Reason behind royal family’s absence at the abdication of Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri

The British royal family was a notable absence at the abdication of Grand Duke Henri, the eldest son of Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Jean and Belgium’s Princess Joséphine-Charlotte.

According to GB News, “The abdication, held at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City, marked the end of Henri’s 25-year reign and the accession of his son, Prince Guillaume, as Grand Duke.”

Several European royals attended the ceremony to mark a monarchical switch in Luxembourg.

The headlining royal members in attendance were Princess Catharina-Amalia of Netherlands and her parents Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander, as well as the Belgian royals King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, and Princess Elisabeth.

While the UK royals made for a shocking omission at the event, there are varying hypotheses about their snub since Buckingham Palace has not offered a concrete reason as to why.

The Firm’s non-appearance was down to scheduling conflicts most probably, as most of them were occupied with engagements likely prepared long in advance.

“King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate have all been busy with public engagements over the past week,” per GB News.

Though other family members often take on the responsibility of making appearances when senior royals are unable to, the occasion in Luxembourg did not allow for such circumstances since royals like Duchess Sophie was off on a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Princess Anne was travelling to Ukraine.