Josephine Charlotte was born on October 11 1927 and became a true symbol of the resilience of European monarchies. She was the 1st child of King Leopold III and the beautiful Swedish Princess Astrid. Her carefree childhood shattered into pieces in 1935 when her deeply loved mother died in an automobile crash. The young princess had to take responsibility for her 2 younger brothers Baudouin and Albert II who would later both become Kings of Belgium.
The youth of the Princess fell during the darkest pages of the 20th century. During World War 2 the royal family was held captive and later deported to Germany. These cruel trials only hardened the character of the girl. Josephine Charlotte survived and became the true guardian of dynastic ties in Europe. Just imagine her first cousins included King Harald V of Norway and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark while the British Queen Elizabeth II was her third cousin.
In 1953 she married the Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and linked her destiny with Luxembourg forever. Their marriage turned out to be incredibly strong and happy. In 1964 she officially became the Grand Duchess and dedicated her entire life to charity and supporting the arts. This elegant and wise ruler passed away on January 10 2005 at the age of 77. Josephine Charlotte remains in memory as a flawless aristocrat who carried her crown with dignity through all the storms of a turbulent century.
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