Princess Claire of Luxembourg holds her infant son Prince Balthazar, born on Jan. 7.
The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg has joyfully announced the arrival of Prince Felix and Princess Claire’s new baby… again!
On Tuesday, courtiers quietly switched the spelling of the royal couple’s new baby’s name in official communications, calling the baby Prince Balthazar instead of Prince Balthasar as he was initially introduced. Fan blog Gert’s Royals was quick to catch the “royal oops” following the spelling change on the royal family’s website.
“It is with great joy that we announce the birth of our son. The prince was born on 7th January 2024 at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte. The newborn Prince will be named Balthazar Felix Karl,” the latest birth announcement states. “He weighs 3,220 kg [7.1 lbs.] and measures 50 cm,” or 7 lbs, 1 oz. and 19.7 inches.
“Prince Balthazar and Princess Claire are in perfect health,” the statement added. The announcement was from Felix and Claire “with Amalia and Liam” — their two elder children.
Related: The First Royal Arrival of 2024! Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg Welcome Third Child
Prince Felix is the second son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, and fourth in line to the throne. He married Princess Claire (née Lademacher) in 2013 and they went on to welcome Princess Amalia, 9, and Prince Liam, 7, who follow their father in the line of succession.
On Tuesday, proud grandmother Grand Duchess Maria Teresa posted the first photos of baby Balthazar on Instagram.
The carousel opened with a photo of Princess Claire holding the newborn in a hospital bed, with her husband and children around her. The montage rolled to Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duke Henri (looking the part of head of state in a suit) smiling with baby Balthazar and closed with photos of Liam and Amalia with their new baby brother.
“What an immense joy the arrival of Balthazar, our seventh grandchild, born on January 7 in Luxembourg. ♥️💝,” she captioned the snaps from a private collection, credited to her.
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg with his new grandson Prince Balthazar, born Jan. 7.
The Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg share five adult children, and Prince Balthazar arrives as their seventh grandchild — but he won’t be the littlest for long! In December 2023, the court of Luxembourg announced that Henri and Maria Teresa’s daughter Princess Alexandra and her husband Nicolas Bagory are expecting their first child this spring.
Alexandra and Nicolas wed in a civil ceremony in Luxembourg in April and confirmed their commitment in a religious ceremony one week later in France, where Nicolas is from.
“The Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess as well as the members of the two families are united in great happiness,” the royal court said in the couple’s pregnancy announcement.
Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Nicolas Bagory and Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg on the day of their April 29, 2023 civil ceremony wedding.
While baby Balthazar’s name mistake might seem unusual, snafus can happen in palace offices. In the fall, Hello! reported that the date of Kate Middleton’s third annual Royal Carols: Together At Christmas concert was accidentally leaked on the royal family’s Royal.UK website. The info slipped under upcoming engagements for Prince Richard and Birgitte, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. According to the outlet, the message said that the couple “will attend a Carol Service held by The Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey, London” on Dec. 8.
A few weeks later, Kensington Palace confirmed that the carol concert would be held on Dec. 8 — verifying speculation about the calendar plans.