Royal Profile: 60 Facts about Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

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  1. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg was born on 22 March 1956 as María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla in Cuba {Source}. 
  2. She was the daughter of José Antonio Mestre y Alvarez and María Teresa Batista y Falla de Mestre {Source}.
  3. During Cuba's revolution in the late 1950s, Maria and her parents left Cuba for the United States.
  4. She grew up in Cuba, the United States, Spain, and Switzerland.
  5. While growing up in New York City, she studied at the Marymount School {Source}. 
  6. Her extracurricular activities included ballet, voice, skiing, water sports and ice-skating{Source}. 
  7. At the age of 5, she began to study at the Lycée Français de New York{Source}.  
  8. At 9 years old, she and her family moved to Santander, Spain {Source}. 
  9. Shortly after that, she then to Geneva, Switzerland{Source}. 
  10. While living in Switzerland, she acquired Swiss citizenship{Source}. 
  11. During the family's stay in Switzerland, she attended Institut Marie-José in Gstaad{Source}. .
  12. She successfully passed the French Baccalaureate in June 1975{Source}. 
  13. She then attended University of Geneva {Source}. 
  14. In 1980, she was awarded a degree in Political Science from University of Geneva{Source}. 
  15. While at University, she was part of a group taking care of visiting elderly in nursing homes{Source}.  
  16. She has also taught catechism in a classroom of children in Geneva{Source}. 
  17. Her social commitment becomes a passion, continues and is growing again, after installation in the Grand Duchy{Source}. 
  18. During her youth, she kept with her family's tradition of being interested in social and humanitarian problems and having civic involvement{Source}. 
  19. On 10 June 1997, she became a Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO for the fight against poverty, to promote microcredit and education of girls{Source}. 
  20.  In the field of microfinance and more recently through the concept of Social Business, she worked for many years closely with Professor Muhammad Yunus and in collaboration with key players in Luxembourg{Source}. 
  21. In April 2007, the Grand Duchess is named "Eminent Advocate for Children", UNICEF, focusing its first Action for AIDS orphans and child soldiers{Source}. 
  22. She has many sponsorships and commitments in socio-cultural and charitable organizations such as Luxembourg the Luxembourg Red Cross with the Grand Duchess took the Chair and the Cancer Foundation of which she assumes the Presidency of honor{Source}. 
  23. In 1999, she was given an honorary doctoral degree from Seton Hall University (USA) {Source}. 
  24. In 2003, she was given an honorary doctorate from the University of Leon (Nicaragua){Source}. 
  25. In 2006, she was awarded with the UN's Path to Peace Award{Source}. 
  26. In 2007, she was a recipient of the UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children Award {Source}
  27. In 2008, she was made a Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malata {Source}
  28. In 2010, the Grand Duchess launched as President of her own foundation, “Foundation of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess”, a project, called “Projet de la Main Tendue” linked to Her visit in June 2009 of the Bujumbura prison in Burundi {Source}
  29. While at UoG, she met her future husband the Hereditary Grand Duke Henri{Source}. 
  30. After 19 years and 9 months as the Hereditary Grand Duchess, she became the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg on 7 October 2000, after the abdication of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.
  31. On Valentine's Day 1981, they were married. 
  32. The have four sons:
    1. Prince Guillaume, Herditary Grand Duke (1981)
    2. Prince Felix (1984)
    3. Prince Louis (1986)
    4. Prince Sébastien (1992)
  33. They also have one daughter:
    1. Princess Alexandra (1991)
  34. They also have three daughters-in-law:
    1. Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess (1984)
    2. Princess Tessy de Nassau
    3. Princess Claire of Luxembourg
  35. They also have a granddaughter and two grandsons:
    1. Prince Noah de Nassau (2006)
    2. Prince Gabriel de Nassau (2007)
    3. Princess Amalia de Nassau (2014)
  36. She is the daughter-in-law of:
    1. Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg
    2. Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (1921-2005)
  37. She is the niece-in-law of:
    1. Elizabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg (1922-2011)
      1. Franz, Duke of Hohenberg (1927-1977)
    2. Marie Adelaide, Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck (1924-2007)
      1. Karl Josef Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck (1928-2008)
    3. Marie Gabriele, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg (1925, will be 91 on August 2nd)
      1. Knud Johan, Count of Holstein-Ledreborg (1919-2001)
    4. Charles, Prince of Luxembourg (1927-1977)
      1. Joan Douglas Dillon (1935)
    5. Alix, Princess of Ligne (1929)
      1. Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne (1925-2005)
    6. King Baudouin II of Belgium (1930-1993)
      1. Queen Fabiola of Belgium (1928-2014)
    7. King Albert II of Belgium (1934)
      1. Queen Paola of Belgium (1937)
    8. Prince Alexander of Belgium (1942-2009)
      1. Princess Léa of Belgium (1951)
    9. Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium (1951)
      1. Jean-Paul Gourges
    10. Princess Maria-Esmeralda of Belgium, Lady Moncada (1956)
      1. Sir Salvador Moncada (1944)
  38. She is a cousin-in-law to:
    1. Michel, 14th Prince de Ligne (1951)
    2. Prince Wauthier de Ligne (1952)
    3. Countess Monica Holstein til Ledreborg (1952)
    4. Countess Lydia Holstein til Ledreborg (1955)
    5. Princess Christine de Ligne (1955)
    6. Countess Veronica Birgitte Maria Holstein til Ledreborg (1956)
    7. Princess Sophie de Ligne (1957)
    8. Countess Silvia Charlotte Maria Holstein til Ledreborg (1958)
    9. Princess Anita von Hohenberg (1958)
    10. Andreas, Count Henckel von Donnersmarck (1959)
    11. Countess Camilla  Holstein til Ledreborg(1959-2010)
    12. Prince Antoine Lamoral de Ligne (1959)
    13. Princess Sophie Felicitas von Hohenberg (1960)
    14. Count Félix, Henckel von Donnersmarck (1960-2007)
    15. King Philippe of Belgium (1960)
    16. Countess Tatiana  Holstein til Ledreborg (1961)
    17. Count Heinrich Henckel von Donnersmarck (1961)
    18. Countess Antonia Charlotte Jeanette Marie Holstein til Ledreborg(1962)
    19. Princess Astrid of Belgium, The Archduchess of Austria-Este (1962)
    20. Prince Laurent of Belgium (1963)
    21. Princess Yolande de Ligne (1964)
    22. Countess Charlotte Henckel von Donnersmarck (1965)
    23. Princess Charlotte de Nassau (1967)
    24. Prince Robert de Nassau (1968)
    25. Miss Alexandra Leopoldine Moncada (1998)
    26. Master Leopoldo Daniel Moncada (2001)
  39. She is a sister-in-law to:
    1. Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria (1954)
