Princess Alexandra of Hanover, the British Princess by Blood We Did not Know

Princess Alexandra of Hanover

Just call me Alex, Princess Alexandra coyly answered when she was asked by the press how she should be called, during the 2015 Rose Ball. It was also her first time to attend the glitzy social event in Monaco.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover
Princess Alexandra during the Monaco Grand Prix 2022. Getty Images

Born Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia of Hanover on July 20, 1999, in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria, near her father's hunting lodge, Auerbach, Princess Alexandra is the only daughter and third child of Prince Ernst August of Hanover, and the second daughter and fourth child of Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Interestingly, she is a Princess of the United Kingdom by blood as she directly descended from the male line of King George III of the United Kingdom. Here's how she is connected to the grandfather of Queen Victoria:
  • George III (King of the United Kingdom 1760-1820)
  • Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (5th son of George III. His niece, Queen Victoria, could not inherit the crown of Hanover due to Salic Law)
  • George V, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (son of Ernest Augustus)
  • Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover (son of George V) His wife was Princess Thyra, youngest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark
  • Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (son of the Crown Prince of Hanover) His wife was Princess Viktoria Louise, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria
  • Ernest Augustus, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Hanover (son of Duke of Brunswick). He was the maternal uncle of Queen Sofia of Spain
  • Ernst Augustus of Hanover (son of Ernest Augustus) 
  • Princess Alexandra of Hanover (daughter of Prince Ernst Augustus)
Prior to World War I, all descendants in the male line of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover, bore the titles Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover
Princess Alexandra attends the Dior fashion show in Paris

In 1917, when Britain and Germany were on the opposing side of the war, King George V removed this distinction together with the inheritance and titles of the Hanoverian royals in Britain. 

Due to these circumstances, the father of Princess Alexandra, Prince Ernst Augustus of Hanover, did not bear the title, Duke of Cumberland. 

But they remained in the line of succession to the British throne (except Princess Alexandra). Prince Ernst Augustus is also the most senior male descendant of King George III.

Princess Alexandra's great-great-grandmother, Princess Thyra of Denmark was the youngest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, and the youngest sister of King George I of Greece (grandfather of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh), Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald V of Norway), Empress Marie of Russia (mother of Tsar Nicholas II), and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.

Her great-grandmother Princess Viktoria Louise was the only daughter of Kaiser William III of Germany, and the grandmother of Queen Sofia of Spain and Constantine II, ex-king of Greece.
Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Princess Caroline
Princess Alexandra and Princess Caroline

From birth, she was listed in the line of succession to the British throne until 2018 when she converted to Roman Catholicism, the religion of the Monegasque royals. 

The Succession Law of the United Kingdom stipulates that eligible successors of the British crown should never be Roman Catholics.

She has two half-brothers on her father's side, Prince Ernst August, the Hereditary Prince of Hanover, and Prince Christian of Hanover. On her mother's side, she's a half-sister to Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi, and Charlotte Casiraghi-Rassam. 

Princess Alexandra with Pierre Casiraghi and his wife, Beatrice

Her parents have separated but did not divorce, thus, her mother's courtesy title remains HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover.

Princess Alexandra is not in line of succession to the Hanoverian crown because the state of Hanover is restricted only to male descendants, however, she is 13th in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. 

Prince Ernst Augustus (right) spotted in Madrid, Spain with son, Prince Christian
Photo from: Chance

She has not seen her father in quite a while but she attended both weddings of her half-brothers, Prince Ernst August and Prince Christian, where she acted as a bride's maid. 

Her father has recently been spotted in Madrid, Spain, visiting his second son, Prince Christian, whose wife, Alessandra de Osma, just gave birth to twins, Nicolas and Sofia.

Princess Alexandra is a figure ice skater and has been competing in the ice rink since 10 years old. She represented Monaco during the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival in Austria and at the International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix in the Short Program and Free Skating categories.

A Fashionista Princess

Princess Alexandra slowly emerged as the newest fashion icon royal. She has been attending runway shows of haute couture brands, Dior and Chanel.  

Princess Alexandra attends the Rose Ball 2022. Getty Images

She made a debut at Monaco's Rose Ball in 2015 and has attended the event annually, accompanying her family. She also regularly attended runway fashion events of Dior and Chanel.
Princess Alexandra with her sister, Charlotte, and Dimitri Rassam

Her fashion style is very feminine, floaty, and chic. She likes to mix and match her wardrobe. She also revealed in an interview with Telva that she loves to "steal" her mother's clothes:

 “I take a lot of things from my mother’s closet. I don’t know if she’s as happy as I am with that,” the Princess laughed. “Lately I’ve gotten into the habit, so she’s getting used to it.” She added, “Now that we have all become aware that we must change our way of buying by investing less and better, I suppose that taking things from my mother’s closet is more sustainable.”
Monegasque royals, Rose Ball 2016

Monegasque royals, Rose Ball 2019

Monegasque royals, Rose Ball 2022

Princess Alexandra is surrounded by stylish and glamorous women whose fashion sense is everything you could wish for in royals: Princess Caroline, Charlotte Casiraghi, and sisters-in-law, Beatrice Borromeo (wife of Pierre Casiraghi), Princess Alessandra (wife of Prince Christian), and Princess Ekaterina (wife of Prince Ernst August). 

Princess Alexandra with sisters-in-law, Beatrice and Tatiana. 
Photo: Royal Portraits Gallery

“My sisters-in-law, my sister or my mother, they all have an incredible style and they enjoy grooming, so I never lack inspiration,” she said.

Princess Alexandra's Rose Ball looks (2018, 2019, 2022). Getty Images

Currently, she's studying Political Science and Philosophy in New York University but she wants to pursue a career in fashion someday: 

"I think it would be a great personal shopper. I would buy for others, so I would enjoy that pleasure but in the background, without feeling guilty. I would keep the best part. It was always clear to me that I wanted to go to college. So I did it. But more with the desire to nurture me intellectually than with a job vision.”

She is currently dating Ben-Sylvester Strautmann, a German basketball player.

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