Luc Frieden (1986) becomes new Prime Minister of Luxembourg

Luc Frieden (1986) was sworn in as the 23rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg in October, taking over the role from Xavier Bettel in November.

Following a degree in Business Law from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Mr Frieden studied for a Master's degree in Law at Queens'. His previous positions in the Luxembourgish Government include Minister of Justice, Minister for the Treasury and Budget, Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He has also held positions as Governor of the World Bank and acted as chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, in addition to being a former Vice Chairman of Deutsche Bank.

Mr Frieden visited Queens' when he accompanied Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of the European Commission, in 2000 to give a lecture in the Cambridge European Trust Lecture Series.

Free translation of an extract from an article appearing (in German) in the 25 November 2023 edition of the Luxemburger Wort, on Luc Frieden and his wife Marjolijna.

It may have been 37 long years ago, that year of studying in England, but its memories remain ever-present with Luc Frieden. They immediately bring a smile to his face. What was not necessarily so important at that time, as a young Masters student of Jurisprudence, that he had the honour of studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. But, that this was the time when he first met the woman who is now at his side (during this interview walking in the Luxembourg forest).

Looking at the careers of this married couple, one soon notices that England must have been the connecting factor between the two. This is confirmed by Marjolijna Frieden: "We got to know each other at Cambridge University. Luc was actually the first Luxembourger in my life that I got to know. Cambridge is a romantic city...," she remembers. "English was at that time our common language."

Asked about their first date, Luc Frieden didn’t need long to think. "It was at Queens' College, they have a formal dining room dating from the 15^th Century, where you could invite your guests. And that was wonderful." Even today, the now 60 year old raves about the aura of the ancient dining hall, with seating for professors and students alike – a little bit like you saw in the Harry Potter films. He takes out his mobile phone and Googles the magnificent dining hall and goes into raptures.

That he was able to benefit from this year in England was down to the admissions board of the US elite university of Harvard. For Luc Frieden had received a deferred acceptance at what was his first choice university of Harvard. So, in 1986, he went for a bridging year to Cambridge. "Yes, this was in a sense a 'stopover', but it was really worth it, particularly as otherwise we would not have met," he says with a smile.

Translation kindly provided by Philip Aspden (1964)