View source for Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1983)

{{Short description|Heir to the House of Hanover}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ernst August
| title        = Hereditary Prince of Hanover
| full name    = Ernst August Andreas Philipp Constantin Maximilian Rolf Stephan Ludwig Rudolph
| image        = Ernst August Prinz von Hannover (1983).jpg
| house        = [[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|Ekaterina Igorievna Malysheva|6 July 2017}}
| issue        = Princess Elisabeth<br/>Prince Welf August<br/>Princess Eleonora<br/>Princess Margarita
| father       = [[Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1954)|Prince Ernst August of Hanover]]
| mother       = Chantal Hochuli
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1983|7|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Hildesheim]], [[Lower Saxony]], [[West Germany]]
}}
{{Hanoverian Royal Family}}
'''Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover''' ({{langx|de|Ernst August Prinz von Hannover Herzog zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg, Königlicher Prinz von Großbritannien und Irland}}; born 19 July 1983)<ref>In Germany, royal and noble titles were abolished in 1919, thereafter being legally borne as surnames.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url = http://www.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Exklusiv-Hannovers-Prinz-Ernst-August-im-HAZ-Interview |title = In der Prinzenrolle |last = Benne |first = Simon |date = 15 March 2014 |work = Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung |language = de |quote = Unter Nachname steht im Pass 'Prinz von Hannover Herzog zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg Königlicher Prinz von Großbritannien und Irland'.}}</ref> is the eldest child of [[Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1954)|Ernst August, Prince of Hanover]] (head of the ancient [[House of Hanover#Kingdom of Hanover|House of Hanover]] which once ruled the Kingdom of Hanover), and his first wife Chantal Hochuli.<ref>{{cite book |last = Opfell |first = Olga S. |chapter = H.R.H. Ernst August, Prince of Hanover Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg Royal House of Hanover (House of Guelph) |title = Royalty Who Waits: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe |location = Jefferson |publisher = McFarland & Company |year = 2001 |pages = 42–50 }}</ref> Due to his father's second marriage, he is also the stepson of [[Caroline, Princess of Hanover]], a Monegasque Princess and the sister of [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco|Albert II of Monaco.]]
==Background==
Ernst August and his younger brother [[Prince Christian of Hanover|Christian]] were born in [[Hildesheim]], [[Lower Saxony]], while their half-sister, [[Princess Alexandra of Hanover (born 1999)|Alexandra]], was born in Austria and lives with her mother in Monaco. Ernst August was [[baptized]] on 15 October 1983 at [[Marienburg Castle (Hanover)|Marienburg Castle]], his godparents including [[Felipe VI of Spain]] and [[Constantine II of Greece]].
Despite the family's residence in Germany through both World Wars, his paternal grandfather, as a descendant of [[Queen Victoria]] distantly in the [[British line of succession]], obtained British citizenship for himself and his children in November 1956 under the [[Sophia Naturalization Act 1705]]. Their family owned property and conducted business in the post-war United Kingdom.<ref name="eilers">{{cite book |last = Eilers |first = Marlene |title = Queen Victoria's Descendants |publisher = Rosvall Royal Books |location = Falkoping, Sweden |year = 1997 |pages = 22-24 |isbn = 91-630-5964-9 }}</ref> Until his mid-teens, Ernst August and his brother lived at Hurlingham Lodge in London.<ref name="eilers"/>
He also descends from Germany's last emperor, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], following whose abdication at the end of World War I the Hanovers also lost sovereignty over the [[Duchy of Brunswick]], while retaining much of their continental personal property.<ref name="eilers"/>
==Career and asset management==
[[File:2013-11-11 Ausstellung Israel Alter - der letzte Oberkantor von Hannover, (09) Andor Izsák, Büste Siegmund Seligmann, SKH Erbprinz Ernst August von Hannover.jpg|thumb|left|Prince Ernst August (right) and Andor Izsák, Cantor of Hanover, at the Seligmann Foundation for Jewish Music in Hanover, 2013]]
Ernst August attended [[Malvern College]] and then studied history and national economy in New York City. After moving back to London he worked in the banking business for some years. Among other jobs, he worked with an [[open-end fund]] of the Islamic Investment Bank in [[Bahrain]] and with a London investment bank specialized on financing smaller mining and technology companies in [[Newly industrialized country|newly industrialized countries]].<ref>[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/ernst-august-von-hannover-der-grosse-prinz-11985788.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_0 ''Der große Prinz.''] In: ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung''. 8 December 2012.</ref>
After his marriage in 2017 he and his wife moved to [[Hanover]]. In 2022 the couple moved to [[Gmunden]], Austria, with their children.<ref>[https://www.rnd.de/promis/ernst-august-prinz-von-hannover-sohn-zieht-nach-oesterreich-3NZFDT7ZFWFR3BIBF4O4AJPNJ4.html rnd.de], 11 October 2022</ref>
Already in 2004, his father had signed over to him the German property of the [[House of Hanover]], including gothic-revival [[Marienburg Castle (Hanover)|Marienburg Castle]], the agricultural estates of [[Calenberg Castle]] and the ''Fürstenhaus'' ("Princely House") at [[Herrenhausen Gardens]] in Hanover; the elaborate museum in this small palace, built by King [[George I of Great Britain]] in 1720, has been closed to the public since 2011. Since 2004, the prince has taken over many representative tasks on behalf of his father.
