Official Divorce Announcement or the Never-Ending Story of Tessy's Name...

The cour grand-ducale announced today that "the divorce between Prince Louis and Mrs Tessy Antony was pronounced on April 4, 2019" confirming yesterday's reports. Contrary to the House Law of the Grand Ducal Family, the former wife of Prince Louis spoke to RTL sometime yesterday saying that she would continue to use the title of "Princess of Luxembourg" until September and then would go by the name "Antony-de Nassau" combining her maiden and married names. 

The cour half-confirmed the statement today saying, "for the sake of the children, Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess granted to Mrs Antony the favour of adding the name "de Nassau" to her name. She will be called Mrs Tessy Antony-de Nassau from September 2019. As the result of the divorce Mrs Antony-de Nassau loses her predicate Royal Highness and the title "Princess of Luxembourg". She will not represent the Grand Ducal Family any longer." To which I ask: How are we supposed to call her in the meantime? She's not a princess any longer but she will only start using her new name in September?! Is she not technically a princess anymore but we are still supposed to call her a princess? But why don't you call it a princess in your announcement then? And, finally, why have a House Law regulating names, styles and titles in the first place when play it by ear at any chance you get?! Welcome to the oftentimes messy world a Luxembourg titles. 

Anyway, in the end Team Luxarazzi wishes Prince Louis and the still but possibly not really Princess Tessy all the best for their future lives - and we hope that both of them will continue to remain "a wonderful team", as Tessy put it, always putting their children first.

Prince Louis and Tessy Antony Officially Divorced

Prince Louis and his now former wife Tessy Antony were officially divorced today. Mr Justice MacDonald pronounced a 'decree absolute' at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London today, according to press reports. The former couple announced their decision to end their marriage more than two years ago in January of 2017. 

For the past two years, Prince Louis and Tessy Antony could not reach a financial settlement meaning that their divorce could not be finalised. It was since ruled by the High Court that Prince Louis should pay £4,000 child support for each of their sons, per year. The judge also ordered that his former wife and children should be given a "licence to occupy" the former family home in London "until the youngest child finishes his first degree". The Grand Duke previously let the court know that he would cover any of his grandchildren's schooling fees and health related costs. In general the High Court ruled that the Grand Ducal Family's wealth could not be factored into the divorce but that any child support would be based on Prince Louis' own earnings.

In accordance with the House Law of the Grand Ducal Family, the former Princess Tessy lost her title as Princess of Luxembourg, Nassau and Bourbon-Parma when the divorce became official. Going forward, we will make note of any of Tessy Antony's appearances at events of the Grand Ducal Family but will not cover her public and private lives any further. 

No, Not Everyone Can Be A Princess - Why Women Should Rule the World

You know, it probably won't come as a major surprised to you that I occasionally check into the Instagram account of a certain former member of the Grand Ducal Family every once in a while. While we took decision as Team Luxarazzi to stay above the fray when it comes to the ongoing divorce proceedings of Prince Louis and his wife Tessy who announced their separation more than two years ago, there is just something I want to get off my chest... The other day I saw this post:

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Everybody can be a Princess. It is something you feel and express by your actions and words. Not by a name which was given to you. Don’t allow anybody to put you in a box. Only you have the right to judge yourself - my mantra is “why be like everybody else in order to fit in and for people not to gossip about you if you can be a bad ass unicorn” 🦋 Your time to shine has come. Don’t be afraid🦋 I believe in you! Kiss and sprinkles of joy from beautiful Nigeria to all of you, men and women🙏💐💋

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Theresa (@tessy_from_luxembourg) am Mär 28, 2019 um 4:40 PDT

"Everybody can be a Princess. It is something you fell and express by your actions and words. Not by a name given to you", Tessy writes - and while I am sure it was well intentioned, it just somehow rubs me the wrong way. No, not everyone can be a princess. It is not a name (unless you live in a former monarchy where titles became part of a legal last name). Instead, it is a title - and it is not even a title that someone attains by their own accomplishments, but a title someone has by the virtue of their birth or by marrying someone. Considering we live in the 21st century, I would classify neither as an achievement. 

