Grand Duc Henri

Grand Duc Henri (* 16 April 1955 at Betzdorf Castle in Betzdorf), the eldest son of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, attended secondary school first in Luxembourg and later took his baccalaureate in France. In 1975, Prince Henri successfully completed his training at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst (UK).

From then on, he studied economics and politics at the University of Geneva, where he graduated with honours in 1980. Subsequent studies took him to other European countries and overseas. In 1978 and 1979 he visited the United States of America as a trainee to round off his previous education with practical experience.

In 1992, Prince Henri received an honorary doctorate in classical literature from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut (USA). This was followed in 1993 by another award, an honorary doctorate in law from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (USA). Prince Henri was awarded an honorary doctorate in political science from the University of Trier on 10 July 1996.

After completing his studies at the end of the 1970s, the Hereditary Grand Duke became intensively involved in the economic development of his country. In his capacity as Chairman of the "Board of Economic Development", he very purposefully shaped the economic reorientation of the State of Luxembourg. In this way, he contributed to the fact that Luxembourg, which was still almost completely dependent on steel 20 years ago, became one of the most important international financial centres and that the Board of Economic Development succeeded within a very short time in attracting important industrial companies with future prospects to Luxembourg or founding them in Luxembourg.

Today, Luxembourg has a flourishing economy that offers a multitude of jobs, especially for the inhabitants of the surrounding regions, and has the highest per capita income in the world.

This restructuring of the country's economy requires a high, scientifically sound understanding of economic interrelationships and demands not only strategic thinking but also the identification of the leading persons with set goals.

Prince Henri has been a full member of Luxembourg's Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) since 1980. In the course of this activity, he has contributed to more than 1050 expert opinions on draft laws relating to a wide range of economic, cultural and social problems. In addition, the Hereditary Grand Duke is an active member of the Mentor Foundation, which was founded under the auspices of the World Health Organisation with the aim of counteracting drug abuse among young people.

Important for the University of Trier and Faculty IV, however, is above all his commitment to the environment and environmental issues. This is expressed in his membership of the Charles Darwin Foundation of the Galapagos Islands and his assumption of the chairmanship of the Galapagos Darwin Trust Luxembourg. The consistent focus on environmentally friendly technologies can also be observed in the Board of Economic Development's policy on the location of industrial enterprises.

Since its inception, Department IV has been of the opinion that exceptional scientific merit is not least reflected in particular successes in practical activity and has also expressed this through its past practice of awarding honorary doctorates. With the award of the honorary doctorate in political science, Doktor rerum politicarum honoris causa, to Her Royal Highness Prince Henri of Luxembourg, Faculty IV is honouring a personality who, despite his youth, has accomplished a remarkable body of practical scientific work.