The father remained in charge of the Austrian family assets until 2013 when he was removed from the chairmanship of a family foundation based in [[Liechtenstein]], the ''Duke of Cumberland Foundation'', which holds the properties near [[Gmunden]] in Austria, the Hanovers' main residence in exile after 1866 when their [[Kingdom of Hanover]] was annexed by [[Prussia]]. Instead, the younger Ernst August was put in charge, reportedly for negligence on part of his father,<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.bunte.de/royals/royals-weltweit/deutscher-adel/ernst-august-von-hannover-er-will-seinen-sohn-vernichten.html |title = Ernst August von Hannover: Er will seinen Sohn vernichten }}</ref> at the initiative of the foundation's trustee Prince Michael of Liechtenstein.<ref>[http://plus.faz.net/finanzen/2017-12-22/im-haus-der-welfen-eskaliert-der-familienstreit/95163.html Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 22 Dec 2017]{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The foundation manages vast forests, "Cumberland Wildlife Park", the "Queen's Villa", the "[[Hubertihaus]]" hunting lodge (where his father lives) and the mausoleum at ''[[Cumberland Castle]]'' (which itself was sold after World War II)<ref>Images in the German article: ''[[:de:Schloss Cumberland|Schloss Cumberland]]''</ref> In 2017 Ernst August the Elder filed legal action to recover chairmanship.
[[File:2016-09-12 Pressekonferenz Leibniz Büste Schloss Marienburg (206) Schlossherr Ernst August von Hannover bei der Enthüllung.jpg|thumb|upright|Ernst August revealing a bust of Leibniz at Marienburg Castle (2016)]]
In 2014, Ernst August lent a number of paintings and objects for a [[Lower Saxony]] state exhibition, ''When the Royals came from Hanover - The rulers of Hanover on England's throne'', which included exhibits in five museums and castles under the auspices of [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]]. Thirty of more than 1000 items were contributed by [[Elizabeth II]], including the [[State Crown of George I]], while Ernst August provided the king's famous [[Augsburg]] silver throne and other furniture dating to 1720. He hosted a parallel exhibition, ''The Way to the Crown'', at Marienburg Castle until through 2016, displaying—among other items—the [[crown jewels]] of the Kingdom of Hanover.
