The power woman

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We meet Tessy Antony de Nassau on a foggy Saturday morning on the eighth floor of a luxury hotel in the capital. When we arrive, she has just finished breakfast. She had even had a place setting laid out for us, but unfortunately we're notorious breakfast grouches. However, we are always up for an espresso, which we drink in the Panorama Bar, where we also conduct the interview.

The only problem: Tessy Antony de Nassau has such an extraordinary and sprawling CV that we don't know where to start. So let's start with Fashion Week in Pirmasens, where the entrepreneur was present the day before with her fashion brand Human Highness.

She only stops off in Luxembourg to eat with her family and to talk to us before travelling on to Zurich in the afternoon, where she now lives with her new husband and her children.

From there, it's just a stone's throw to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the 39-year-old has been attending for years now. This is part of the Swedish Lunch, where the focus is generally on sustainability and innovation in particular, and where the most pressing problems of our time are discussed.

Sustainability is also a top priority at Human Highness, Tessy Antony de Nassau's fashion brand, which has also been involved in Luxembourg Fashion Week, which was launched six years ago, from the very beginning. "I like to dress well, sometimes in different things than the usual fashion. The fashion that I create with Human Highness is stuff that you don't necessarily find in the shops. This year I will be specialising in linen dresses. They are affordable, good for the body and can be sexy and relaxed. This year I will also be focussing on my new silk scarves, one of which even has the Gëlle Fra on it. It's a tribute to my country, which has given me so much."

According to the entrepreneur, business is going very well, but everything is online, as Human Highness was founded during the coronavirus pandemic. "This year, however, I'm looking at whether I should also sell my fashion in selected shops. Galeries Lafayette have already asked, and a new shopping mall is opening in Niederkorn this year. Let's see, there are a few opportunities there. But I'm doing everything on my own at the moment, so the whole thing will take some time. In Luxembourg, people are generally motivated and innovative, in the sense that 'we think about 7,000 things that could be done at the same time', and I'm no different."

Close to the people

However, Tessy Antony de Nassau's professional career began in the army, which she joined at the age of 17, having previously learnt accountancy at school. Rather by chance, as she says. "It just happened that way. My sister was in the army and my twin brother was just about to go too. When I started there, we were a few girls, but I was the only one in my session who stuck it out until the end. They didn't want to take me on the KFOR mission in Kosovo, for which I volunteered, because they didn't want a woman to go on a mission like that. But when I got my truck driving licence, they had to take me along because they didn't have anyone else in my group at the time who had one."

At the time, Tessy Antony de Nassau was only 18 years old. "The mission was really interesting. I got to know a lot of people, but of course I also saw things that weren't so nice. Above all, however, I realised that we women have some qualities that are needed in war zones. Also because of the women and children who live there. Because the last thing these women and children want to see is a man, because many of the things that have happened to them come from men. When the women saw me, they were really happy and they told me so. It's not least because of these experiences that I still stand up for women."

As Tessy Antony de Nassau emphasises, she has always been a person who, when she started something, was happy to finish it. "I see all the opportunities I've been given as a privilege. You should try everything, and if it doesn't work, then you've gained experience. That's my attitude to life."

She still works for the army from time to time. Among other things, to get more women interested in the army, including in Switzerland and in the UK, where her sons Gabriel and Noah are at boarding school and where she still has a house.

"Gabriel also got his driving licence in the military, it's a tradition in the family. He also learnt mechanics there, just like I did back then. That helped me a lot. If there's anything wrong with the car, you can help yourself."

Tessy Antony de Nassau also has three siblings, an older brother, an older sister and a twin brother. "My older brother also had a twin brother, but unfortunately he died shortly after birth."

In this context, she mentions that there are many things on Wikipedia that are correct, but also many things that are not. "For us women, Wikipedia focuses a lot on our private lives. For example, you can read a huge section about my divorce. We women always tend to be pigeonholed anyway."

Of course, we can't help but ask the former princess about exactly that, namely her private life and her marriage to Prince Louis, the third son of Grand Duke Henri and Maria Teresa, with whom she has two sons, Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah.

"It was love at first sight with Louis. He also got his driving licence in the army, and it was up to me to check his eyesight in an eye test. That was in Luxembourg, when I was already back from Kosovo. We got on really well straight away. We spoke on the phone for five hours a day and even sent each other faxes – there was no WhatsApp back then. That's how it started."

It's an open secret that Tessy Antony de Nassau also faced hostility because of her love for Prince Louis. "It wasn't always easy, but that's the way it is: people who are in the public eye in Luxembourg have to deal with envy, and not just the women. When you're close to people, which I am and which I want to be, you make yourself vulnerable. Then people think they can cross boundaries and then they take more out of you than if you're more reserved, but I think different people just don't know any better. I don't read the rainbow papers at all. I don't have time for that anyway because of my children and my work."

The 39-year-old starts her day early in the morning with a fitness workout. "I don't have time after that. I have to look after myself first, otherwise everything else won't work. I also do sport because I had a serious accident in the military. I rolled over five times with the Hummer, which led to back problems. When I do sport, I feel better and have no pain."

