The Waringo Investigation into the Functioning of the Luxembourg Court 2019/2020

[Dalriada]

But Grand Duchess Maria Teresa grow up in Switzerland not on Cuba.So she should also have an eurpean grounding. And then she lives for almost 40 years in Luxembourg.

The Duchess has a highly civilised Latin heritage being born in Cuba having spent her formative childhood in North America too.

 

[Marengo]

Perhaps we can leave national stereotypes out of this discussion and move on? Thanks!

 

[Prisma]

RTL claims that the report by Jeannot Waringo is completed and has been handed over to Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

https://www.rtl.lu/news/national/a/1461311.html

Bettel erhält brisanten Bericht über den Hof

L'Essentiel says it is for now only in the hands of the Prime Minister but it will likely be sent to the Grand Duke and to the Chamber later this weekend.

"The Report will also be discussed in parliament and published for the wider public though it is not sure yet in which form..."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1220779794293567488

Oh my. Well... if the allegations are true... I wonder how the GDF will accept the report/fallout and how quickly changes will be implemented. Fortunately there will be happy distractions with the HGD couple's baby and all. Guess we'll continue to see Grand Duke Henri everywhere for a while and then a PR campaign for Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

 

[Prisma]

Grand Duke Henri released a letter following recent headlines about staff turnover and mistreatment ... along with new photos with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Message de S.A.R. le Grand-Duc - Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg - Janvier 2020 (available in Luxembourgish, English, Spanish, and French)

ETA: My initial impression is... the letter isn't helpful and will be turn out to be a bad move...

 

[Stefan]

Grand Duke Henri released a letter following recent headlines about staff turnover and mistreatment ... along with new photos with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Message de S.A.R. le Grand-Duc - Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg - Janvier 2020 (available in Luxembourgish, English, Spanish, and French)

ETA: My initial impression is... the letter isn't helpful and will be turn out to be a bad move...

Let's wait and see what the Report really sqays. But in my opinion if half of it is true it's not ideal. Because this are different Issues and have nothing to to with each other.

 

[Marengo]

What a puzzling statement. Rather candid as far as statements from royalty go. Even the duke and duchess of Sussex have not been this blunt . You would imagine courtiers would be involved in such a statement, but if they were I can not imagine they would have come to this result.

I can't see what MT being a woman, mother or grand mother has anything to do with it, but perhaps the Grand Duke knows more than we do. Neither do I understand why HRH feels he need to explain that he is writing it from the intensive care unit in Geneva.

We can't blame the Grand Duke for defending his wife of course. But this statement has little value since the report itself is not made public yet. Until it is rumours are bound to go around because the facts are not available.

If somebody is running their publicity department that person must have been either overruled by the Grand Duke himself or is grossly incompetent. I suspect the statement will have the opposite effect of what was intended. It makes you wonder in what kind of cocoon these people are living.

The previous Prime minister stripped the Grand Duke of his powers. Perhaps this one would be wise to make a government office responsible for official communiques from the court, as is the case in The Netherlands with the RVD.

 

[Minister of Court]

The statement has clearly been composed by MT. She controls the Grand Duke. The government must step in and put a stop to this.

 

[maria-olivia]

All this should have been done before and in Luxembourg.
Even if Bettel will be asked not to publish the Rapport , everybody knows the Grand Duchess's Behaviour.
What is sure , no Abdication for the moment .

 

[crm2317]

I’m really puzzled by this statement!

What is the relevance of being by a sick relatives bedside? To look for sympathy? Do we know who the ill relative is?

 

[An Ard Ri]

I’m really puzzled by this statement!

What is the relevance of being by a sick relatives bedside? To look for sympathy? Do we know who the ill relative is?

I agree its very bizarre.

The brother of Grand Duchess Maria Theresa has been in hospital

 

[Ista]

What an odd letter. I'm very puzzled as to how any of this is relevant, especially the bit about the GD being a woman,but perhaps that will become clearer after the report is made public.

Not the best PR move, that's for sure, and the photographs are really bizarre.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Grand Duke Henri released a letter following recent headlines about staff turnover and mistreatment ... along with new photos with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Message de S.A.R. le Grand-Duc - Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg - Janvier 2020 (available in Luxembourgish, English, Spanish, and French)

ETA: My initial impression is... the letter isn't helpful and will be turn out to be a bad move...

In light of the way the Grand Duchess reacted against her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, I was wondering if there would be a similar reaction against the Prime Minister... The letter is at least milder than the press conference in the 2000s.