Being a princess doesn't make you a better human being either. It is who you are as a person who makes you a better human being, but still not a princess. Let's face it, the whole point of it has always been privilege and elitism. If everyone could be a princess, what is the point of being one to begin with? Be defined by yourself and your own actions and not a title bestowed on certain people based on the luck of their birth or marriage. Apart from a possible superficial first attraction to your title, it doesn't make you an interesting person. It is what's beneath that counts.

I also keep wondering: What is the obsession with being a princess to begin with? If these ranks are achievable, I would want to be a Queen, thank you very much. Or better yet, an Empress. A Grand Duchess, a Landgravine, the Princess - someone who rules the world (or a tiny part of it) in her own right. Not a princess, which just means being the wife or daughter of someone without any actual power whatsoever. We live in the 21st century, it is time we stop defining women by being someone else's mother, wife or daughter. Young girls should dream of and aspire to be the woman who rules the world, not the wife or daughter of someone who does.

With fairytales and Disney omnipresent, it is not hard to imagine where society's obsession with being a princess comes from. It’s something easy to daydream about: The prince on a white horse who comes, sweeps you off your feet and takes you to his fairytale land and you live happily ever after. However, that isn't the reality of life - and frankly it would be a pretty boring one at that. Perhaps someone should write the story about Cinderella ten years on, with five kids, stretch marks, a whining staff, and she and Prince Charming having the same argument they've been having for a decade?!

So in the end, I can't help but I think if the desire to "be a princess" by grown women is also actually an unstated preference for having a life of ease and privilege with very little responsibility. And that's hardly something for young women to aspire to. It's like striving to be famous instead of striving to be talented. So to all the girls and women out there: Be the Queen, be the Empress, rule the world!

Weekly Roundup: Climate Change, a New Government, and More

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Samuel Kirszenbaum

On November 30th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the 15th Entretiens de Royaumont, joining around 1200 other participants as well as more than 40 speakers who discussed this year's theme "To Be a Woman." The Grand Duchess spoke on the topic of "Being a Woman, and Victim" along with Isabelle Thery, Vice-President of the Melun High Court, and Dr. Nagham Hasan, who works with the Yazidi.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Chronicle.lu

On December 3rd, Grand Duke Henri attended the opening events for COP24 (the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Katowice, Poland. He joined representatives from 190 countries to discuss the importance of "changing together" in the effort to fight global climate change.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

And closely connected to his commitment to combating climate change, the Grand Duke also attended events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ecological Movement on December 5th.

Photo: Vaterland / vaterland.li

In Liechtenstein news, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie were in Seoul, South Korea to see the pieces from the Princely Collection that are on exhibit at the National Palace Museum. The exhibit is entitled "The Liechtenstein Stone - 900 Years of a Reigning Family in the Heart of Europe" and will be on display until February of next year. The couple also took time during the visit to meet with Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Taeho.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

On December 5th, Grand Duke Henri received in audience six outgoing members of government. For these audiences, he also bestowed on the individuals the Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

And later that day, the Grand Duke also swore in the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and new members of government. Following the swearing-in, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess welcomed the members of government at a reception.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

Also on the 5th, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended a celebration for 2018's International Volunteer Day, at which she presented the Prix du Mérite du Bénévolat 2018 to Francine Muller-Malherbe.

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli

On December 7th, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess hosted a reception to honor the participants of humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, in connection with the Luxembourg Army and the Grand Ducal Police.

And to wrap up Liechtenstein news, on December 7th, Hereditary Prince Alois spoke about the UN Migration Pact, expressing concerns about some of its features.

Other news worth mentioning is the recent information about the ruling that came of London regarding Prince Louis's divorce from Princess Tessy, as well as the Prince's positive comments about his estranged wife. No official statement has been made by the Cour yet, so we'll post further if and when one is released.

New Photos of Gabriel, Noah, Amalia and Liam Released

The cour grand-ducale has shared several new pictures of the Grand Duke's and Grand Duchess' grandchildren today in addition to the new picture released of the grand-ducal couple with their children and daughters-in-law earlier in the week.

The new pictures of Princes Gabriel and Noah, sons of Prince Louis and not-yet-former wife Tessy, as well as Princess Amalia and Prince Liam, children of Prince Félix and Princess Claire, were taken in the gardens of Château de Berg much like the photo that was released earlier in the week.

