Luxembourg crowns new grand duke after the former grand duke abdicates
Luxembourg, Oct 3: Grand Duke Guillaume swore an oath to ascend to the throne of Luxembourg on Friday in a traditional ceremony attended by royals and European heads of state.
Flanked by his wife, the new Grand Duchess Stephanie, Grand Duke Guillaume, 43, swore the oath in Luxembourg’s parliament and took the throne.
“I will live the life of my people, from whom I do not want to be separated by any barrier. I will share their joys and sufferings,” Guillaume said, quoting a 1919 speech by one of his predecessors, the Grand Duchess Charlotte, in his first address to the nation. He drew a parallel between the carnage of World War I and geopolitical tensions today.
“A symbol of the principles of freedom and unity enshrined in our Constitution, the monarchy has remained – then as now – a constant point of reference and a steadfast support in times of crisis. In this sense, the oath I have just taken on the Constitution marks a significant institutional milestone for our country.” Grand Duke Guillaume, 43, takes over from his father Henri, 70, who had served for 25 years in the largely symbolic role. (AP)
Frederic Chopin Piano Competition begins with promise of new legend
Warsaw, Oct 3: Gallant, ceremonial and incredibly grand: it couldn’t have been any other piece of music but Frederic Chopin’s Polonaise in A major, Op 40 to open the 19th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition at the Warsaw Philharmonic.
The inaugural concert, a tradition that has largely refrained from playing anything by Chopin, was a medley of piano concertos, beginning with Grzegorz Fitelberg’s orchestration of the 1838 composition and conducted by Andrzej Boryeko.
It was a fitting opening to this year’s edition of the piano competition, which began in 1927 with the same composition. The current iteration, being held from October 2-20, is the closest edition to the centenary of the event in 1927 and is thus being treated as such. (AP)
The Swiss Guards have new uniform
Vatican City, Oct 3:The world’s oldest army has new uniforms.
But don’t worry: The Swiss Guards’ famed blue, yellow and red Renaissance-style billowy garb isn’t going anywhere. Rather, the pope’s army on Thursday unveiled an additional uniform for nonceremonial, formal occasions, such as a diplomatic reception or official dinner outside the Vatican walls.
Col. Christoph Graf, the Swiss Guards commander, donned the new duds at a presentation ceremony in the army’s barracks ahead of the annual swearing-in ceremony on Saturday of 27 recruits.
Graf explained that the new black wool uniform, with two rows of buttons, a yellow and white belt and a Mao-style collar, is actually a faithful rendition of a centuries-old suit worn by Swiss Guard officials that went out of use in 1976.
The corps tried an update a decade ago, didn’t like it, and commissioned a more faithful version that will get its first official use at a gala reception on Friday on the eve of the swearing-in.
The corps, which historians consider the oldest standing army in the world, was founded in 1506 by Pope Giulio II. Tradition has it that he was so impressed by the bravery of Swiss mercenaries that he asked them to defend the Vatican. Ever since, for more than 500 years, Switzerland has been supplying soldiers to the Vatican to staff an army of 135 men. (AP)