What a puzzling statement. Rather candid as far as statements from royalty go. Even the duke and duchess of Sussex have not been this blunt . You would imagine courtiers would be involved in such a statement, but if they were I can not imagine they would have come to this result.

The statement seems less blunt than some of the statements from the duke, but I agree that it is unusually candid in the context of a statement from Luxembourg's head of state, and it is interesting that he chose to release it prior to and not after the public release of the Waringo report.

 

[kbk]

In light of the way the Grand Duchess reacted against her mother-in-law Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, I was wondering if there would be a similar reaction against the Prime Minister... The letter is at least milder than the press conference in the 2000s.

What are you referring to?


The statement was clearly wrote by or under direction of the Grand Duchess. If what they say about her is true, this is really not unexpected. But where were the courtiers to stop this? Oh, wait. They are too frightened to do anything.


What's interesting is will the Government stop this farce? And will the Grand Duchess be subordinate?

 

[Tatiana Maria]

What are you referring to?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wo...urg/1399174/Grand-Duchess-does-a-Lady-Di.html

 

[kbk]

"In 2015, a maid threatened to write a book on the daily life she had lived at the palace and said she was traumatized by this experience."
I'd love to read it.

If she's really bullying employees someone has to stop her. And they should not hesitate to go to court.

I mean, she's raging with public money.

And what this entire situation is saying about the Grand Duke? If he knows and sees it and allows it, he shall be accountable for this, not his wife. It's always him who takes responsibility.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Why the reference to MT being a woman, what does have this to do with anything?

and to indicate that somebody is above criticism only because of the promotion of good causes? A bully is a bully, and it doesnt matter what good he or she might to elsewhere.
very, very weired statement for a HoS.

 

[carlota]

A strange statement indeed. I’m not sure why the GD thought this was a good idea. So many questions open up just by reading this.

Some say the pictures are in Paris but since he says he is in Geneva I’m thinking this may be Geneva lake instead. It would be strange / under mining to release pictures in Paris if people claim MT spends too much time there.

In fact it’s strange to release pictures at all with a statement such as this... puzzling. A serious statement wouldn’t have pictures.

And I’m unsure why he mentions he’s at the bed side of his in law. Maybe to signify they are facing a tough family situation as is?

The whole reference to MT being a woman is really strange too.

 

[maria-olivia]

Addending and smiling in a Stephane Bern Event in Paris instead of attending the Comte de Lannoy's Funerals is a very strange and unpopular behaviour.
I never understood Grand Duke Henri's attitude.

 

[Prisma]

carlota, yes I thought the photos were in Geneva as well.

RTL - Tëscheruff vum Roy Grotz: Message vum Haff: eng souverän Reaktioun?

RTL commentary:
- finds the statement puzzling
- while the Grand Duke defends and shows loyalty to his wife, the statement doesn't address the alleged staffing problems
- RTL editorial office asked the Cour for comment on January 17 but their request was rejected so it's untrue that GD Maria Teresa "is not even being given the right to defend herself?"

 

[Pranter]

Message from HRH THE GRAND DUKE:

" it is at the bedside of my brother-in-law at intensive care in Geneva that I speak to you.

In A Spirit of opening, transparency and modernity, I have agreed that the mission desired by the prime minister can be carried out.

Waiting for the report and throughout this mission articles have been published in the media, unfairly involving my wife, the mother of our five children and a very loving grandmother. My whole family is suffering from it.

Why attack a woman?
A woman who defends other women?
A woman who doesn't even give the right to defend herself?

Since my ascension to the throne we have, together, wanted to contribute to the modernization of our constitutional monarch and we want to continue in this path.

The fights of my wife that I have always supported and will continue to lead are essential: the fight against dyslexia, the fight against sexual violence, the status of children imprisoned in Africa, the development of micro-Finance and youth education Girls and women. I am proud of the commitment, intelligence and energy my wife puts in all her actions. His dedication to serving our country by my side for 39 years is exemplary, it is essential to me.

We will continue to serve you, to be there for you and for Luxembourg. Especially at this crucial moment when our children start a family life, it is essential for us as parents to allow them to enjoy these beautiful years as heir.

Henry.

Geneva, January 26, 2020."


From Majesty Magazine article today

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Oh dear.

Why can't I shake the feeling that this will not end well for MT and Henri?

