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Before dawn on May 10, 1940 the royal family of Luxembourg fled their palace to escape the Nazi forces invading their country. After a harrowing journey through France, Spain and Portugal, the family boarded a U.S. Navy cruiser on July 15, sent especially for them by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Upon learning of their precarious situation from her friend President Roosevelt, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post urged the royal family to make her Long Island home—today the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University—their safe haven.

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004 the reigning Grand Duke Henri visited the former estate where his father, aunts, uncles and grandfather lived in exile from late July through November 1940.

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Grand Duke Henri’s father, Grand Duke Jean, was 19 when the Post estate’s beautiful grounds and historic buildings were a retreat for the six royal Grand Ducal children and their father, Prince Felix, who was the husband of the reigning monarch Grand Duchess Charlotte. (While her family stayed on Long Island, Her Royal Highness Charlotte left Lisbon for London to set up and run a government in exile).

Wednesday’s visit was the first visit by Grand Duke Henri to the estate and coincides with the celebration of the campus’ 50th anniversary. His Royal Highness was greeted by Dr. David Steinberg, president of Long Island University, and C.W. Post Campus Chancellor Theresa Mall Mullarkey. The Grand Duke said he visited the campus to see firsthand where his family had stayed during the war. "It’s to…follow in the footsteps of the history of my family," he said of his visit.

The family arrived in Annapolis, Maryland on July 25, 1940. Once in the country, Prince Felix and his children were guests at a luncheon held at the White House in their honor. The next leg of their journey would bring them to Hillwood, the Long Island estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post who later sold her estate to Long Island University to create the C.W. Post Campus.

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The connection between the Post family and the Royal Family of Luxembourg was formed when Joseph E. Davies, Marjorie Post’s third husband, served as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg, during which time Marjorie Post and the Grand Duchess Charlotte (Grand Duke Henri’s grandmother) became friends. Kenneth Mensing, C.W. Post Campus Historian, and Rita Langdon, Associate Provost/Director of Public Relations, were conducting research at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan, in June 2003 for a book they are co-authoring on the history of the C.W. Post Campus for the college’s 50th anniversary. They came across a photo of the family posing in front of a playhouse on the grounds of the estate and shared the photo with Luxembourg’s Consul General Georges Faber. Mr. Faber visited this spring to discuss the family’s experiences and the historical background of the estate with Ms. Langdon and Mr. Mensing. His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg then decided that he would come and see for himself the place where his family had sought refuge from the Nazis some 64 years ago.

H.R.H. the Grand Duke arrived at the campus on Wednesday morning, September 15 at 9:40 a.m. and toured the campus for 50 minutes with President Steinberg, Chancellor Mullarkey, Mensing and Langdon. After touring the C.W. Post Campus, the Grand Duke headed to New York City for a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.