Prince Jean of Luxembourg (Jean Félix Marie Guillaume; born 15 May 1957) is the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha. He frequently goes by the name of Jean Nassau.
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Early life and education
Prince Jean's godparents were Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Princess Margrethe of Denmark.
Prince Jean was educated in Luxembourg, Switzerland and France, where he obtained his baccalaureate. He then undertook a language course at the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge, England.
In 1977, Prince Jean began his military officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. He subsequently became a member of the Champion Platoon, having been commissioned in August 1978. He was made a captain of the Luxembourg Army in 1979. After completing his university education in Geneva, he went to New York and joined W.R. Grace as a financial analyst working in the Finance, Planning & Analysis Division of the group that reported to the President & CEO of the company – at that time, Mr J. Peter Grace. Back in Europe in 1985, he obtained an MBA in 1986 from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
Career
Prince Jean works in the water industry as an advisor to the GDF SUEZ Group, Executive VP of the Suez Fondation and a member of the executive board of Degrémont, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement. Prince Jean has been President of the Chambre de Commerce belgo-luxembourgeoise en France. In 2006, he bought the Southern African Water subsidiary of Suez Environnement, WSSA (Water & Sanitation South Africa), and created Mea Aqua, with the objective of developing water and energy services in the Middle East and in Africa. Mea Aqua and its subsidiaries employ today over 2,500 employees.
Marriages and children
On 27 May 1987, Prince Jean married morganatically in Paris, France, Hélène Suzanna Vestur (b. 31 May 1958, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France), now a high civil servant, Conseiller d'Etat and judge, daughter of François Philippe Vestur (1927-2005), merchant, and Cécile Ernestine Buisson (1928-2017). His wife and children bore the title "Countess of Nassau" from 21 September 1995. On 27 November 2004, Grand Duke Henri issued an Arrêté Grand-Ducal upgrading the titles of Prince Jean's children to Prince/Princesse de Nassau with the qualification of Altesse Royale, without succession rights. The prince and former countess divorced on 13 December, having four children together. He remarried Diane Marie Amélie Hermenegilde de Guerre (b. 13 July 1962) on 18 March 2009.
Honours and awards
National honours
Luxembourg: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
Foreign honours
Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (8 July 1980)