Official Biography of Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy

Meanwhile we wait for the couple's visit to China at the start of the week to come, the Grande-Duchesse Héritière's profile, as featured on http://www.monarchie.lu to keep us entertained.

You can also read the French version on:
http://www.monarchie.lu/fr/famille/grande-duchesse-heritiere/index.html


Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy was born in Ronse (Belgium) on 18 February 1984. She is the eighth and youngest child of Count Philippe de Lannoy and the late Countess († 26.08.2012), née Alix della Faille de Leverghem. She grew up on the family estate in Anvaing in Hainaut with her seven brothers and sisters.

Schooling

The Countess did her primary schooling at Sancta Maria, a Dutch-speaking school in Ronse in
Belgium. She began her secondary education with two years at the Collège Sainte-Odile in northern France and completed her schooling at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, where she obtained her school-leaving certificate in 2002.
When she was 18, she spent a year in Moscow, where she studied Russian language and literature. She also further developed her violin-playing skills.

Further education and professional career

Stéphanie obtained a degree with distinction in Germanic philology from the Université Catholique de Louvain. She continued her university studies in Berlin, where she completed a graduation project on the subject of the influence of German Romanticism on Russian Romanticism.
She extended her stay in Berlin with a traineeship with the Walloon Export Agency under the aegis of the Belgian Embassy. On her return from Germany, she worked for an investment fund company.

Personal life and leisure

The Countess has always been interested in classical music. With the support of her parents, she learnt to read music and took piano and violin lessons at a very young age. As a teenager she had a passion for reading. Learning foreign languages enabled her to discover and explore the classics in their original language.
Being involved in voluntary work, Stéphanie has made many trips with youth groups. The Countess enjoys skiing and swimming.
Besides French, her mother tongue, Stéphanie is fluent in German and English.

Since 27 April 2012, Countess Stéphanie has been engaged to His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke, Guillaume of Luxembourg, whom she will marry on 20 October 2012.
Since June 2012, she has also been a member of the board of directors of the "Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse", which is dedicated to helping people with special needs to integrate into Luxembourg society and supporting specific projects in certain less developed countries.
As part of the royal wedding, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Countess Stéphanie, both of whom are administrators of the "Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse", have expressed their wish to support and develop social projects in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. A special account named "Mariage Princier –Projets sociaux au Luxembourg" has been set up to that effect.

(Source: Press and Communication Service of the Grand Ducal Court)