 

[Addapalla]

Message from HRH THE GRAND DUKE:

" it is at the bedside of my brother-in-law at intensive care in Geneva that I speak to you. ... My whole family is suffering from it. ... Why attack a woman? A woman who defends other women? A woman who doesn't even give the right to defend herself?

The statement so unabashedly manipulative in tone, eliciting sympathy ahead of what might prove to be a scathing report. And the implication that women are defenseless is utterly insulting. If reports about her running the show are true, one wonders whether MT might have had a hand in composing the message.

 

[Blog Real]

I think that sooner or later it will end in abdication.
The message should have been different, they should have sent a message only after the results of the investigation came out.
This message was shot to the side.

 

[Somebody]

What a puzzling statement. Rather candid as far as statements from royalty go. Even the duke and duchess of Sussex have not been this blunt . You would imagine courtiers would be involved in such a statement, but if they were I can not imagine they would have come to this result.

I can't see what MT being a woman, mother or grand mother has anything to do with it, but perhaps the Grand Duke knows more than we do. Neither do I understand why HRH feels he need to explain that he is writing it from the intensive care unit in Geneva.

We can't blame the Grand Duke for defending his wife of course. But this statement has little value since the report itself is not made public yet. Until it is rumours are bound to go around because the facts are not available.

If somebody is running their publicity department that person must have been either overruled by the Grand Duke himself or is grossly incompetent. I suspect the statement will have the opposite effect of what was intended. It makes you wonder in what kind of cocoon these people are living.

The previous Prime minister stripped the Grand Duke of his powers. Perhaps this one would be wise to make a government office responsible for official communiques from the court, as is the case in The Netherlands with the RVD.

Exactly. It is comes across as extremely defense (but my wife is lovely don't you see - and after all, she is a woman, you cannot be hard on women, can you? - and right now her brother is seriously ill, so don't be so mean to her - but she also does really good things, please ignore everything else...) and not at all addressing any of the issues of the report (which is logical, as it hasn't been made public). Apparently, he doesn't understand that all of the above (she is a woman, a mother/grandmother, wife, and currently worried about her brother) can be true, while she can also be a terrible boss running the grand ducal household.

The only relevant thing part of the statement is the last sentence in which they make clear that as far as they are concerned abdication is out of the question - conveniently suggesting that this would be a real bad time because their heirs look forward to having their first child (well, they actually said 'will start a family life' - which suggests that apparently the first 7 1/2 years of marriage Guillaume and Stephanie never started their 'family life').

 

[lucien]

I’m sure this is just a culture clash about domestic issues. Every court has its run in with the “Americas”! Thank God Queen Silvia had a European grounding.

Culture clash??After decades that plays up all of a sudden the last 5 years or more?No,...and the selfpityfull statement fron Henri..."from the intensive care unit of my brother-in-law " is whimpy to my taste and had nothing to do with the actual behaviour of the Gdss towards staff and the subsequent dismissal of halve of them over a short period of time.But hopefully the report will deal with that matter in a fair,honest and straightforward way.I hope.

 

[Somebody]

Oh dear.

Why can't I shake the feeling that this will not end well for MT and Henri?

Wouldn't be surprised if this attempt to get ahead of things might end just as badly as it did for Andrew.

 

[lucien]

Wouldn't be surprised if this attempt to get ahead of things might end just as badly as it did for Andrew.

No!Totally diffrent situations,totally,not to be compared in any which way!!

 

[Moonmaiden23]

And just like that...poof! goes Guillaume and Stephanie's dream of an idyll of bonding as a family at Fischbach with the "Little Stowaway" once he/she arrives.

 

[Somebody]

A strange statement indeed. I’m not sure why the GD thought this was a good idea. So many questions open up just by reading this.

Some say the pictures are in Paris but since he says he is in Geneva I’m thinking this may be Geneva lake instead. It would be strange / under mining to release pictures in Paris if people claim MT spends too much time there.

In fact it’s strange to release pictures at all with a statement such as this... puzzling. A serious statement wouldn’t have pictures.

And I’m unsure why he mentions he’s at the bed side of his in law. Maybe to signify they are facing a tough family situation as is?

The whole reference to MT being a woman is really strange too.

It seems to be park on the south side of the Geneva lake (had the pleasure of living in Geneva for a few months 10 years ago).

But I agree; why include pictures? And why this type of pictures? It all looks rather grim.

 

[Denville]

Wouldn't be surprised if this attempt to get ahead of things might end just as badly as it did for Andrew.

Martia Teresa may not be an angel or likable but she is not like Andrew