Grand Duke of Luxembourg pays visit to Queen and King of the Court European Finals

On Wednesday, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg paid a historic visit to the Queen & King of the Court European Finals that are currently taking place right by the iconic d’Coque in Luxembourg City. The Grand Duke, who has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1998, very much enjoyed the truly energetic atmosphere that goes with this innovative and highly dynamic format of the sport – witnessing the performances of the home teams representing Luxembourg together with a large and passionate crowd.

The Grand Duke is known for his interest in sport and while watching the action from a royal box, which could not hold a more befitting name on Wednesday night, he did quickly familiarise himself with the rules of the game as well as with the background of some of the athletes performing on the court. The Grand Duke was hosted by representatives of the partners involved in the delivery of this historic event for the Grand Duchy – namely CEV Managing Director Thorsten Endres, FLVB President Norma Zambon, Luxembourg’s Sports Minister Georges Engel, the President of the Board of Administration of d’Coque, Laurent Deville, and the CEO of promoter Sportworx, Wilco Nijland.

His Royal Highness did also spend some time exchanging words and impressions with the home teams, with the players representing Luxembourg expressing their delight and pleasure at meeting with the Head of State in such an unconventional and friendly atmosphere. The Grand Duke followed with much interest and passion the actions of Eline Delcourt/Rebekka Klerf and Maciej Complak/Felix Terwindt, who were loudly cheered on by the audience every time they took to the sand to challenge the team standing on the king’s / queen’s side of the court. The Grand Duke did also meet with Colin Hilbert and Steve Weber, who are due to compete on Thursday early afternoon in what is a truly special experience for the Luxembourgish teams – as they compete against the European elite of the sport on home turf for the first time in history.

The presence of His Royal Highness does obviously raise the profile of the continental event even further – with three more days of classy action now left until the European Queens and Kings of the Court 2023 are crowned on Saturday.