While all pictures were taken by Lola Velasco, it looks like they may date from different times. The photos of Amalia and Liam look like they were taken rather recently. The visuals of Gabriel and Noah, however, may be a bit older as the boys seem to be wearing the same clothes as in another picture released last year when pictured together with their father.

An Editor's Note Regarding Princess Tessy

In the past few months, we have hardly reported on the whereabouts of Princess Tessy. At the time she filed for divorce, we at Team Luxarazzi had a long talk about how we would handle her appearances in the future. We spoke about how we are covering other divorcees in the family and how we would handle other separations if they were to happen. After weighing different options, we decided that we would handle Princess Tessy's public endeavours in much the same way we do it with Hélène Vestur, former wife of Prince Jean: Whenever she appears at a family gathering, we will make sure to make note of it. Solo appearances, however worthy the cause, we may mention on Twitter or Facebook but we won't write about it on Luxarazzi. 

I understand that some of you may say that Princess Tessy has always held a higher profile than the former Countess Hélène de Nassau but we only find it fair to treat them equally.

Princess Tessy has been trying to position herself well in the media about the past few weeks giving TV interviews and more. For what it is worth: We at Luxarazzi believe that she is fighting for what is fair and the she should be treated with the dignity befitting of the Grand Ducal Family. This respect should go both ways. By publishing all the latest news and events by Princess Tessy, we feel like it would border on taking a side in the divorce as Prince Louis isn't able to equally tell his side of the story. Taking sides and playing PR games during what must be a difficult time for everyone involved is something we will do our best to avoid.

Thank you for your understanding.

Luxarazzi 101: Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing Vol. 11

So turns out Princess Alexandra on a state visit is pretty much a royal recycling fest - and that brings us to our 11th edition of Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing courtesy of this week's trip to Japan. Mind you, Princess Alexandra is an old pro when it comes to rummaging through her relatives' wardrobes so it doesn't come as the biggest of surprises that we saw a few repeats. And yes, I like to imagine it something along these lines.

First day, first appearance, first hat previously worn by another family member - check. From the get-go Princess Alexandra showed her commitment to the Grand Ducal Family's love of sharing the love by sporting a white feathered headpiece previously worn by Princess Tessy for National Day 2013. 

Princess Alexandra's third outfit of the first day brought us another clothes sharing moment when she brought out a bolero style jacket previously worn by the Grand Duchess on a number of occasions including the 60th birthday party of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 2006. Got to admit though that I much prefer the jacket with a black dress. Somehow it ended up looking like an afterthought to Princess Alexandra's stunning red gown.

This one though... Va-va-woom, girl is rocking this Elie Saab number previously worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa for the state visit by then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to Luxembourg in 2012. Frankly, I much prefer Alexandra's styling and hope that this goodie will stay in her wardrobe for a long time to come! Fun fact: It is actually one of the outfits our very own fashion expert Heaven wished to see again in our Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing Wish List - dreams do come true after all.

Stay tuned with possibly more clothes sharing love to come tomorrow, which is sadly already the last day of the Luxembourgish state visit to Japan! In the meantime, also check out our previous editions of Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing.

Louis and Tessy NOT Divorced Yet, Can't Reach Agreement About Money

Prince Louis and Princess Tessy are not divorced yet despite appearing in front of the High Court in London earlier today. The Belfast Telegraph reports that the former couple is struggling to reach an agreement about how assets should be split and asked the court for a decision on the matter. A preliminary hearing in the Family Division of the High Court took place today. The court made a ruling that the financial details of the private hearing could not be discussed in public. "Mr Justice MacDonald analysed a number of legal issues and is expected to oversee a further hearing in the near future. He urged the pair, who had lived in London, to negotiate and try to settle their differences", Belfast Telegraph writes. 

Louis and Tessy: Divorce Finalised?

 Photos: A. Davidson/SHM/REX/Shutterstock

It looks like Prince Louis and Princess Tessy's divorce may have been finalised today. The former couple, who announced their separation at the beginning of this year, was seen entering the High Court in London today. Princess Tessy filed for divorce in February of this year. The picture captions state "Tessy Antony arrives outside the High Court for her divorce from Prince Louis of Luxembourg". We will keep you posted if there are any official announcements. A few more visuals at Rex Features.

* For further development of this news, please see here.

