Louise Pragnell’s portraits of the future Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, commissioned by the Maison du Grand-Duc and revealed on October 2, 2025 (Maison du Grand-Duc)
Ahead of tomorrow’s abdication in Luxembourg, the future Grand Duchess Stéphanie has been depicted for the first time wearing one of the family’s most important royal tiaras.
Louise Pragnell’s portraits of the future Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, commissioned by the Maison du Grand-Duc and revealed on October 2, 2025 (Maison du Grand-Duc)
On Thursday, the grand ducal court in Luxembourg released a new series of portraits commissioned to mark the beginning of the reign of Grand Duke Guillaume, which official begins after his father, Grand Duke Henri, abdicates in his favor on Friday. The creation of these new portraits is part of the family tradition that takes place during the transition of power.
This portrait, painted by the British artist Louise Pragnell, shows the future Grand Duke Guillaume in uniform. He wears the insignia of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, the highest decoration in Luxembourg, and his gold wedding band. Additional paintings of Guillaume were made by the British portraitist Andrew Gow and the Luxembourgish painter Roland Schauls.
Louise Pragnell’s portraits of the future Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, commissioned by the Maison du Grand-Duc and revealed on October 2, 2025 (Maison du Grand-Duc)
Pragnell also painted a companion portrait of Guillaume’s wife, the future Grand Duchess Stéphanie. In the painting, Stéphanie wears a bright blue gala gown with jewelry and decorations. For the first time here, she is depicted wearing the sash and star of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, an honor she officially receives on the day of her husband’s accession.
Her jewelry is also special, particularly the tiara. In the painting, Stéphanie makes her debut in the Belgian Scroll Tiara, paired with the family’s aquamarine earrings and bracelet, and a diamond and pearl ribbon brooch from the grand ducal vaults.
The Belgian Scroll Tiara, worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg during a state visit to Belgium on April 16, 2024 (Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
The tiara, a diamond jewel with a scroll design, was a gift to Guillaume’s grandmother, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, when she married his grandfather, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, in 1953. The jewel was a wedding present from the Société Générale, a French bank. Joséphine-Charlotte wore it often over the next half-century, and since her death, it has been worn exclusively by her daughter-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.
Indeed, Maria Teresa has clearly become so fond of the tiara that she has worn it for nearly all gala appearances in recent memory. I had wondered whether handing over the tiara would be part of the grand ducal transition, and it appears that Stéphanie will indeed be its future wearer.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg attend a gala dinner celebrating the 80th birthdays of the King and Queen of Norway at the Opera House in Oslo on May 10, 2017 (Patrick van Katwijk/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)In the portrait, Stéphanie pairs the tiara with aquamarine and diamond earrings and a matching bracelet, part of a parure that also belonged to Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte. We’ve seen Stéphanie wear these jewels before, including a notable appearance in Oslo during birthday celebrations for the King and Queen of Norway in 2017.
Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg attends the National Day gala at the Grand Ducal Palace on June 23, 2016 (Patrick van Katwijk/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
The brooch pinned on Stéphanie’s order sash in the portrait is a classic diamond ribbon brooch with an Art Deco-inspired design. The piece features chevron detailing on the trailing ribbons and a delicate diamond fringe. At least three generations of the grand ducal family have been pictured wearing the brooch.
I’ll see you back here tomorrow for more on the jewels worn for the abdication and inauguration in Luxembourg!