Grand Duke Henri completes last foreign trip before abdication!

Grand Duke Henri completes last foreign trip before abdication!

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg completed his last official trip abroad before his abdication in Switzerland. This took place as part of an informal summit meeting of the heads of state of German-speaking countries. Representatives included Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Belgium, and the summit took place on September 4th and 5th, 2025 in the canton of St. Gallen. Henri, who will end his term of office on October 3, 2025, was received by Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter in Ragaz-les-Bains.

In addition to Grand Duke Henri, Alexander Van der Bellen, the President of Austria, with his wife Doris Schmidauer, as well as King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde took part in the summit meeting. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein came together with Hereditary Princess Sophie. Henri was the only head of state to travel without his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

Political conversations and personal connections

During the summit, current political issues were the focus of discussions that took place on September 4th in Bad Ragaz. A central topic of discussion was Europe's competitiveness, which was subsequently discussed during the train ride to St. Gallen. After a dinner organized by President Keller-Sutter, the heads of state had the opportunity to visit the old town, the St. Gallen monastery, the abbey library and the cathedral.

The relationship between Grand Duke Henri and King Philippe of Belgium is particularly close; Both are first cousins ​​and have known each other since childhood. Henri is also godfather to Prince Emmanuel, Philippe's son. In a recent interview, Henri said that he considered it important to pass on responsibilities to the next generation and praised his sons, Guillaume and Stéphanie, as excellent representatives for Luxembourg.

A look at the future

Henri's impending abdication was also discussed at the summit. Although he has not wanted to take responsibility for the exact timing of his abdication in the past, the date of his deposition has been set for October 3, 2025. In an interview with the Belgian daily La Libre, he confirmed that he knew when he would abdicate, but did not reveal a date.

Finally, Henri said goodbye to King Philippe, who is expected to attend celebrations in Luxembourg in a month. The heads of state's stay in Switzerland ended on the afternoon of September 5th, with the promise of a reunion next year.