(No) Update on Louis and Tessy

On January 19 of this year, the cour grand-ducale announced the decision of Prince Louis and his wife of ten years Tessy to divorce. A month later, the decree nisi was issued by a London court though, as we were informed by the cour, this didn't mean that the couple were divorced yet. This then, we haven't heard any more news about the couple's relationship status. Prince Louis as since not had any official events and has only attended two kinda public family events, the baptism of his nephew and the civil wedding of his cousin Marie-Gabrielle. I say kinda, as pictures were only received afterwards.

Over the past week or so, the cour grand-ducale has removed the biography of the probably already former Princess Tessy from their official website. Gone as well as the family pictures of Prince Louis, his presumably former wife and two sons. Apart from wondering about the fact why the photos of Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah were deleted as well, it is probably a sign that behind the scenes the divorce has either been finalised or is in the last stages to being finalised.

The only mention of Tessy in Prince Louis' section now reads as, "Two sons were born from his marriage with Tessy Antony: Prince Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny, born in Geneva on March 12, 2006 and Prince Noah Etienne Guillaume Gabriel Matthias Xavier, born in Luxembourg on September 21, 2007." Louis' biography neither mentions his wedding date nor the divorce date.

Tessy Gives Interview About UNAIDS Work

A long-time supporter of and Global Advocate for UNAIDS and its work with women, Tessy has given an interview about the upcoming event "Joyful Change," which aims to raise funds for the "education, rights, and health" of women. The event, to be held on May 20th in Geneva, will include a performance from the Rudra Béjart School of Dance, along with a cocktail reception and charity auction. (Tessy also supported a performance by the school last year in honor of International Women's Day.)

Tessy is still referred to as Princess Tessy of Luxembourg in this interview; we haven't received any information about the status of the divorce finalization.

The link to the interview at WRS, along with more information about the event. The interview with Tessy begins around the 3:00 mark.

Luxarazzi 101: Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing Vol. 9

Get the bubbly out, guys and gals, the sisterhood of the travelling clothes is back in Luxarazzi Land! This is not the first, not the second, not the third, not the fourth, not the fifth, not the sixth, not the seventh and neither the eighth but instead the ninth edition to prove that the ladies of the Grand Ducal Family basically share one large walk-in closet.

Exhibit A comes by way of Princess Alexandra and Princess Tessy and a light-blue jacket. While Princess Alexandra sported the blazer for the wedding of her brother Prince Louis and the former Tessy Antony back in 2006, Princess Tessy herself did so for the 95th birthday of Grand Duke Jean in January 2016.

Princess Alexandra and Princess Tessy seem to be on a roll when it comes to the clothes sharing thing! While Alexandra wore this dress for some unidentified event in Luxembourg in 2009, which she attended together with her parents and brother Félix, Tessy sported the dress in 2015 for a showroom presentation by Marcin Lobacz.

And because our third strike won't come and Team Luxarazzi is slightly bored with the current news drought, here is a sligthly old example of Liechtenstein sister Princess Marie-Astrid and Princess Maria Anunciata wearing the same hat to the weddings of two of their cousins in 2012 to round off our ninth edition of our Royal Recycling and Clothes Sharing series - stay tuned, I'm sure the lovely ladies of Luxembourg (and Liechtenstein) will have some more sharing love in store for us in the future!

Photos: Cour grand-ducale, Tom Wagner, RTL, Marcin Lobacz Design, Marianne van Dam/Royalty Guide

An Interview with Tessy and an Upcoming Event

Tessy has given an interview with Kensington Mums about how she balances her professional responsibilities with being a mother. Additionally, she shares what motherhood means to her ("Motherhood is a gift that women have received"), as well as her favorite London spots (Holland Park and Hyde Park) and how she relaxes when she needs "me time" (at the spa).

On March 18th, Tessy will also participate in a Mother's Day event with Kensington Mums as a guest speaker with Tamara Beckwith, the co-owner of a photo gallery, and celebrity facialist Abigail James.

Princess Tessy's Future Name Plus We Stand Corrected

Following up on our recent post about the future title of Princess Tessy (or lack thereof), we also asked the cour grand-ducale about her future name: Whether it will be Tessy de Nassau or her maiden name, Antony. However, the cour stated that they were unable to comment at this point in time what her name post-divorce will be.

