A date has been set for Luxembourg’s royal wedding. Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke, and his fiancée Countess Stephanie de Lannoy will marry on Saturday October 20, it has been announced. Last week, the bride-to-be was presented to Luxembourg at an official ceremony held in the Grand-Duchal Palace. And her appearance gave onlookers their first glimpse of the engagement ring that sealed the couple’s love story.
The emerald-cut diamond sparkled brightly on Stephanie's hand and provided the perfect finishing to the two outfits she'd picked out for the festivities – a striking red dress for the afternoon, and a neutral ensemble for the evening. Throughout the celebrations, her affectionate fiancé could be seen cuddling and kissing Stephanie at the photocall with his family.
His parents Grand Duke Henri and Duchess Maria Teresa have welcomed the pretty blonde warmly into their fold and looked absolutely delighted. Even the inclement weather didn’t dampen the joyous atmosphere, with the Prince’s two brothers Felix, 27, Louis, 25, and his wife Tessy, grabbing umbrellas to stroll around the gardens with the happy couple. Speaking at the event, Prince Guillaume stated how "proud" he was to "present my girlfriend to Luxembourg".
Stephanie – born in the Belgian city of Ronse – also expressed her absolute joy at the engagement. She went on to reveal that she had already made a start learning the language, smiling as she added that she had "a very efficient teacher" in her future husband.
The Prince’s tutelage aside, she will no doubt have no problems picking up Luxembourgish – one of three official languages spoken in the country. Stephanie – who is a granddaughter of Princess Beatrice of Ligne and a member of Belgian nobility – is already fluent French, German and Russian, and studied languages at the University of Lovaina.