Grand Duchess Maria Teresa shares rare photo of towering grandson for special reason

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg paid tribute to her grandson Gabriel on Wednesday to mark his 19th birthday.

In a post shared to Instagram, Grand Duke Henri's wife shared a charming snapshot of herself posing with Gabriel in a stone archway framed by climbing shrubs and an array of potted plants.

Garbiel, who was born on 12 March 2006, towered over his grandmother dressed in a navy linen shirt and cornflower blue shorts. Meanwhile, Duchess Maria Teresa, 68, was a summery vision rocking a swirling patterned wrap dress splashed with pinks, blues and tangerine.

She slipped on a pair of chic espadrille wedges and spruced up her look with a pair of gold tassel drop earrings. In the snapshot, she could be seen sweetly beaming at her loved one with one arm placed on Gabriel's shoulder, and her other hand placed on his crossed arms.

The caption read: "Très bel anniversaire à notre cher Gabriel," which translates into English as "Wishing our dear Gabriel a very happy birthday."

Royal fans quickly inundated the comments section with birthday well-wishes. One penned: "Beautiful," while a second noted: "Happy birthday to Prince Gabriel," and a third chimed in: "Happy birthday" followed by the cake emoji.

Grand Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Henri have five children and eight grandchildren. The couple's third child, Prince Louis - shares two sons with his former wife, Tessy Antony de Nassau – Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah, 17.

Henri's heir and future Grand Duke, Guillaume has two sons, Prince Charles, four, and one-year-old Prince François with his wife, Princess Stephanie.

Princess Alexandra, meanwhile, shares Victoire with her husband Nicolas Bagory, while Prince Felix shares three children with his wife Claire Lademacher: Princess Amalia, Prince Liam and Prince Balthazar.

Following his 18th birthday, Gabriel revealed he planned to take a gap year in New Zealand before heading to university. Musing on his future, he explained how he would like to support animals.

Royal shake-up

In an emotional Christmas 2024 broadcast, Grand Duke Henri, 69, revealed he will abdicate from the throne on 3 October in favour of his son, Prince Guillaume. Henri will have reigned for 25 years when he steps down, having succeeded his father, Grand Duke Jean, on 7 October 2000.

Guillaume, 43, was made Lieutenant-Représentant in October 2024 and has been preparing for his future role. In his speech, Henri said of his son and daughter-in-law: "I know that they will do their utmost to contribute to the well-being of our country."

He continued: "It has been a period during which Luxembourg has made much progress, and I am pleased to have been able to be part of that journey with you, together with the Grand Duchess.

"It has been a quarter of a century of challenges, opportunities and hopes for a better future: of technological and economic progress, of social change, but also of many conflicts. All were moments that have made us reflect and brought us closer together as a nation. And we have remained united to make Luxembourg even more inviting and sustainable."