Also by the wording of these two sentences, you may have noticed that we must correct some earlier statements of our's. As we learned from a dear lawyer friend (and member of the extended Team Luxarazzi), the decree nisi isn't actually a state of divorce, as we wrongfully assumed previously. We did think that the decree implied an automatic divorce after six weeks and one day. However, it actually isn't. In other words, in six weeks and one day from the day the decree nisi was granted, Tessy will have to proactively file for an absolute divorce. The decree nisi is merely an acknowledgement by the court that it can't find no reason to the contrary that a divorce should be disallowed. We stand corrected and apologise for the wrongful statement. We will now go, hide in the corner and brush up on our legal knowledge write some Luxarazzi 101 on topics we are better versed at to make up for it.

It's Official: No Title for Tessy

From the moment that it was announced that Prince Louis and Princess Tessy would divorce we began discussing how this would impact Tessy's titles. Normally, we wouldn't even need to discuss the matter, as the Nassau Family Pact and the Bylaws Concerning the House Law make it clear that any titles of and memberships to the Grand Ducal House and/or Grand Ducal Family are lost upon legal separation or divorce. 

However, we all know that Tessy's path to becoming a Royal Highness and a Princess wasn't exactly traditional and didn't happen upon her marriage as was the case for her former sisters-in-law. Because she received her title long after her marriage and in a press release - and we assume decree -, there was always the possibility that her title would be viewed as her own property without regard to her marital status. But as long as we do not know the official wording of the decree, it's hard to argue about any of this. As a result of this confusion, which we elaborated on in our earlier post about her title, we contacted the cour. 

Earlier today, we received the reply from the cour stating that Tessy does in fact fall under the ordinary rules "following the grand-ducal decree from June 18, 2012, [...] a spouse (by marriage) loses, in case of divorce, her titles and predicates [style]". As a result, HRH Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, and Princess of Bourbon-Parma became either Ms Tessy Antony or Ms Tessy de Nassau once again when the decree nisi was granted. She also lost any memberships she may have had in The House and/or The Family. (Although, we have debated extensively if she actually gained either because the house regulations specifically state that a title conferred in the individual case cannot infer other status or rights. But that would be another matter for another post on another day.)

It is important to note based on some of the comments we have received that these changes to her title and status happened when the decree nisi was granted late last week as the Family Bylaws state, "In case of a legal separation, a divorce or remarriage after death, the wives lose the style and title conferred upon them." It would be hard to argue that a decree nisi, in fact, isn't a legal separation. Whether Tessy is now known by her maiden name, Tessy Antony, or the name she used during the first few years of her marriage, Tessy de Nassau, isn't entirely clear yet and we will make sure to get back to you about it once receive a reply by the cour. Bets are on the former as women in Luxembourg usually don't legally take their husband's last name but instead use it out of courtesy, but we will see... Of course, there is also the small chance of Grand Duke Henri creating a title for Tessy but there is no precedence for it in Luxembourg and considering that the Bylaws are only five years old, one hopes the rules aren't changed yet again.

Prince Louis and Princess Tessy Officially Divorced

Prince Louis and Princess Tessy are officially divorced. The former couple, who announced their separation just a short while ago, was granted a deree nisi at the Central Family Court in London today. The divorce was obtained by Princess Tessy on the grounds of "unreasonable behaviour". The divorce will become official in six weeks and one day.

Among the court papers made public was a statement of Princess Tessy signed in January which stated that Prince Louis's behaviour, as set out in her petition, was continuing. 

The paperwork also said that a judge found that Princess Tessy was 'entitled to a decree of divorce, the marriage having irretrievably broken down, the facts found proved being the respondent's unreasonable behaviour'.

Details on the "unreasonable behaviour" were not given though it's worth noting that this is a fairly standard term that encompasses truly egregious behaviour to what might otherwise be considered minor irritations that lead to ongoing marital difficulties. This is one of five legally acceptable reasons for divorce in the UK, and one of three that provides for a shorter separation period.

Neither party were present in court. It's unknown how Princess Tessy will be styled in the future.

Princess Tessy Becomes UNA-UK Patron

On February 7th, the United Nations Association-UK (UNA-UK) announced that Princess Tessy had become an official Patron. She has been acting as an advisor to the organization and in assuming the new role she is taking on what is considered the "highest honorary position" for UNA-UK. The organization works to strengthen the ties between the United Nations and the UK. 

