On Monday evening, the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Vassilios Skouris, and the British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Alice Walpole, hosted a reception at the Palais of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg-Kirchberg on the occasion of the Magna Carta being in the Grand Duchy as part of the 800thanniversary celebrations of this seminal legal document.

The Magna Carta was drawn up in 1215 to protect the rights of free English subjects from their King, John; it also contains language on the liberties of the Church. It was formally sealed by King John in the presence of his noblemen on the field of runnymeade, outside London, on 15 June 1215.

Vassilios Skouris, President of the European Court of Justice, welcomed the 200-strong group of invited visitors to the Palais of the Court in Monday evening and expressed his delight at hosting the Magna Carta in the European Court in Luxembourg.

The British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Alice Walpole, quoted from a Latin text in the Magna Carta conveying a message of freedom, democracy and justice which she explained is as relevant today as it was when written. She stated "I am delighted to bring this marvellous historical artefact to Luxembourg. It will showcase, at the seat of European Justice, the United Kingdom's role at the heart of international legal advances and human rights, and our honourable ancient domestic traditions of democracy and the rule of law. The principles of Magna Carta remain relevant in today's world, and elements of it remain enshrined in modern British law."

She thanked Hereford Cathedral for allowing this treasure to come to Luxembourg during the EU Presidency and to the European Court of Justice fir supporting the initiative and hosting the event.

Canon Chris Pullin of Hereford in England said that he wants people around the world to see the treasures, one of the four original copies of the 1217 Magna Carta and also the only surviving copy if King John's Writ, sent from Runnymeade in June 1215 which declared that peace had been made.

The document is not on open public display because of security considerations at the European Court of Justice, but arrangements are being made for some school visits and visits by special interested groups.

Photos by Geoff Thompson, including Canon Chris Pullin with Vassilios Skouris, President of the European Court of Justice; British ambassador Alice Walpole with Speaker of the Luxembourg Parliament, Mars di Bartholomeo