Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg dies aged 98
Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Jean has died at the age of 98. He was born on Jan. 5, 1921 to Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.
He had overseen the transformation of the Grand Duchy into an international financial centre before abdicating and handing over to his son Henri.
After fleeing Europe due to WWII, on his return he briefly served as a guard at Buckingham Palace before joining Allied forces in Normandy in 1944, taking part in the battle of Caen.
After the war, Jean married Belgian princess Josephine Charlotte and had five children. He became the country’s sixth Grand Duke when his mother Charlotte abdicated in 1964.
During his 36 years as the head of state, his country of half a million inhabitants wedged in between Belgium, Germany and France, he transformed the Duchy into an international financial hub. He had stepped down as Grand Duke in 2000.