A little more at UNA-UK.

Princess Tessy to Speak at Women Economic Forum

Women's economic forum in london giving my adorable @rohiniyer decade award for excellence in media and business 👍#Kudos more 💪to u😘 pic.twitter.com/mJ7XucB5zG

— KiranBawa (@bawakiran) January 31, 2017

Princess Tessy will be one of the speakers at the Women Economic Forum taking place in London from January 31 to February 2. The title of this year's event is "Awakening the Power Within: The Way Forward for the UK". Princess Tessy will speak on Wednesday morning as one of the guests of honour of the inaugural session.

Princess Tessy Makes First Public Appearance Since Divorce Announcement

Embed from Getty Images

Princess Tessy made her first public appearance since the announcement of her separation from Prince Louis by attending the Creative Coalition's Annual Spotlight Awards hosted by the Kia Supper Suite in Park City, Utah, United States and looking pretty fab doing so. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilising and activating its members on issues of public importance. The Spotlight Initiative Awards are a prestigious honor in the independent film area.

For more pictures, have a look at Getty Images.

The Future Title of Princess Tessy of Luxembourg

Earlier this evening, the cour grand-ducale announced that Prince Louis and Princess Tessy would divorce after ten years of marriage and two children together. Almost immediately, we were asked about a few more details. We will address the ones regarding titles, styles and names in a moment, but first let us express how sad we are for Prince Louis, Princess Tessy, Prince Gabriel, Prince Noah and all involved. I am sure we all wish the family well during this trying time, especially the young princes. Here on Luxarazzi - and I hope everywhere else out there - we will refrain from any speculation about personal matters and respect the privacy of everyone involved. We hope that they can find the long-term happiness apart that they couldn't find together and remain friends for the sake of their sons.

Prince Louis married the former - and probably future - Tessy Antony on September 29, 2006, at the parish church of Gilsdorf after a legal wedding at the palais grand-ducal. The couple had become the parents of a boy, Gabriel, about half a year earlier. He was soon followed by a brother, Noah, in September 2007. On August 22, 2006, a little more than a month before his marriage, Prince Louis renounced his succession rights to the Luxembourgish throne. The decision was made as not to give an advantage to any future children. His oldest son, Gabriel, would not have been able to inherit succession rights anyway as he was born out of wedlock. At the time, Princess Tessy was simply known as Tessy de Nassau taking the legal last name of the Grand Ducal Family. Accordingly, her sons were known as Gabriel de Nassau and Noah de Nassau.

The decision of Louis' wife and son only having the last name "de Nassau" and neither title nor style wasn't without precedent in the history of the Grand Ducal Family yet a decision against the Arrêté grand-ducal of September 21, 1995, which reorganised the styles, titles and surname of the Grand Ducal Family. The decree's Article 3 states, "The Princes of Our House who have entered into a marriage without the consent of the Head of the Family, along with their spouse, bear respectively the title of Count and Countess of Nassau. The descendants of these unions are qualified in the same way."

According to the 1995 decree, Prince Louis should have henceforth be known as Count Louis of Nassau and his family as Countess Tessy of Nassau and Count Gabriel of Nassau. However, Tessy was denied the usage of the title via a press release of Grand Duke Henri (while Louis remained a Prince of Luxembourg). On national day 2009, the Grand Duke made the announcement that Tessy de Nassau would be elevated to the rank of "Her Royal Highness Princess Tessy of Luxembourg". Her and Prince Louis' sons would henceforth be known as "His Royal Highness Prince Gabriel of Nassau" and "His Royal Highness Prince Noah of Nassau", just like any other grandchildren of the Grand Duke by children who are not the heir to the throne.

There should have been an official decree to go along with the press release allowing Tessy and her sons the usage of their titles and styles. However, we have never been able to locate said decree. (Unless there was some weird retroactive consent-giving going on like it happened in Belgium with Prince Amedeo.) There definitely were decrees in 1995 and 2004, respectively, that elevated the wives and children of Prince Jean and Prince Robert firstly to the rank of Counts and Countesses of Nassau and then Princes and Princesses of Nassau. Both decrees are publicly available. If there was no decree published along with the press release elevating Tessy, Gabriel and Noah, one would have a very good argument to question the validity of their titles and styles in the first place. (Yes, even the Grand Duke as Fountain of Honour cannot make title elevations by press release.)

