LUXEMBOURG, Oct 8 (Bernama-dpa) -- Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri officially appointed his son Guillaume as his deputy on Tuesday, paving the way for the transfer of office of head of state, the German news agency (dpa) reported.
As "lieutenant-représentant", Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, 42, will take on "certain responsibilities" while Grand Duke Henri, 69, will remain the head of state, according to the state ministry and the grand ducal palace. When Henri will abdicate is still undecided.
After the signing of the grand ducal appointment decree at the palace, Guillaume is due to be sworn in before the Chamber of Deputies. Following the ceremony, the grand duke and his son can be greeted by citizens in the square in front of the Parliament and the palace.
Grand Duke Henri has been the head of state of the second smallest country in the European Union since Oct 7, 2000. He announced in June that he would make his son his representative. Henri himself became "lieutenant-représentant" two and a half years before the abdication of his father Jean.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has been married to Princess Stéphanie, a Belgian countess, since October 2012. The couple has two sons.
Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy in the world today and has approximately 670,000 inhabitants. Grand duke is a title for monarchs ranked between a king and a duke.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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