Princess Tessy of Luxembourg has been branded as a gold digger after beginning divorce settlement proceedings against her husband Prince Louis. Now she is looking to the London courts to solve the dispute equitably.
Princess Tessy, 31, rose from humble beginnings as a roofer’s daughter climbed Luxembourg’s social ladder and marrying Prince Louis, son of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 11 years ago. Since then the couple has had 2 children and Princess Tessy has pursued her career working for a London charity.
Earlier this year, however, news that the couple were seeking to divorce started to appear in the press, alongside speculation that they had become estranged due to the prince’s “unreasonable behavior”.
Soon after this articles accusing Princess Tessy of being a gold digger started to emerge and have since been described as a “disgusting character assassination” by the princess’ expert legal team.
The accusations appeared in the Belgian gossip magazine Privat, who may have underestimated the determination and caliber of the princess, who at 18 joined Luxembourg’s armed forces and who in 2004 served as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
Now the plucky princess has turned to London courts in order to gain a fair settlement in her divorce – the details of the proposed settlement are restricted from being revealed in the media by a High Court order made by the judge presiding over the case.
Deborah Bangay QC, who is the legal counsel to the Princess has commented, “She is not a gold digger. Far from it. She is simply seeking a fair and proper settlement.” And, “My client has no wish to litigate and she made a very reasonable and sensible proposal. Unfortunately, that proposal was rejected and my client had no option but to pursue this in litigation.”
The couple’s divorce became official in February after District Judge Richard Robinson granted a decree nisi in a London court. Now, however, the battle over the settlement looks to rage on. The princess has already lost her diplomatic status, been erased from the Luxembourg royal family website and stands to lose her London home in Kensington.
The princess’ legal team have accused aids to the prince of having threatened to drag out the court case if she refuses to settle. This was vehemently denied by the prince in court, but his countenance did not fare well with Mr. Justice MacDonald who intervened by saying, “You are adults and I expect you to act like adults in my courtroom.”
When asked about the allegations made by Privat magazine, calling the princess a gold digger, the prince’s legal counsel said, “My client is appalled at this. He has no idea how it came about. We share their disgust and will do anything we can to stop this happening.”
The case is set to continue and highlights the need for couples who are divorcing or are experiencing family problems, to look to legal experts for advice and representation.