Luxembourg Royal Wedding Look-Back: Marie-Astrid, Margaretha and Guillaume

  October 17, 2012 at 6:30 am by

The second-last entry in our ‘Luxembourg Royal Wedding Look-Back’ series is a triple-wedding treat: the entry looks at the weddings of Her Royal Highness Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg and His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and His Serene Highness Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, and His Royal Highness Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Ms Sibilla Weiller. Previous entries focused on the weddings of Charlotte and Felix, Jean and Joséphine-Charlotte and Henri and Maria Teresa.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

Just a year after their brother, Henri, married in 1981, Princesses Marie-Astrid and Margaretha were both married within weeks of each other. Princess Marie-Astrid’s engagement to Archduke Carl Christian, son of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Yolande of Ligne, was announced in the fall of 1981, and they were married on February 6th, 1982 in Luxembourg.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

Their religious wedding ceremony took place at the Cathédrale Notre Dame, in front of a large number of royal guests including the Belgian King and Queen, Spanish Queen, Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess, and former Empress Zita of Austria (grandmother of the groom). Marie Astrid and Carl Christian appeared on the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace with their families following the wedding ceremony, prior to a reception.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

The bride wore a gown of typical 1980s design – satin and ruffles. Featuring the traditional long sleeves which have adorned each Luxembourg royal bride, the gown also had a ruffled front detail, which ran around the neckline and then asymmetrically down to Marie Astrid’s waist. A matching ruffle was found on the skirt fold and hem, along with embroidery on the front panel. She also continued the tradition of wearing the Congo Diamond Tiara as a wedding tiara, following in her mother and sister-in-law’s footsteps.

Archduchess Marie Astrid and Archduke Carl Christian have five children: Countess Marie Christine of Limburg-Stirum, Archduke Imre, Archduke Christoph, Archduke Alexander and Archduchess Gabriella.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

Princess Margaretha’s engagement to Prince Nikolaus, son of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Countess Georgina von Wilczek, was announced a short time after her sister’s. They were married on March 20th, 1982, again at the Cathédrale Notre Dame. The Roman Catholic ceremony was followed by a balcony appearance and a reception.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

The bride, like her sister, wore a typically-1980s gown, which took took inspiration from the wedding gown of their mother, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte – the high ruffled neckline in particular (Marie Astrid’s gown was also inspired by the Grand Duchess’s wedding dress). Margaretha’s gown had a ruffled hem around the neck and wrists, and her veil was anchored into place by the Congo Diamond Tiara. White flowers were placed in her hair beside the veil.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus have four children: Prince Leopold (who died on the day of his birth), Princess Maria-Anunciata, Princess Marie-Astrid and Prince Josef-Emanuel.

Skipping forward twelve years, and we arrive to the wedding of the youngest of Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte’s children – Prince Guillaume. He was engaged to Sibilla Weiller, the daughter of Paul-Annik Weiller and Donna Olimpia Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, the youngest daughter of Infanta Beatriz of Spain, making Sibilla a great-granddaughter of King Alfonso XII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

The couple broke with tradition and married in France in September 1994. Their civil wedding ceremony took place on September 8th, and the religious ceremony on September 24th, at the St Louis Cathedral in Versailles. The ceremony was presided over by the Archbishop of Luxembourg. Sibilla wore a wedding gown created by Valentino, which featured a lace top which tucked into a corset-style bodice before descending down into a silk skirt. A ruffle runs around the hem of the entire skirt and train, while a lace veil ran the length of the train. The bride wore no tiara.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

The wedding was attended by a number of royals amongst the 1,200 guests – the King and Queen of Belgium, Queen Sofia of Spain with Infantas Elena and Cristina, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Queen Sonja of Norway, Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan and Empress Farah Pahlavi were just some of the royal guests.

Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla have four children: Prince Paul-Louis, Prince Léopold, Princess Charlotte and Prince Jean.

Filed under Austria-Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg
Tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.