Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium

Joséphine-Charlotte, Ingeborg, Elisabeth, Marie, Jose, Marguerite, Astrid of Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha, large duchess of Luxembourg , were born with the Royal palace from Brussels in Belgium the October 11th 1927. She died the January 10th 2005 with the castle of Fischbach, with the Grand-Duché of Luxembourg.

Titulature

- Its Royal Highness the princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (of its birth to its marriage)

- Its Royal Highness the large-duchess of Luxembourg, princess of Bourbon of Parma, duchess of Nassau (of its marriage to its death)

Born in a royal family

She was the oldest daughter of the crown prince Léopold to Belgium (future Léopold III) and of the princess Astrid of Sweden (future Astrid queen). His/her two brothers were kings of the Belgians: Baudouin I (1930-1993) and Albert II (1934).

In 1935, their mother, the queen Astrid, victim of an car accident with Swiss Küssnacht in .

In 1944, the Germans take along the king Léopold III, the princess Lilian (second woman of Léopold) and their four children (Joséphine-Charlotte, Baudouin, Albert and Alexandre) in Germany then in Austria, where they will be released in May 1945. The prince Charles becomes regent of the kingdom of 1944 to 1950. Following the “royal Question”, they settle in Switzerland, where the princess Joséphine-Charlotte continues her formation at the University of the street Voltaire in Geneva.

In 1949, the princess Joséphine-Charlotte carries out an important mission in full Royal Question: she carries out an official return in Belgium where she receives a triumphal reception and will collect on the tomb of her mother the Astrid queen.

Marriage and children

She marries, the April 9th 1953 the prince Jean, then Large-duke heir to Luxembourg with which she will have five children:

Marie-Astrid, the February 17th 1954;
Henri, the April 16th 1955. It is the Large-duke of Luxembourg since the October 7th 2000;
Jean, the May 15th 1957;
Margaretha, the May 15th 1957;
Guillaume, on May 1st 1963.

The sovereign one

In 1964, the large-duchess Charlotte abdicates with the profit of his/her son, the Jean large-duke. Of 1964 with 2000, the large-duchess Joséphine-Charlotte fills with elegance, dignity and discretion its role of First lady of Luxembourg at the sides of her husband. It constituted with the castle of Colmar-Berg a remarkable private collection of contemporary works of art which were presented for the first time to the public in 2003 to the National museum of history and art of Luxembourg. It supervised work of restoration of the large-ducal Palais of Luxembourg undertaken 1991 with 1996. The large-duchess was president of honor of the Philharmonic orchestra of Luxembourg and granted her High patronage to the artistic Circle of Luxembourg.

In the social domain, it occupied various functions: presidency of the Luxembourg Red Cross and the Luxembourg Foundation against cancer, chief guides Movement of the guides of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, High patronage of S.O.S-Villages of child-Luxembourg and Committee Luxembourg for the UNICEF, etc.

The large-duchess Joséphine-Charlotte had obtained three following Luxembourg decorations: Grand Cross about the Gold Lion of Nassau, Grand Cross about the civil Merit and soldier of Adolphe de Nassau and Grand-Croix of the large-ducal Order of the Crown of Oak. The large-ducal couple had 21 grandchildren.

The last years did not save the large-duchess Joséphine-Charlotte. In September 2000, his son junior prince Guillaume and his wife the Sybilla princess are victims of an car accident in France. The prince remains in the coma during several days, which involves the carryforward of the abdication of the Jean large-duke of a few weeks. In 2002, the large-duchess María Teresa makes awkwardness to entrust her quarrels with her mother-in-law to journalists, which causes a scandal in the Luxembourg press. In 2003, the Court announces the cancer of the large-duchess and the cancellation of the official ceremonies planned for its golden wedding in April 2003.

Death of a great lady

The large-duchess died of a tumor to the lung the January 10th 2005 with the castle of Fischbach, where it had settled with her husband since his abdication.

Chaired by the archbishop of Luxembourg, Mgr Fernand Franck, his funeral took place with the Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Luxembourg and gathered many crowned heads: the complete Belgian royal family, the Béatrix queen of the Netherlands, the Sophie queen of Spain, the queen Marghrete II of Denmark, king Carl XVI Gustaf and the Silvia queen of Sweden, the Sonja queen of Norway, prince Albert of Monaco, prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, prince Alois and the Sophie princess of Liechtenstein, prince Akishino and the Kiko princess of Japan, prince Hassan and the Sarvath princess of Jordan, prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, ex-king Constantin of Greece, etc. According to its last wills, its skin was then incinerated. The ballot box containing its ashes was deposited in the crypt of the large-ducal family to the Notre-Dame cathedral.

Five months after her death, the large-ducal family inaugurates officially the Concert hall Large-duchess Joséphine-Charlotte installed on the plate of Kirchberg in Luxembourg.

His/her five children intended on sale to spend in December 2006 at Sotheby' S in Paris 150 jewels personal having belonged to the large-duchess Joséphine-Charlotte: gifts of engagement or marriage received in 1953, heritages of the Belgian royal family and purchases personal. The historical jewels of the large-ducal family did not form part of this sale and had been transmitted to the Maria-Teresa large-duchess as of the abdication of 2000. But following very many criticisms of Luxembouregois, the sale of the jewels of Joséphine-Charlotte was cancelled in order not to tarnish the image of the dynasty.

The princess who could have been queen

Joséphine-Charlotte, although elder of the children of the king of the Belgians Léopold III, forever been able to claim with the throne of Belgium. Indeed, until 1991, the Salic law held the function of monarch only to the male descendants. From now on, they is elder royal children who can inherit the crown. This law applies starting from the descent of the king Albert II (brother of Joséphine-Charlotte) and of the Paola queen of Belgium.

See too

http://www.gouvernement.lu/salle_presse/actualite/2005/01/10gd/cv_gd/index.html

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