Royal Grandmother Celebrates Baby Grandson’s 1st Birthday & Posts Rare Photos

The royals are becoming more active on social media every day. Kate Middleton and Prince William regularly share photos of their three children. Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan has flooded his feed with photos of his daughter. Even Meghan Markle returned to Instagram for the first time in seven years with a vid of her kids. And now, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg is the latest royal to post family photos on social media. 

This week, the duchess, 68, shared rare photos of her grandson, Prince Balthazar, in honor of his first birthday. The proud grandmother posted a slideshow of pictures on Instagram featuring never-before-seen shots of the young royal.

The first photo shows Prince Balthazar with his parents, Prince Felix and Princess Claire, and his siblings, Princess Amalia, 10, and Prince Liam, 8. It's followed by candid shots of the baby meeting the Pope (casual), posing with his grandparents and playing with daddy. 

The caption read, “Very happy birthday to our dear Balthazar.”

The birthday tribute came just a few weeks after Grand Duchess Maria Teresa’s husband, Grand Duke Henri, announced that he will abdicate the throne later this year. Although it’s a major change for the monarchy, the announcement wasn’t a huge surprise. The duke had previously revealed that he planned on stepping down in favor of his son, Prince Guillaume.