Did Maria Teresa of Luxembourg really pave the way for Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton? The grand duchess was one of the first commoners to marry into royalty

“For me, it was a big no-no. I just didn’t think that I could fall in love with a crown prince,” Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg tells us over a Zoom call from her private office.

“In the back of my mind, I was thinking to myself that this could be a very problematic situation, so it wasn’t something I was expecting or hoping for. It just fell on me,” she said.

The grand duchess is referencing her first encounter with her now-husband, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The grand duke – whose title is equivalent to king – was heir to the throne when the couple were first introduced by their parents in the late 1970s.

Unlike most royal consorts in Europe at the time, the grand duchess didn’t come from a royal background. She was born in Havana, Cuba to parents José Antonio Mestre y Álvarez and Maria Teresa Batista-Falla de Mestre in 1956, and the family moved to New York in the 1960s, according to the Grand Ducal website.

She grew up with a passion for humanitarian work, which led her to pursue a degree in political sciences in 1980. The following year, she married the grand duke, and her life became dedicated to supporting the Luxembourg monarchy through royal and charitable engagements.

Luxembourg is one of 12 monarchies still active in Europe today, World Population Review reports, and it is the only Grand Duchy – a country headed by a grand duke or duchess – according to Maria Teresa.

“I’m in such a privileged position, that if I don’t take up the most difficult causes, I wonder who is going to give them visibility?” the grand duchess said.