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The appointment of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume as Governor is the first step on the road to the change of throne in Luxembourg. The date of Grand Duke Henri's abdication has long been decided internally.

"But it is clear that it will not last forever", said Grand Duke Henri on the occasion of the imminent appointment of his son Guillaume as his deputy in an interview published by the Grand Ducal Palace.

The governorship is the first step. "And then we will continue with the second step," said the 69-year-old, who has been head of state of the second smallest country in the European Union since October 2000.

The date for the change of throne has already been set. "Yes, we know it. We have already discussed it", said Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume.

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The 42-year-old will be appointed "Lieutenant-Représentant" by his father this afternoon and will then take over "certain responsibilities", while Grand Duke Henri will remain Head of State.

Grand Duke Henri: "Take your foot off the gas"

Guillaume said he was "ready": the timing of his appointment was ideal and he felt well prepared. He sees the time until his accession to the throne as "part of the learning process". And admitted that he was "a little nervous" before the ceremony.

"I really want to give Prince Guillaume a lot more responsibility, because I think I really need to take my foot off the gas," said Grand Duke Henri.

For example, as governor, his son will take care of accreditations and receptions for ambassadors and sign decrees on behalf of the Grand Duke.

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However, Henri said that he would continue to handle everything to do with state visits and major events in the country himself. The future heir to the throne Guillaume emphasized that he would also continue his previous economic missions and activities in the social sector and with young people during his governorship.

Grand Duke looks forward to retirement

Guillaume said that he attaches great importance to family life and wants to be present as a father of two. He will therefore continue to drive his school-age son to school every morning - and put both children to bed at night, he said. In order to better separate work and private life, a new family home will be built on the grounds of Schloss Berg.

Grand Duke Henri said that the future period would be a transition. However, he and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were already looking forward to the new phase in their lives. "I don't really like the word retirement, but that's exactly what it is," he said. For now, he is looking forward to "taking it a little easier".

One of the most important tasks of a Grand Duke is to "maintain national unity", said Henri. There are ten monarchies in Europe. "They are all more or less accepted."

He sees his office "as a service to the nation, to the people, to the country of Luxembourg", said the Grand Duke. "If the people here no longer want a monarchy, then we will do something else."

The only Grand Duchy in the world

Henri himself had become "Lieutenant-Représentant" two and a half years before his father Jean abdicated. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has been married to Princess Stéphanie, a Belgian countess, since October 2012.

Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy in the world still in existence today and has a population of around 670,000. Grand Duke is a title for monarchs of a rank between King and Duke. The Luxembourg dynasty is also known as the House of Luxembourg-Nassau.

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