Tessy Antony de Nassau

Tessy Antony de Nassau (formerly Princess Tessy of Luxembourg; born 28 October 1985) is a former member of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg as the ex-wife of Prince Louis of Luxembourg and daughter-in-law of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In January 2017, the couple announced their separation and intent to divorce, with divorce proceedings occurring in the United Kingdom. Their divorce was finalized on 4 April 2019.

Early life
Tessy Antony was born in 28 October 1985, the daughter of François and Régine Anne Antony (née Heidemann). She has one older sister and three brothers. One of her older brothers died shortly after his birth.

After attending a technical high school in Pétange, (south of Luxembourg City), Tessy and her twin brother Ronny joined the Luxembourg Army at the age of 18, eventually rising to the rank of Corporal. From March to July 2004, she took part in a mission in Yugoslavia, as Sdt 1cl Chauffeur C2, in Mitrovica within KFOR, the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo. She is fluent in Luxembourgish, French, English, and German. She took lessons at a music school in Differdange and plays the alto saxophone.

Further education
Princess Tessy graduated from Richmond, The American International University in London in 2014 with a B.A. in International Relations. She wrote her thesis on the rise of nationalism in Europe, using the example of the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn. Additionally, from 2005 to 2009 Tessy attended several trainings and lectures relating to the topics of "Education and psychology." She earned her master's degree from SOAS, University of London. In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate from the Paris College of Art.

Career
In 2016, Tessy co-founded Professors Without Borders - an NGO specializing in international educational efforts - and is currently its Director of Logistics. She currently works as founder and partner for Finding Butterflies Consulting, Ltd - a consulting service focused on corporate social responsibility projects in education and female empowerment.

Marriage and family
Tessy Antony met Prince Louis for the first time while he was member of the army.

On 12 March 2006, she gave birth to a boy, christened Gabriel Michael Louis Ronny de Nassau, who was born at a private Swiss hospital, Clinic des Grangettes, in Geneva. The baby was the first grandchild for Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

The couple married on 29 September 2006 at a parish church in Gilsdorf. Upon their marriage, Prince Louis gave up succession rights for himself and his descendants, but retained the title of Prince of Luxembourg and the style of Royal Highness. The couple's second son, Noah Etienne Guillaume Gabriel Matthias Xavier de Nassau, was born on 21 September 2007 at Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital. The couple's sons were initially given the surname de Nassau with no titles. Sometime after the birth of Noah, Tessy had a third pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage. She has called it "one of the most difficult situations I have ever faced."

On Luxembourg's National Day on 23 June 2009, a decree was issued granting Tessy the title of Princess of Luxembourg and Princess of Bourbon-Parma with the style Her Royal Highness. The same decree gave the title Prince of Nassau and style Royal Highness to their sons Gabriel and Noah and possible future children. In 2012, Princess Tessy received the Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau. The decree granting Tessy de Nassau the rank of Princess of Luxembourg was, however, unlike previous decrees conferring titles, not made transparent to the public.

On 18 January 2017, the Grand Ducal Court announced the separation of the Prince and Princess, and their intention to divorce, whereupon Princess Tessy will lose her Grand Ducal titles. However, Articles 1 and 4 of the 1995 Grand Ducal Decree (as amended) state: "Article 1. In the public and private acts which concern them, the Princes and Princesses born in the first degree of descent from the Sovereign shall bear the style of 'Royal Highness' before their given name and the surname '(de) Nassau' and shall bear the title of 'Prince or Princess of Luxembourg' following their given and surnames. Children of the heir presumptive shall be designated in the same manner... Article 4. In the event of separation of bed and board, of divorce or remarriage after spousal death, the titles enjoyed by consorts of the Princes of Our House in accordance with the present decree shall be lost forthwith."

Activities
In April 2016, Tessy was awarded the Mrongovius Medal for humanitarian involvement.

Tessy is currently UNAIDS Global Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls. She is very much involved in charities and NGOs acting in favour of people with specific needs. She actively takes part in charitable events in Luxembourg as well as in London. She has been an active member of the Luxembourg "Groupe de Support Psychologique" (GSP) for the past five years.

Tessy became an Ambassador for Shongolulu. The company based in San Diego, California, donates a percentage of their profit to support Wildlife Alliance.

Hobbies
A keen sportsperson, Tessy regularly practises the following sports: swimming, scuba diving, spinning, skiing and hunting. She is a member of the Niederkorn Fanfare. She likes classic and contemporary music and is particularly interested in jazz. She regularly attends conferences and seminars on psychology and social development, topics she also enjoys reading about most.

Titles and styles

 * 28 October 1985 – 29 September 2006: Miss Tessy Antony
 * 29 September 2006 – 23 June 2009: Mrs Tessy de Nassau
 *  23 June 2009 – 1 September 2019: Her Royal Highness Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau and Bourbon-Parma
 *  1 September 2019 – Present : Ms. Tessy Antony - de Nassau

Tessy has stated that she will hold her titles until 1 September 2019, when she will revert to her maiden name hyphenated with de Nassau.

Honours

 * 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: Dame Grand Cross of Order of Adolphe of Nassau (2012)