In 2005 he sold large parts of the family's art and furniture collections in an auction at [[Sotheby's]], with a result of 44 million euros.<ref>[http://opac.tib.uni-hannover.de/DB=3/SET=2/TTL=7/FAM?PPN=49996733X Auction catalogues]</ref> He had initially planned to allocate the funds in a foundation for the renovation and maintenance of Marienburg Castle; however, he was forced to use most of it to settle his father's debt, which, at the time, had been unknown to him, as he told a newspaper in 2019.<ref>[https://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Der-Norden/Ernst-August-von-Hannover-Das-Geld-ist-weg Ernst August von Hannover: "Das Geld ist weg"], [[Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung]] (HAZ), 1 February 2019</ref> In 2011 he sold the manor house and stables at Calenberg, retaining the land.<ref>[http://www.neuepresse.de/Hannover/Meine-Stadt/Erbprinz-verkauft-Elternhaus-in-Schulenburg ''Erbprinz verkauft Elternhaus in Schulenburg.''] In: ''Neue Presse'',  6 January 2011.</ref> Stating that its proceeds wouldn't suffice to maintain Marienburg Castle, infested with [[dry rot]] and threatened by static problems, he entered into negotiations with the State of [[Lower Saxony]] regarding the future of the castle, and its renovation, estimated at 27 million euros. In November 2018 he announced that he planned to transfer the castle to a state-controlled foundation (the Hanoverian Monasteries' Chamber, founded by his family in 1569, which still owns most of the secularized monasteries and ecclesiastical estates of the former kingdom), at a symbolic sale price of 1 euro, with the foundation undertaking renovation.<ref>''Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung'', 19 July 2016, p 1</ref> The remaining art collection was planned to be kept in the castle, with parts purchased by the state, parts kept by the family and lent to the state, and parts transferred to a foundation controlled by both the family and the state. The transaction, however, was stopped by his father's legal action, seeking to regain ownership.<ref>[https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/hannover_weser-leinegebiet/Marienburg-Ernst-August-senior-legt-Einspruch-ein,marienburg412.html ''Marienburg: Ernst August senior legt Einspruch ein.''] In: ''ndr.de''. 5 February 2019.</ref>
==Marriage and issue==
In the summer of 2016 Ernst August became engaged to [[Ekaterina Igorievna Malysheva]] (b. 30 July 1986, [[Apatity]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russia]]), a [[Russians|Russian]] [[designer]], [[general manager]] of [[Audiotube]] and founder of EKAT, and daughter of Igor Malyshev and Svetlana Malysheva.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Schinkel |first1 = Andreas |title = Königliche Hochzeit im Juli in der Marktkirche |url = http://t.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Erbprinz-Ernst-August-von-Hannover-heiratet-im-Juli-in-der-Marktkirche |trans-title = Royal Wedding in July in the Marktkirche |access-date = 10 June 2017 |work = Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung |date = 8 March 2017 |language = de }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title = Burke's Royal Families of the World |volume = I Europe and Latin America }}</ref> Days before the wedding, his father, the elder [[Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1954)|Ernst August]] publicly stated concerns about potential adverse impacts on family assets if the younger Ernst August were to marry his chosen fiancée.<ref name="figaro">{{cite news |work = [[Le Figaro]] |first = Klhoé |last = Dominguez |date = 3 July 2017 |url = http://madame.lefigaro.fr/celebrites/ernst-august-de-hanovre-le-mari-de-caroline-de-monaco-soppose-au-mariage-de-son-fils-avec-la-russe-ekaterina-malysheva-030717-133081 |title = Le mari de Caroline de Monaco s'oppose au mariage de son fils |trans-title = The husband of Caroline of Monaco opposes the marriage of his son |language = French }}</ref> Despite the [[dynastic]] tradition of obtaining the head of the House of Hanover's express, prior authorization for an heir's marriage in accordance with an 1836 Hanoverian [[house law]] (as Ernst August's father had done when marrying his sons' future mother in 1981),<ref name=ggh>{{cite book |first1 = Gottfried Finck |last1 = von Finckenstein |first2 = Christoph |last2 = Franke |title = Gothaisches Genealogisches Handbuch der Fürstlchen Häuser |volume = 1 |trans-title = Gotha Genealogical Handbook of the Princely Houses |publisher = Verlag des Deutschen Adelsarchivs |location = Marburg |year = 2015 |pages = 122-123, 625-627 |language = German |isbn = 978-3-9817243-0-1 }}</ref> the bridegroom's father declared his intention to withhold consent for his son's marriage to Ekaterina Malysheva,<ref name="figaro"/> reportedly in a dispute over family assets.<ref>{{cite magazine |first = Peter |last = Mikelbank |date = 6 July 2017 |url = http://people.com/royals/prince-ernst-august-publicly-opposes-sons-marriage/ |title = Royal Wedding Crisis! Prince Ernst-August Publicly Opposes His Son's Marriage Days Before the Ceremony |magazine = [[People (magazine)|People]] }}</ref>
