Luxembourg Grand Duke pays tribute to queen

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg paid tribute to Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II on Friday and thanked her family for having protected his during its World War II exile.

Grand Duke Henri’s grandmother Grand Duchess Charlotte left Luxembourg just ahead of the Nazi invasion in 1940, heading to France and then to London.

She broadcast messages of encouragement to the Luxembourg resistance and her eldest son Jean, Henri’s father and the future grand duke, served in the British army.

Henri assumed the ducal title in 2000 and serves as a constitutional monarch.

In a letter to King Charles III, Elizabeth’s son and successor, Henri said he and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa had been “deeply saddened” by her death.

“Luxembourg has never forgotten the extraordinary support the United Kingdom gave to the Grand Duchess Charlotte and her son, my father Jean, during World War II,” he wrote.

“Their safe haven in London helped to preserve the very existence of my country in these dark times.

“We are grateful for the close ties of our families and Her Majesty’s extraordinary and unique example of service to the country and people.”