The first grand ducal grandson is an adult!
In addition to our own Benjamin van Vollenhoven, another royal descendant celebrated his birthday yesterday! We take you to Luxembourg, where the eighteenth birthday of Prince Gabriel, the eldest son of Prince Louis and his ex Tessy Antony, was extensively celebrated.
Congratulations
A great moment for the Luxembourg royals! The eldest grandson of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa became an adult yesterday.
Via Instagram, the Grande Duchesse shares a series of sweet photos of the young Prince Gabriel:
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“Happy happy 18th birthday to our dear Gabriel!”, she captioned the snaps.
Although it is obvious that the proud grandmother would put her grandson in the spotlight, this was not always so logical.
Scandal
From the moment he was born, the young Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny de Nassau managed to make headlines, but unfortunately not in a positive way. The young prince, who saw the light of day on March 12, 2006, was born without his parents being married. And that of course caused quite a scandal in the Catholic mini-country – not least at court, where Tessy’s parents-in-law were reportedly furious about the turn of events.
Gabriel’s parents met when the prince visited an army base where Tessy was serving at the time, one thing led to another, and voilà, nine months later there was Gabriel. Only six months after his birth, his parents tied the knot, and over time the scandalous situation seemed to be forgiven and forgotten even by Gabriel’s grandparents. For example, Tessy was given the title ‘Princess of Luxembourg’ in 2009, and Gabriel and his brother Noah were allowed to use the title ‘Prince of Nassau’ from that moment on. In the meantime, Gabriel and Noah grew up in London, where the family stayed.
End
Ultimately, the relationship between Tessy and Louis did not last, and the couple separated in a (messy) divorce in 2017. For example, the Grand Ducal family wanted Tessy to leave their London home, but the British court decided that she could stay there with her family until both sons had completed their diplomas.
Tessy has now found love again with a Swiss businessman, and Gabriel and Noah have even welcomed another brother: little Theodor Frank.
Little family
While many other royals and ex-royals do everything they can to keep their offspring out of the spotlight, Tessy does not shy away from regularly sharing photos of her offspring via social media. She puts her newly adult son in the spotlight with a series of photos and a loving letter for the birthday boy.
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“Today, as you stand on the brink of adulthood, I want you to know how incredibly proud I am of you,” she writes, among other things.
She ends her message with the sweet words: “Happy eighteenth birthday, Gabriel. Cheers to the amazing journey ahead. May it be as extraordinary as you are.” Aww!
Source: Instagram @tessy_from_luxembourg, Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
