HGD Stéphanie, Current Events Part 1: October 2012 -

[Frelinghighness]

exactly. Taking the sacrament of marriage in the catholic faith means intending to have children. Otherwise grounds for annulment. I think they are just taking their time.

 

[Prisma]

Stephanie stated in the pre-wedding interviews they would wait a few years before having children. Obviously, they have some kind of birth control/family planning in mind despite being Catholic. The Belgian nobility and Grand Ducal family are often described as devout yet that could vary.
I have Catholic friends and coworkers who don't follow the Church's stance on every topic.

 

[amaryllus]

Thank you. I was simply trying add another perspective on the issue. They seem happy and have a strong marriage which is really all that counts despite what ever reproductive choices they make. That is all that matters in the end.

 

[zarat]

It is quite surprising. I have bought PdV for the lovely interview with HGD Stéphanie and although I read it twice, I did found nowhere these sentences. Maybe there have been different versions of the interview in the belgian PdV. Or I misread. But I just re-read the interview.

I have bought "Pdv" for some reason as you Sancia. I have read twice the interview and there was nothing, even the smallest hint, about possible children.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Why would PdV completely fabricate a statement like that? I am surprised and disappointed.

As for the question of children, I agree with the poster who said the decision to remain consciously child- free is not an option for a young woman who marries the direct Heir to an hereditary dynasty/monarchy. Stephanie vowed on the Sacrament to welcome children from God and to raise them in the Church. If she didn't mean it, the best that can be said about her is that she married into the wrong family.

 

[amaryllus]

This is 2016 not 1816. A female does not automatically lose all reproductive choice when she marries a Royal. She clearly is not interested in motherhood at this point in her life so barring infertility on either side she much be using BC or at least Natural family planning which is approved the Catholic Church BTW.

 

[Valerie Rose]

Please let us not speculate about such an intimate thing!

 

[Countessmeout]

This is 2016 not 1816. A female does not automatically lose all reproductive choice when she marries a Royal. She clearly is not interested in motherhood at this point in her life so barring infertility on either side she much be using BC or at least Natural family planning which is approved the Catholic Church BTW.

No but normally you have conversations like 'do you want children' before you marry Guillaume would be fully aware his family would expect him to have children, its part of being a royal and a heir. If Stephanie didn't want children, she should have turned down his proposal. And as stated by others, not wanting children is grounds to have the marriage annulled.
Just because thee is 1 heir of the next generation, doesn't remove that expectation.

 

[Prisma]

Why would PdV completely fabricate a statement like that? I am surprised and disappointed.

I think you misunderstood. PdV did NOT report "Stephanie has no plans to become a mother yet." It was Hello magazine who claimed Stephanie told PdV that. Actual readers of PdV and even the Wort article above say PdV is not the culprit.

PdV or the Cour probably complained to Hello about their false claim because the article has been removed now and redirects to Hello's homepage instead. Perhaps Hello was upset they didn't get an interview and decided to mess with PdV. Hello probably doesn't care. They got people to click their link.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Thanks for clarification Prisma.

In the midst of the article she pays warm tribute to her mother-in-law Maria Teresa's kindness and availability as a listener. That must be quite a disappointment to the vicious posters gleefully speculating in some quarters online that the two women are estranged.


[Just because thee is 1 heir of the next generation, doesn't remove that expectation. ]//quote


I completely agree Countessmeout. The entire point of hereditary monarchy is a direct line of descent from the Ruler to the Heir...and then to his/her heir.

Little Maria-Amalia is an heir from the next generation but she is a side step not directly from the Heir, like Philippe of Belgium became when his Uncle Baudouin proved tragically unable to provide the dynasty with a direct heir.

It may be true that Stephanie is simply not ready for motherhood yet and she is still young enough to wait. But she must be intelligent enough to realize that willfully refusing to have a child effectively nullifies her marriage in the eyes if the Church she married in. Guillaume went on record during his 30th birthday celebrations as saying he wanted a large family.

I still hope he gets one, I think he will make a warm and wonderful parent. ETA: I was surprised and delighted to learn from Stephanie's comments that her Royal husband writes and composes his own music, besides being an accomplished cook.

Impressive!

 

[Countessmeout]

Thanks for clarification Prisma.

In the midst of the article she pays warm tribute to her mother-in-law Maria Teresa's kindness and availability as a listener. That must be quite a disappointment to the vicious posters gleefully speculating in some quarters online that the two women are estranged.


[Just because thee is 1 heir of the next generation, doesn't remove that expectation. ]//quote


I completely agree Countessmeout. The entire point of hereditary monarchy is a direct line of descent from the Ruler to the Heir...and then to his/her heir.

Little Maria-Amalia is an heir from the next generation but she is a side step not directly from the Heir, like Philippe of Belgium became when his Uncle Baudouin proved tragically unable to provide the dynasty with a direct heir.

