Prince Robert of Luxembourg
Born (1968-08-14) 14 August 1968
Fischbach Castle, Fischbach, Luxembourg
Spouse
Julie Ongaro
​
(m. 1994)​
Issue
  • Princess Charlotte of Nassau
  • Prince Alexandre of Nassau
  • Prince Frederik of Nassau
Names
Robert Louis François Marie
HouseNassau-Weilburg (official)
Bourbon-Parma (agnatic)
FatherPrince Charles of Luxembourg
MotherJoan Dillon

Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Prince of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Nassau, (Robert Louis François Marie; born 14 August 1968) is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg. He is a paternal first cousin of Henri, the reigning grand duke of Luxembourg.

Prince Robert is currently the president of Domaine Clarence Dillon, the French wine company founded by his maternal great-grandfather, Clarence Dillon. As of January 2024, Prince Robert is 14th in the line of succession to the Luxembourger throne.

Early life and family

Born on 14 August 1968 at Fischbach Castle, Fischbach, Luxembourg, he is the second child and only son of Prince Charles of Luxembourg, second son of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, and his American-born wife, Joan Douglas Dillon, second daughter of politician and diplomat C. Douglas Dillon. He has one older sister half-sister from his mother's previous marriage and one older full-sister, Princess Charlotte (born 15 September 1967). Prince Robert and his sister were raised at Fischbach Castle, which was then the home of his paternal grandparents.[1][2] Their mother is a Catholic convert, having done so in 1953.[3]

Prince Robert was educated first at a primary school in Belair before attending Worth School, a Roman Catholic boarding school near Worth, West Sussex, United Kingdom. He studied philosophy and psychology at Georgetown University but left university before graduating to travel through the Middle East and North Africa, India, Nepal, and South America.[1]

On 29 January 1994, Prince Robert married Julie Elizabeth Houston Ongaro (born 9 June 1966) in Boston, Massachusetts. They have three children:[2]

  • Princess Charlotte Katherine Justine Marie of Nassau (born 20 March 1995)
  • Prince Alexandre Théodore Charles Marie of Nassau (born 18 April 1997)
  • Prince Frederik Henri Douglas Marie of Nassau (born 18 March 2002)

As their marriage was non-dynastically approved, his wife was initially known only as "Julie de Nassau" and their children initially bore the titles "Count/Countess of Nassau". On 27 November 2004, Grand Duke Henri issued an Arrêté grand-ducal upgrading his wife and their issue to the titles of "Prince/Princess of Nassau" with the style of Royal Highness.[4]

Career

In 1992, Prince Robert and his future wife wrote a screenplay based on Don Juan. This caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and Creative Artists Agency. He left screenwriting to join the family wine business.[5][2]

In 1993, Prince Robert joined the board of directors of Domaine Clarence Dillon, the French wine company founded by his maternal great-grandfather, Clarence Dillon, which owns some of the most worldwide prestigious estates including Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Quintus. In 2002, he became general manager. He succeeded his mother, the Duchess of Mouchy and Poix, as president in 2008.[6][2][7][8]

As president, Prince Robert has overseen the creation of one of the largest Saint-Émilion estates[9] and the opening of Restaurant Le Clarence, a two Michelin star restaurant in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, in 2015.[10][1][5] In 2018, Prince Robert and Domaine Clarence Dillon joined the Primum Familiae Vini, an association of family-owned wineries with membership limited to twelve families.[11]

Honours

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 3 Woodward, Guy (12 January 2021). "Prince Robert of Luxembourg: why Bordeaux needs to open up, and Château Quintus deserves more respect". Club Oenologique. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Reginato, James (7 January 2011). "Master of the Château". W. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Dillon Daughter Weds Luxembourg's Prince". New York Daily News. UPI. 2 March 1967. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. ...Joan when she was conveted [recte converted] to Catholicism in 1953.
  4. ↑ Hoelseth, Dag Trygsland. "Arrêté grand-ducal du 27 novembre 2004". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Prince Robert de Luxembourg on wine, gastronomy & storytelling". LUX Magazine. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Matthews, Thomas (30 November 2021). "A Prince, a Castle and a Quest". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  7. ↑ McCoy, Elin (21 June 2016). "A Real-Life Prince Is Building an Empire in Bordeaux". Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Tasker, Fred (25 April 2007). "'Ho-Bryan' still 'most particular taste' after 300 years". The Sunday Hour. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Shaw, Lucy (22 September 2021). "Prince Robert de Luxembourg to create one of St-Emilion's largest estates". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Le Clarence". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Prince Robert of Luxembourg and family company, Domaine Clarence Dillon, to join Primum Familiae Vini". Primum Familiae Vini. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" (PDF). Government of Luxembourg. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. ↑ Eric Pace (12 January 2003). "C. Douglas Dillon Dies at 93; Was in Kennedy Cabinet". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  14. ↑ Timothy Edward Howard, History of St Joseph County, Indiana, vol II (1907), pp. 886–887
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