80th anniversary of the return of the Grand Duchess of Charlotte: ceremony at Place Clairefontaine

On Monday, 14 April, a ceremony was held in the heart of Luxembourg, at the monument to the Grand Duchess Charlotte at Place Clairefontaine, to mark the 80th anniversary of her return from exile. In 1940, during the invasion of Nazi Germany, Charlotte fled the country with her family and part of the government. During the war years, her path of exile took her through France, Portugal, the UK, the USA and Canada. She made her symbolic return on 14 April 1945, to a liberated but war-weary Luxembourg, where she was greeted by a jubilant crowd.

Flowers were laid at the foot of the monument to the monarch on behalf of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Marie-Therese by Palace Marshal Sacha Baillie. The ceremony was also attended by the Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars di Bartolomeo, and the Minister of the Interior, Léon Gloden. The event was organised by the World War II Commemoration Service.

Charlotte's figure in national memory is not just an image of a head of state. During the war, she became a voice of hope, regularly addressing her compatriots on BBC radio from London. Her moral and political leadership helped to maintain the legitimacy of Luxembourg's statehood in exile and strengthen the unity of the nation.