It may be true that Stephanie is simply not ready for motherhood yet and she is still young enough to wait. But she must be intelligent enough to realize that willfully refusing to have a child effectively nullifies her marriage in the eyes if the Church she married in. Guillaume went on record during his 30th birthday celebrations as saying he wanted a large family.

I still hope he gets one, I think he will make a warm and wonderful parent. ETA: I was surprised and delighted to learn from Stephanie's comments that her Royal husband writes and composes his own music, besides being an accomplished cook.

Impressive!

All the more reason for a child. People arguing that it is the 21st century and women don't want to have children. But its not simply a matter of the expectations of the royal court. She married Gui knowing he wanted children. It isn't fair to Gui if she turns around and doesn't want them. She went into a catholic royal marriage which is a double dose of expectation of children, to a man who has said he wants a large family. Triple factor.

It wouldn't be the worst thing if Princess Amalia eventually became Grand Duchess, Philippe has made a fine king of Belgium so far. But if it is by choice and not medical, I feel sorry for Gui. I agree, I think he would make a wonderful dad. I could see him writing lullabyes for the baby.

 

[amaryllus]

Hopefully he see's her as more than a walking uterus And loves adores her and respects her choices whether they have 5 kids or none.obviously they are at least partially on the same page whatever that may be as no kids have arrived or look they are going to in the future.

 

[LadyGabrielle]

Well all I know is I have been waiting and waiting to hear that she is pregnant. If the reason is that she doesn't want children then I believe she is a selfish person. She is not a "normal" woman who can make that decision. It is her duty to produce an heir. If she didn't want children, she never should have married Gui. I'm hoping she has a child soon.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

Well all I know is I have been waiting and waiting to hear that she is pregnant. If the reason is that she doesn't want children then I believe she is a selfish person. She is not a "normal" woman who can make that decision. It is her duty to produce an heir. If she didn't want children, she never should have married Gui. I'm hoping she has a child soon.

Your post is unfair!

I do not recall either Stephanie and Guillame stating no desire in having children. She has no obligation or duty to produce an heir. Guillame is one of five children - The Grand Ducal family isn't exactly begging for heirs.

Finally, in 2016, we understand that infertility is as much of a problem with men as it is with women.

 

[carlota]

Well all I know is I have been waiting and waiting to hear that she is pregnant. If the reason is that she doesn't want children then I believe she is a selfish person. She is not a "normal" woman who can make that decision. It is her duty to produce an heir. If she didn't want children, she never should have married Gui. I'm hoping she has a child soon.

i don't think stephanie doesn't want children or is selfish. she is a clever lady who, if she didn't want children, would not have continued her relationship with guillaume. i think they are just young and perhaps prefer to take some time to learn before having children, which i think is quite responsible on their part.

 

[Countessmeout]

Your post is unfair!

I do not recall either Stephanie and Guillame stating no desire in having children. She has no obligation or duty to produce an heir. Guillame is one of five children - The Grand Ducal family isn't exactly begging for heirs.

Finally, in 2016, we understand that infertility is as much of a problem with men as it is with women.

When you look at heirs you look at the next generation. There is currently 1 heir, Princess Amalia. Louis and his sons are not in line for succession.

When you marry into a monarchy you do commit to certain things. One would be a child. It is one thing if she cant biologically have kids, her or her husband. But Choosing is another matter. She knew full well when she married Gui that kids were expected. And that huer husband wanted children as well.

 

[Prisma]

I agree with carlota. I believe Stephanie AND Guillaume agreed to delay parenthood and fully understand the consequences of that decision (decreasing fertility, possibility of no child, smaller family, religious impact, succession, etc.).

I see many “ifs” and mostly blaming Stephanie. Royal or not, why should a woman have as many children as her husband wants? What about her wants? Perhaps Guillaume should have married a woman who wanted a large family, or wanted kids ASAP, or a younger woman who's still able to have many kids after a delay. It’s also possible HE is the infertile one. Is he still smoking? Smoking, even passive smoking, affects fertility.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

When you look at heirs you look at the next generation. There is currently 1 heir, Princess Amalia. Louis and his sons are not in line for succession.

When you marry into a monarchy you do commit to certain things. One would be a child. It is one thing if she cant biologically have kids, her or her husband. But Choosing is another matter. She knew full well when she married Gui that kids were expected. And that huer husband wanted children as well.

It ceases to amaze me how people will point the finger of blame to Stephanie for not wanting children right now. With the logic present in this thread, Guillame also knew full well the requirement of children and heirs when he married Stephanie. He knew as Hereditary Grand Duke, he must produce an heir. Yet the discussion here focuses on Stephanie's apparent selfishness for not wanting to give her husband an heir.

Could it be even fathomed that perhaps Guillame is holding out? Could it be possible that he isn't ready for children, or perhaps he's not choosing to have children at all? Or that Stephanie is desperate to have children and that Guillame is being the selfish one?