According to Tessy Antony de Nassau, she has also been asked several times in this country whether she would like to get involved in politics. "It's always interested me, and it's not something I would rule out in the future, but it's not possible at the moment – partly because I don't live here. I pay my taxes in Switzerland and England. But you never know what the future holds. My father was also in politics. He was on the Differdange local council for the LSAP and always stood up for the people. That's why I'm close to people, that's the way I am, to help them as much as I can, although when I help someone, I usually do it away from the public eye."

In this context, she mentions that she worked as a trauma psychologist at the GSP (Groupe de Support Psychologique) for seven years. "I was present at accidents when someone died. I learnt this job in a two-year course at the Protection Civile (now the CGDIS), which I completed with an exam."

"I miss Luxembourg every day"

Tessy Antony de Nassau also has a bachelor's degree in international relations. Her thesis in this field deals with the rise of nationalism, and in particular the far-right Golden Dawn party in Greece. For her master's thesis on biological terrorism, she worked at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, among others. She is still in the process of completing her doctorate in alternative medicine.

"We also lived in the USA, where I studied medicine. In Florida, I finished high school in three months before I took a GED test to be able to go to university. It was tough, partly because the children were still small, but I did it and I'm still proud of it."

We then ask Tessy Antony de Nassau whether she sometimes misses Luxembourg, as she lives in Zurich. "I miss Luxembourg every day, but I visit my home country once or twice a month if I can manage it. I always come by car. It's easier with a small child, and then I also have a dog. I'm also more flexible in Luxembourg by car. My grandmother lives in the north and I'm very close to my family."

Tessy Antony de Nassau also comes to Luxembourg often because she is on several boards of directors here, including the board of the Elisabeth Foundation, which is active in the social sector. "For me, this is like the backbone of Luxembourg. I am very proud to be part of it. It's a super important organisation."

She also had a programme on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg in which she interviewed people who are committed to our country. "I called them the invisible heroes that you hear little or nothing else about, people who hold our society together."

The former princess, who lost her title after her divorce, still has contact with the Grand Ducal family. "It's important for my sons Gabriel and Noah to know that I'm there and that I get on well with their father. That's also normal. Whenever possible, children want to see that their parents understand and respect each other. I think Gabriel and Noah have a special place in the hearts of Luxembourgers, also because they represent the people, through me and through my family. They are modern princes who love their country and their families."

Tessy Antony de Nassau, who is involved in numerous social projects, has been an ambassador for UNAIDS since 2016 and was honoured with the Sino Peace Prize in the Philippines last year for her philanthropic commitment, having previously been named Leader of the Year by the Leadership Academy in Luxembourg and Women of the Decade by the Women Economic Forum in London.

With her Theodor & Grace books (Theodor is the name of her son, born in 2021), she is now also a successful children's book author. "The idea for the books came to me when I was pregnant with Gabriel. I wanted to give him something so that he would always know he was Luxembourgish. He was born in Switzerland at the time. Noah was then born in Luxembourg. So I always had this project in mind, but only realised it years later. When Theodor was born, I told myself that if you don't do it now, you'll never do it, and then it won't be authentic."

Her book Theodor & Grace Entdecken Zürich (Theodor & Grace Discover Zurich) can now be found in the maternity wards of the largest hospitals in Zurich. "It's a nice gift for young families because you learn a lot about the city where the child is born. I hope that I can also bring my books to the hospitals in Luxembourg. That would be great. Then I could share a piece of Luxembourg with the newborns and their families."

Her youngest son Theodor is Swiss, but also Luxembourgish. "I want him to know that being Luxembourgish is also his identity. Incidentally, I only speak Luxembourgish with Theodor at home, and with my other two sons too, " and you can tell how incredibly proud she is of her three sons.

We then ask how she came up with Theodor, which is a rather old-fashioned name. The name goes back to her husband Frank Floessel's grandfather, Theodor Wasserrab, who was a university professor at the University of Aachen and a well-known researcher in the field of power converter technology. "My husband, who is German and was naturalised in Switzerland, was very close to his grandfather."

Tessy Antony de Nassau is also very active on social media. "That's fun for me. It allows me to connect with people. I receive a lot of messages from Luxembourgers who ask me for advice or help on these channels."

Last question: And what needs to be improved in Luxembourg?

"You have to ask the politicians. It's their job to stand up for our country, just like the Grand Ducal family. Unfortunately, we also have a lot of poverty and homelessness in Luxembourg. That is a big problem. There is also Working Poor in Luxembourg. That shouldn't happen in such a rich country. Incidentally, I have worked a lot with Stëmm vun der Strooss in the past."

Finally, we ask her whether she is happy and whether she has the feeling of having come home.

"I think I'm happy in the sense that I'm always happy with what I have at the moment. But I certainly haven't come home. I'm only 39 years old and will be 40 this year, so I'm still far too young to claim that I've arrived. Let's see what the future holds. You're happy when you make yourself happy. You can't expect other people to make you happy. That doesn't work."

She's right, of course. In any case, Tessy Antony de Nassau is a real power woman, and she's also super likeable and extremely clever. It will be interesting to see what else she does in the coming years ..