Grand Duke Henri dismissed accusations of staff mistreatment within the Grand Ducal Court when asked during a press conference at the end of his four-day Latvia trip on Wednesday.
The Grand Duke, Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, Economy Minister Franz Fayot, and an economy delegation travelled on Sunday to Latvia for a four-day state visit to celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Riga and Luxembourg.
At the end of the visit, journalists asked the Grand Duke about accusations regarding his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and staff members of the court reported by Lëtzebuerger Land.
“The reports made in the Land are not 100% true. Lots of speculations have been made”, Grand Duke Henri told the press conference.
RTL reported that the instance refers back to October 2022, when the Duchess allegedly mistreated staff members, causing distress and overwhelm.
The incident even caught the attention of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who discussed the matter with the Grand Duke and Duchess, and a follow-up report on the matter is due in March.
It is not the first time the Grand Ducal Court has come under fire. A 2020 report looked at staff operations and the role of Maria Teresa and called for broad reforms concerning the functioning of the monarchy.
The report revealed how between 2014 and 2019, 51 members of staff resigned or were fired. Overall, the Court employs 110 employees, paid for by taxpayer money.
Alongside the staff mismanagement and a general lack of financial transparency, the report said a culture of fear is dominating the Grand Ducal Court.
Luxembourg is the only remaining Grand-Duchy in the world.
(Luka Krauss| EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
