Luxemburg Wedding in The South of France

Last year, HRH Prince Guillaume Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxemburg got married to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy (now HRH Princess Stephanie Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxemburg). This year, it was the turn of HRH Prince Felix of Luxemburg to get married to Claire Lademacher. And Royal families can do private when they want to, Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo proved just that in Monaco some months ago.

TRH Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxemburg

The secular marriage of Prince Felix of Luxemburg and Claire Lademacher took place on September 17, 2013, in the beautiful town of Königstein in Taunus, Hesse, Germany, at the prestigious Villa Rothschild. On September 21,2013, they staged their religious wedding at the basilica of St Mary Magdalen in the sleepy but picturesque town of St Maximin la Sainte Baume, Var, France. And correctly speaking, Claire Lademacher is now HRH Princess Claire of Luxemburg.

The choice of Königstein for the secular marriage was a given as it is the official residence of Claire; it is a coincidence that the Grand Dukes of Luxemburg are also Counts of Königstein (among other titles). Claire is German and her father is Hartmut Lademacher and has a bit of money. He is the founder of LHS Technologie and his fortune is currently estimated at $600 million. It means that Prince Felix as the second son (and spare) of Grand Duke Henri will not die of hunger in the near future.

The choice for St Maximin la Sainte Baume is less obvious and much more intriguing. The town is a sleepy little town in the Var region in France, far away from tourists and the playgrounds of the rich in St Tropez and Monaco. It could be that the couple plans to settle down there to look after the family's vineyard. There could be other reasons, too.

The town is picture perfect; if ever you want to be quiet in the South of France, that's where you go. As the wedding was known to take place in the basilica of St Mary Magdalen beforehand, fear of paparazzi was not the reason for the decision. It could simply have been the charming historical basilica. This building alone is worth traveling there for. Started in the 13th century, it was under construction for 200 years, when completion was abandoned.It stands in splendid incompleteness still today and is very instructive if you want to know how cathedrals were built bit by bit.

The basilica is the reputed resting place of Mary Magdalen, along with a long list of 4th century saints and their sarcophagi in the crypt. After Mary landed in Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Camargue, France, after fleeing the Holy Land, she went to Marseille where she converted the multitudes. She then travelled to the mountains of Sainte Baume where she lived as a hermit. Mary Magdalen and Luxemburg always had a very close link what might have been a reason as well.

Further reading
Princes: Not All That Glitters
How Many Monarchies Exist in Europe?
The Elect Circle of Elected Monarchs in Europe