It's not every day a royal stands guard at Buckingham Palace. But last week, Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg had the honour of taking part in the traditional ceremony as flag-bearer of the 1st Batallion Irish Guards. His parents Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa watched with pride as their youngest son and fifth child participated in one of Britain's most iconic attractions, whereby the Queen's guard hands over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace to the new guard.
The family's official Instagram page shared photos of the trio after Thursday's ceremony. The pictures, taken inside Buckingham Palace, were captioned: "The Grand Ducal Couple and their youngest son Prince Sébastien after the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham Palace that took place on Thursday July 19. The dog is the regiment's mascot."
Sébastien with his parents Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Copyright: Cour grand-ducale
Sébastien looked handsome in his military uniform, holding his traditional bearskin cap, which is 18 inches tall and weighs 1.5 pounds. The royal is currently stationed at Hounslow Barracks in London with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards as a troop commander and, on occasions like this, a standard bearer.
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The family posed with the regiment's mascot. Copyright: Cour grand-ducale
The 26-year-old graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in August 2017, qualifying as an officer cadet – the same prestigious academy that Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Michael of Kent attended, as well as Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, King Abdullah II of Jordan and his son Crown Prince Hussein. Sébastien also followed in the footsteps of his father the Grand Duke and his older brothers Prince Guillaume and Prince Felix.
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Sébastien is the youngest of five. His parents Henri and Maria Teresa have four older children: Henri's heir, Prince Guillaume, 36, Prince Felix, 34, Prince Louis, 31, and Princess Alexandra, 27.
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