My point is to stop pointing the finger at Stephanie.

 

[Lindy]

Well all I know is I have been waiting and waiting to hear that she is pregnant. If the reason is that she doesn't want children then I believe she is a selfish person. She is not a "normal" woman who can make that decision. It is her duty to produce an heir. If she didn't want children, she never should have married Gui. I'm hoping she has a child soon.

To set the record straight, here are their comments about their future plans for a family which were published in Wort on the eve of their wedding:

You both come from families with a lot of children. What are your plans for having a family?

Stéphanie: Four, five children are a lot in today's world, to have eight children is very unusual. But it was the wish of my parents and as the youngest child, I am, of course, very happy because otherwise I wouldn't have been born. Though to be honest, eight children is a bit much. Nevertheless I would like to keep up the tradition of having a large family.

Guillaume: It's a positive to grow up with many siblings. We don't have an exact idea of how many children we would like. Time will tell.

Would you like to start your own family in the near future?

Stéphanie: That's a good question. I suppose, it depends how you define "near future". Within the next three years, yes. It's not a priority but it is important to us.

 

[Prisma]

April 24th: Luxarazzi: Stéphanie Gets Film History Lesson

 

[SydneyLux]

Luxarazzi: Stéphanie Meets Stroke Association

 

[USCtrojan]

It ceases to amaze me how people will point the finger of blame to Stephanie for not wanting children right now. With the logic present in this thread, Guillame also knew full well the requirement of children and heirs when he married Stephanie. He knew as Hereditary Grand Duke, he must produce an heir. Yet the discussion here focuses on Stephanie's apparent selfishness for not wanting to give her husband an heir.

Could it be even fathomed that perhaps Guillame is holding out? Could it be possible that he isn't ready for children, or perhaps he's not choosing to have children at all? Or that Stephanie is desperate to have children and that Guillame is being the selfish one?

My point is to stop pointing the finger at Stephanie.

I agree! To point fingers solely at Stephanie are down right mean! It takes two! TWO! I think people need to lighten up and back off -not just from Stephanie, but the family as a whole. There are so many factors that play into this. I couldn't imagine being the Hereditary Grand Duchess!

 

[GracieGiraffe]

It ceases to amaze me how people will point the finger of blame to Stephanie for not wanting children right now. With the logic present in this thread, Guillame also knew full well the requirement of children and heirs when he married Stephanie. He knew as Hereditary Grand Duke, he must produce an heir. Yet the discussion here focuses on Stephanie's apparent selfishness for not wanting to give her husband an heir.

Could it be even fathomed that perhaps Guillame is holding out? Could it be possible that he isn't ready for children, or perhaps he's not choosing to have children at all? Or that Stephanie is desperate to have children and that Guillame is being the selfish one?

My point is to stop pointing the finger at Stephanie.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

 

[Rayarena]

I'm going to speculate that the reason that the hereditary couple have not had children after nearly 4 years is not due to wanting to wait, but rather to some fertility problem in either of the two. Don't forget that Guillaume and Stephanie have enormous resources at their disposal. They are not like normal couples who have to put their lives on hold if they have children. Guillaume and Stephanie would no doubt employ nurses and nannies to care for their children and could go on with their lives of representing the Gran Duchy and international trips.

 

[USCtrojan]

I'm going to speculate that the reason that the hereditary couple have not had children after nearly 4 years is not due to wanting to wait, but rather to some fertility problem in either of the two. Don't forget that Guillaume and Stephanie have enormous resources at their disposal. They are not like normal couples who have to put their lives on hold if they have children. Guillaume and Stephanie would no doubt employ nurses and nannies to care for their children and could go on with their lives of representing the Gran Duchy and international trips.

If this were the case, then perhaps they are in fact waiting, but waiting to go through the process for things to slow down a bit. Issues like that (if this is possibly the problem), are taxing, and hard to go through, and rather exhausting. Who knows. Time will tell if there is a child in the future for these two. They are lovely, and wether or not they choose to have children, should be the least of our worries.

 

[royal rob]

A bit of talk on twitter today


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community

 

[Countessmeout]

Probably encouraged by the event with GD Jean. People hoping for a big announcement tomorrow during National Day. Would be the perfect time.

 

[Dman]

If so, it would about time!

 

[Countessmeout]

Well if true they said when they married, they were going to wait 3 years, then it seems right on track. They celebrated their 3 year anniversary 8 months ago. If she is showing, she is likely about 4 months at least. But I hate speculating so just hope for some good news and leave it at that

 

[Prisma]

According to Le Républicain Lorrain, HGD Stéphanie and Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Xavier Bettel will preside over a reception on July 2nd as part of the MUDAM's 10th anniversary celebrations.

Source: Edition de Thionville Hayange | Luxembourg : Mudam est servi