Photo: Reuter Raymond/Sygma via Getty
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, who fought his way ashore with British troops on D-Day before reigning over his country for 36 years, has died at the age of 98. The Grand Duke, who abdicated in 2000 in favor of his son Henri, had been hospitalized for a lung infection since April 13.
Born Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d’Aviano on January 5, 1921, the eldest child of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix, he became the Hereditary Grand Duke on his 18th birthday with war on the horizon and later became the only European head of state to participate in the D-Day landings as a combat officer.
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.Didier Lebrun © Photo News via Getty
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and his son Henri.BENAINOUS/SCORCELLETTI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.AFP/Getty
In June 1944, as a lieutenant with the Irish Guard, he came ashore near Bayeux, and fought in the Battle of Caen. He later assisted in the liberation of Brussels, and fought at Arnheim and in the Ardenne and was in the advance units liberating his own country before continuing to fight in Germany until the war ended.
Married in 1953 to Princess Josephine-Charlotte, sister to Belgium’s kings Baudouin and Albert II, in what is often considered one of the longest love matches in recent royal history, the couple had five children: Marie-Astrid, Henri, Jean, Margaretha and Guillaume, and 22 grandchildren. Grand-Duchess Josephine-Charlotte passed away in 2005.
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Josephine-Charlotte.BENAINOUS/SCORCELLETTI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
A committed proponent of the European Union, the Grand Duke oversaw his country’s membership and was key in transforming the Duchy into a major financial center.
Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Queen Elizabeth.Ron Bell/PA Images via Getty
“His disappearance is a great loss for the Grand Duchy and for Europe,” tweeted the President of the European Commission, and a former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.
source: people.com