In addition to the Grand Duke's signature, an act creating new titles of the nobility of Luxembourg also needs a countersignature by a member of the government as per Article 45 of the constitution, which says, "All provisions of the Grand Duke require the countersignature of a responsible member of the Government." Both the 1995 and 2004 decrees include the countersignatures, as do all other acts related to a title or the validation of a foreign title be they issued by Grand Duke Adolph, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess Charlotte, Grand Duke Jean or Grand Duke Henri.

Speaking of countersignature... In 2012, a new House Law was introduced (which actually lacks the countersignature - but that is another topic for another day...), The Bylaws - again, lacking countersignature - concerning the House Law stipulate that "In case of a legal separation, a divorce or remarriage after death, the wives [of a member of the House] lose the style and title conferred upon them." (Article 4b) The same Article also states that "The use or the conferral of a style or title in the individual case cannot deduce either rights from the membership of the House or Family or consent to the marriage."

You would be right in thinking now that Princess Tessy will soon cease to be a princess and become Tessy Antony again, as she was known prior her marriage. However... This wouldn't be the Grand Ducal Family if there wasn't a twist to it: Tessy was elevated to the rank of "Her Royal Highness Princess Tessy of Luxembourg (* and the titles that go along with it)" in 2009. The House Law was introduced three years later. So, without knowing the exact wording of the decree creating her a Princess, you can't be entirely sure if the House Law actually is applicable to her case. There were a few instances - gender neutral succession, anyone? - in which the cour specifically stated that the House Law would not be applied retroactively. So it is questionable if it will be in the case of Princess Tessy's future title and style as the current ones were created prior to the introduction of the House Law.

If a decree actually exists somewhere and specifically mentions "Tessy de Nassau" being created "HRH Princess Tessy of Luxembourg etc." yet fails to mention the event of a divorce and what happens to her title in said event, one could make a serious case, that Tessy can actually keep her title. (Assuming that the decree is countersigned.) Looking back at the decrees of 1995 and 2004, both included a stipulation about divorces et al and what happens with titles and styles in the case it does happen.

For example, Article 4 of the 1995 decree reads as following, "In case of separation from the spouses, in case of divorce, in case of remarriage after death, the titles conferred to the spouses of the Princes of Our House by virtue of the present decree are lost." It is by this stipulation that Countess Hélène of Nassau, first wife of Prince Jean, reverted to her maiden name Hélène Vestur after her divorce. And despite all what we just wrote, we would still assume that the case of Princess Tessy will be handled in the same way, unless otherwise stated by the cour grand-ducale.

You could even make the case that one part of the 2012 House Law was written with Princess Tessy specifically in mind. Article 4b says, "In case of a legal separation, a divorce or remarriage after death, the wives lose the style and title conferred upon them." Tessy's title isn't based on the House Law, according to which she would also be a Countess of Nassau (while her husband could have kept his title as Prince of Luxembourg, in difference to the 1995 decree). Rather it is based on a (non-existent?) decree, so in her case it has been an actual "conferral of the title" instead of under the rights of another part of the same Article saying that "the members of the Grand Ducal House and the Grand Ducal Family, in all their official and private functions which may concern them, bear [...], those who conducted a marriage without the consent of the Head of the House, the family name "zu Nassau" ("de Nassau") as well as their previous title. The wives and legitimate offspring of this marriage bear their first name and the family name "zu Nassau" ("de Nassau") as well as the title Count or Countess of Nassau."

As you can see, you can make many cases on this matter. The most likely one, following precedent, is that Princess Tessy will soon be known as "Tessy Antony" again. In Luxembourg, a woman who is part of a mutual consent (no-fault) divorce cannot retain her husband's surname without his consent. Yet you can also see that there are many twists and turns in this explanation and the way the Grand Ducal Family has handled these matters in the past, so you never really know.

One thing is for sure though, Princess Tessy has been a real asset to the family and we hope that she continues to very much be a part of the family no matter what the future and the title question holds, much as it has been the case with Hélène Vestur.