    2. Prince Jean (1957)
    3. Princess Margaretha, Princess of Liechtenstein (1957). 
    4. Prince Guillaume of Luxmbourg (1963)
  40. Through her marriage (and their marriages), she is sister-in-law to:
    1. Archduke Carl Christian Marcus d'Aviano of Austria (1954)
    2. Hélène Vestur (1958, married 1987-2004, div)
    3. Diane De Guerre (m 2009)
    4. Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein (1947)
    5. Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg (1968)
  41. She has the following nephews:
    1. Prince Leopold Emmanuel Jean Marie of Liechtenstein (1984-1984)
    2. Archduke Imre Emanuel Simeon Jean Carl Marcus d'Aviano of Austria (1985)
    3. Archduke Christoph Henri Alexander Maria Marcus d'Aviano of Austria (1988)
    4. Prince Constantin Jean Philippe Marie Albert Marc d'Aviano de Nassau (1988)
    5. Prince Josef-Emanuel Leopold Marie of Liechtenstein (1989)
    6. Prince Wenceslas François Baudoin Léopold Juraj Marie Marc d'Aviano de Nassau (1990)
    7. Prince Carl-Johan Félix Julien Marc d'Aviano de Nassau (1992)
    8. Archduke Alexander Hector Marie Karl Leopold Marcus d'Aviano of Austria (1990).
    9. Prince Paul Louis Jean Marie Guillaume de Nassau (1998)
    10. Prince Léopold Guillaume Marie Joseph de Nassau (2000)
    11. Prince Jean André Guillaume Marie Gabriel Marc d'Aviano de Nassau (2004)
  42. She has the following nieces:
    1. Archduchess Marie Christine Anne Astrid Zita Charlotte of Austria, Countess of Limburg-Stirum (1983)
    2. Princess Maria-Anunciata Astrid Joséphine Veronica of Liechtenstein (1985)
    3. Princess Marie-Gabrielle de Nassau (1986)
    4. Princess Marie-Astrid Nora Margarita Veronica of Liechtenstein (1987)
    5. Archduchess Gabriella Maria Pilar Yolande Joséphine Charlotte of Austria (1994)
    6. Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine Maria da Gloria de Nassau (2000)
  43. She is an aunt in law to:
    1. Count Rodolphe of Limburg-Stirum (1979, married 2008)
    2. Archduchess Kathleen of Austria (1986, married 2012)
    3. Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria (1988, married 2012)
  44. She has the following great nephews:
    1. Count Léopold of Limburg-Stirum (2011)
    2. Count Constantin of Limburg-Stirum (2013)
  45. She has the following great-nieces:
    1. Archduchess Katarina Marie-Christine Fabiola of Austria (2014)
    2. Archduchess Maria-Stella Elizabeth Christiana Yolande Alberta of Austria (2013)
    3. Archduchess Magdalena Maria Alexandra Zita Charlotte of Austria (2016)
  46. She holds honors from the following countries:
    1. Luxembourg
    2. Austria
    3. Belgium
    4. Brazil
    5. Demark
    6. Finlad
    7. Greece
    8. Italy
    9. Latvia
    10. The Netherlands
    11. Norway
    12. Portugal
    13. Romania
    14. Sweden
    15. Spain
  47. Her full title and style is: Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg{Source}.
  48. Upon her marriage her title was Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg{Source}.
  49. She is a Member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the European Investment Bank & Institute {Source}
  50. She speaks Lëtzebuergesch, German, French, Italian & Spanish {Source}
  51. Her astrological sign is a Aries.
  52. The day before her 60th birthday (yesterday folks!), she traveled to the Vatican City with her entire family to hold an audience with Pope Francis {Photos}.
  53. Her life path number is 1.
  54. She shares a birthday with:
    1. Carl Otto Edmund Silfverschiold, Baron Silfverschiold (1965)
    2. Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (1972)
  55. Celebrating their wedding anniversary on her birthday are:
    1. Princess Iman bint Hussein of Jordan & Mr. Zaid Azmi Mirza
  56. Her wedding dress was designed by Balmain {Source}.
  57. When they chose their wedding date, they didn't realize it was Valentine's Day {Source} (ed note: in some parts of the world, Valentine's Day isn't commercialized like it is here in the States)
  58. For her "Something Borrowed", she wore the the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara {Source}
  59. During a recent appearance on a Luxembourger radio show, she sang a rendition of the Cuban song, Guantanamera {Source}.
  60. During the same appearance, she sang a rendition of the Luxembourger song, Feierwon {Source}.

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