prince of Luxembourg" and the style of "Royal Highness", his wife and son were originally only given the surname de Nassau with no titles. The couple's second son, Noah Etienne Guillaume Gabriel Matthias Xavier de Nassau, was born on 21 September 2007 at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital. The baby was baptised at the same church in Gilsdorf where his parents married and his elder brother was christened.

Sometime after the birth of Noah, Tessy had a third pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage.

On Luxembourg's National Day on 23 June 2009, Tessy was given the title of "Princess of Luxembourg" and the style "Royal Highness". Their sons and future children were also given the title "Prince of Nassau" with the style "Royal Highness". The family lived in London.

The Grand Ducal Court announced the separation of Louis and Tessy on 18 January 2017. Divorce proceedings began in the United Kingdom, where the couple lived. The divorce was finalized on 4 April 2019.

Patronage

Prince Louis is a patron of the Luxembourg Federation of Table Tennis (since 2004), the Martial Arts Federation (since 2010), and the Luxembourg Aeronautical Federation (since 2011).

Honours and awards

•  Luxembourg: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
•  Luxembourg: Grand Cross of Order of Adolphe of Nassau