| Maria Teresa Mestre |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT MARIA TERESA, GRAND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG | |
| 1956 births | |
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| people from havana | |
| grand dukes of luxembourg | |
| knights grand cross of the royal norwegian order of st. olav | |
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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (born March 22 1956 ) is the Consort of Grand Duke Henri Of Luxembourg . Maria Teresa Mestre was born in Havana , Cuba to José Antonio Mestre and Maria Teresa Batista-Falla de Mestre. In October 1959 , at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution , Maria Teresa Mestre left Cuba with her parents, as many other Cubans did fearing Castro's future political ambitions. The family settled in New York , where, as a young girl, she was a pupil at Marymount School of New York. From 1961 , she continued her studies at the Lycée Français De New York . In June 1965 , her parents settled down for a few months on their family estate of Santander in Spain , before taking up permanent residence in Geneva , Switzerland . Maria Teresa Mestre first continued her studies at the Institut Marie-José at Gstaad , then at the boarding school Marie-Thérèse in Geneva , where she successfully passed the French General Certificate of Education (baccalauréat) in June 1975 . In 1980 she graduated at the University Of Geneva in Political Science s. Miss Mestre met Prince Henri at this University. For four years they both continued similar studies, working sometimes in the same study groups to which Miss Mestre reported on numerous occasions; she was for instance the author of a report on the compared legislations within the European Community , on woman's work and on motherhood. During the same period she took an ever increasing interest in social and human problems, following the family tradition which had brought her grand-parents to devote themselves actively to Philanthropy and cultural tasks in Cuba. Besides her studies, Miss Mestre was a member of a group in Geneva taking care of the residents of old people's homes. She also taught children in a Geneva classroom. Spanish is her mother tongue, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa knows French thoroughly, having continued her studies at the French School (Lycée Français) and in Switzerland. When she was young, she learned English . After her marriage she learned Luxembourgish , and she also speaks German and Italian . In her childhood, Maria Teresa Mestre took Ballet and Singing tuition courses. She loves Music and literature and is interested in Painting . Devoted to Sport , she practices Skiing , Ice-skating and Water Sports . She has two brothers and one sister, who are living in Switzerland and in the USA . FAMILY Maria Teresa Mestre married Prince Henri of Luxembourg on February 14 , 1981 . They have five children, four sons and one daughter:
and one grandson :
PATRONAGE Since 1997, the Grand Duchess acts as a Good-Will Ambassador of UNESCO and supports in this respect specifically organisations which are active in the field of micro-credits and child protection. The Grand Duchess shows a strong interest in the social situation in her country, dedicating her efforts mainly to the children and families in danger, to the social integration of persons who are physically, mentally or socially handicapped, and to Gender related issues. She has granted her patronage and active support notably to the Luxembourg League of Blind People, the National Nurses' Association and the Alzheimer Association of Luxembourg. She also chairs the Foundation Prince Henri-Princess Maria Teresa for the handicapped and occupies the Honorary Chair of the Foundation for Research on AIDS . She is member of the Council of Trustees of The Mentor Foundation which concentrates on the prevention of Substance Abuse among children and young people and which maintains a special relationship with the World Health Organisation . In October 1999 , the Grand Duchess (then Hereditary Grand Duchess) was named Docteur Honoris Causa to the Seton Hall University , School for diplomatics and international relations in the USA. EXTERNAL LINKS |