Love Stories: Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Henri defied all odds to marry each other
By Suki Reid|
Before Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Henri ruled Luxembourg, the pair were simply classmates.
While attending the University of Geneva, Maria Teresa met her future husband, Prince Henri of Luxembourg, and they both studied political science.
During their four years as study partners, their friendship blossomed into a courtship and a relationship.
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Maria Teresa later said: "The more time we spent together, it was more clear to us that we would spend our lives together."
The couple became engaged shortly after graduating in 1980, though they had to keep it under wraps.
Despite the expectation that royals would marry into other European royal families or be titled aristocracy and become less important in the modern world, the pair still considered this factor.
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Henri's parents, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte were reportedly unhappy with his choice of future consort.
It seems nothing can stop true love, with Henri refusing to consider tying the knot with anyone else.
Instead, it was rumoured that Henri offered to renounce his title and claim to the throne so that he could marry Maria Teresa.
During a 2002 interview with Le Soir, Maria Teresa admitted that Joséphine-Charlotte didn't want her son to marry a "simple commoner" and that her relationship with her mother-in-law remained tense.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Pierre Werner announced the pair's engagement on November 8, 1980.
Things moved very quickly from there, and by February 14, 1981, the pair were married in an ultra-luxurious wedding.
The couple reportedly didn't know they were getting married on Valentine's Day, as it wasn't a widely-celebrated holiday in their home country.
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Maria Teresa wore a simple yet beautiful wedding gown made by the French fashion house Balmain.
It featured white fur trimming and a two-metre gown, and it was accessorised with the Congo Diamond Tiara.
Grand Duke Henri said then: "This day I will always remember as the day that was such great joy. I will not conceal that I was a little excited about the enormous appeal which had found our wedding in the media."
"At that moment, but in which my fiancée walked into the cathedral, any nervousness was gone, and I knew that we would now be forever by two for the tasks that would put life and my function to us to overcome together. This moment is one of my best memories."
The royal couple went on to start a family, welcoming their first child, Prince Guillaume, on November 11, 1981. Four more children followed quickly: Prince Félix (1984), Prince Louis (1986), Princess Alexandra (1991), and Prince Sébastien (1992).
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At the turn of the millennium in 2000, Grand Duke Henri ascended to the throne, making Maria Teresa the new Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Luxemburg does not use the terms King and Queen as it is the world's only sovereign Grand Duchy.
Six years into leading Luxemburg together, the pair became grandparents to Prince Gabriel, who was followed by Prince Noah (2007), Princess Amalia (2014), and Prince Liam (2016).
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