Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg abdicates in favor of his son Guillaume

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg on Friday abdicated in favor of his son Guillaume, UNN reports with reference to AP.

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Henri, 70, has served the tiny duchy in the heart of Europe for 25 years, in a largely symbolic role. Guillaume, 43, will be crowned at a ceremony later on Friday, and will then greet the public with the royal family from the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace.

Henri abdicated at a ceremony in the Grand Ducal Palace, built of yellow stone and adorned with spires and wrought iron. Guillaume, 43, will soon be crowned and swear allegiance to the Luxembourg constitution before 60 elected members of the Chamber of Deputies, the duchy's parliament.

The new Grand Duke will greet the public from a balcony overlooking the central square, along with his family, including his wife, Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, who was born in Belgium, and their sons, five-year-old Prince Charles and two-year-old Prince François.

Members of the Dutch and Belgian royal families are expected to attend the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new Grand Duke will host a gala evening for guests, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Over the weekend, Guillaume will undertake a traditional tour of the country, culminating in a Sunday mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Luxembourg.

Guillaume will become the seventh Grand Duke of Luxembourg since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Throughout the duchy, his photograph will replace that of his father. His monogram – symmetrical golden letters "G" under a crown – will also be added to the uniforms of the army, police, emergency services, penitentiary service, and customs.

Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland, and at the British military academy in Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German, and Spanish companies.

Christophe Brühl, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said that Guillaume would assume a very traditional role.

"His freedom of maneuver or right to act is zero. Therefore, the only power he will retain is the power of words. Otherwise, the Grand Duke will remain a political symbol," he said.

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This small country, which broke away in the 17th and 19th centuries from the territories of present-day France, Belgium, and Germany, is a parliamentary democracy where the Grand Duke is the head of state, similar to King Charles in the United Kingdom or King Philippe in Belgium. Approximately 700,000 citizens speak a mixture of Luxembourgish (a German language), French, and German in public life. It is the last Grand Duchy in the world.

One of the smallest EU countries and the richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial center housing important EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The Grand Duchy is home to many eurozone banks, reinsurance companies, and hedge fund and financial market managers.