It seems that royal wedding mania continues. Just months after Luxembourg celebrated heir Prince Guillaume's marriage to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, there's more happy news for the tiny country. Prince Felix is engaged to Claire Lademacher, the royal household has confirmed. In a statement released on Thursday, the Grand Ducal family made official what had already been rumoured earlier this month.
The statement reads: "The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have the inmense joy to announce the engagement of their son, His Royal Highness Prince Felix, to Miss Claire Lademacher."
© Cour grand-ducale / Collection Privée / tous droits réservés
Felix, 28, and Claire, 27, have been spotted together at several events over the past months, including at the nuptials of the Prince's cousin Archduke Imre in Washington DC. Claire also attended the wedding of her brother-in-law-to-be Crown Prince Guillaume to Princess Stephanie, although the couple did not sit together.
The Prince is the second son of the Grand Duke and Duchess after elder brother Prince Guillaume. His younger siblings include Prince Louis, Princess Alexandra and Prince Sebastien, all of whom played a key role in Guillaume's big day. The luxurious wedding took place on October 20 and helped put the tiny landlocked country on the map. Princess Stephanie chose a bespoke show-stopping dress by Lebanese Elie Saab as she stepped out at Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral.
German-born Claire is an heiress who grew up near Frankfurt. Her father, Hartmut Lademacher, is worth an estimated €600 million and garnered his fortune thanks to savvy investments in the software industry. The pretty brunette's history with Felix dates back to their student days at Beau Soleil boarding school, a prestigious institution nestled in the stunning valleys of Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The pair also read Bioethics in Rome, where they spent a lot of time studying together and getting to know one another in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Now that friendship has blossomed into something much deeper and the couple have been seen looking very much an item at several recent events, Claire is fast becoming part of Luxembourg's royal family. The smart career girl studied at the American University of Paris and starting her career at Conde Nast Publications and is a passionate campaigner of the subject which she based her dissertation on – organ donation. Claire is very much moved by the stories of people who live with the constant hope of donation, and friends say that what began as a simple, academic investigation for the brunette quickly became a professional obsession.
Felix and Claire are not the only young royals preparing to wed. Recently Princess Madeleine of Sweden announced her plans to marry her financier partner Chris O'Neil. Madeleine, who is third in line to the Swedish throne, revealed her big news in November. Queen Silvia confirmed the reports shortly after 9am, speaking to news agency TT and saying "The princess is very happy and so are we. He is every mother-in-law's dream."