[[File:Ernst August von Hannover 1983 Hochzeit Ekaterina Malysheva a.jpg|thumb|Ekaterina Malysheva and Prince Ernst August after their wedding, 2017]]
Nonetheless, the civil marriage took place on 6 July 2017 in Hanover's [[New Town Hall (Hanover)|New Town Hall]] and was conducted by the mayor of Hanover, [[Stefan Schostok]]. The church marriage took place on 8 July 2017 in the [[Marktkirche, Hanover|Hanover Market Church]] at which the former ''[[Landesbischof]]'' of the [[Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover]], Horst Hirschler, presided. The bride was escorted by her father, Igor Malyshev. Her wedding dress was the work of [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] designer [[Sandra Mansour]], and she wore a [[tiara]] that belonged to the former Kaiser [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]]'s only daughter, [[Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia]].<ref>{{Cite news |url = http://t.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Welfenhochzeit-Standesamtliche-Trauung-von-Ernst-August-und-Ekaterina-Malysheva-im-Rathaus-Hannover |title = Ernst August und Ekaterina sind verheiratet |date = 6 July 2017 |work = Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung |access-date = 9 July 2017 |language = de-DE }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url = http://t.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Welfenhochzeit-Prinz-Ernst-August-und-Ekaterina-von-Hannover-heiraten-in-der-Marktkirche |title = Ernst August und Ekaterina sagen Ja |last = Benne |first = Simon |date = 8 July 2017 |work = Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung |access-date = 9 July 2017 |language = de-DE }}</ref>
Among the wedding guests were: [[Prince Christian of Hanover]], [[Princess Alexandra of Hanover (born 1999)|Princess Alexandra of Hanover]], [[Andrea Casiraghi]], [[Tatiana Santo Domingo]], [[Pierre Casiraghi]], [[Beatrice Borromeo]], [[Charlotte Casiraghi]], [[Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia]] and his wife [[Sophie, Princess of Prussia|Princess Sophie]], [[Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece|Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece]] and his wife [[Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece|Crown Princess Marie-Chantal]], Hereditary Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, [[Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe]] and [[Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/hannover_weser-leinegebiet/Die-Gaesteliste-der-Welfenhochzeit,welfengaeste100.html |title = Die Gästeliste der Welfenhochzeit |last = NDR }}</ref> The father of the groom, Prince Ernst August, did not attend the wedding.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/hannover_weser-leinegebiet/Ja-Ernst-August-und-Ekaterina-haben-geheiratet,welfenhochzeit176.html |title = Ja! Ernst August und Ekaterina haben geheiratet |last = NDR }}</ref> From the church, the royal couple rode in a horse carriage to [[Herrenhausen Gardens]] for the wedding reception in the Gallery Building. In the evening, a ball took place at Marienburg Castle.
The couple had four children:
* Elisabeth Tatiana Maximiliana Iacobella Faiza von Hannover (born 22 February 2018)<ref>{{cite web |url = http://m.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Baby-von-Ekaterina-und-Erbprinz-Ernst-August-von-Hannover-ist-da |title = Welfen-Nachwuchs: Das Baby ist da |website = HAZ – Hannoversche Allgemeine }}</ref>
* Welf August Johannes Ferdinand Karl Wilhelm Anthony Julio Mario von Hannover (born 14 March 2019)<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Hannover-Sohn-von-Ernst-August-heisst-Welf-August-von-Hannover |title = Welfenspross heißt Welf August von Hannover |website = HAZ – Hannoversche Allgemeine |language = de |access-date = 21 April 2019 }}</ref>
* Eleanora Dina Daniela Alexandra von Hannover (born 26 July 2021)<ref>{{Cite web |title = Ernst August jr. & Ekaterina von Hannover: Freude im Welfenhaus: Ihr drittes Kind ist da! |url = https://www.bunte.de/royals/royals-weltweit/deutscher-adel/ernst-august-jr-ekaterina-von-hannover-ihr-drittes-kind-ist-da.html |access-date = 2 September 2021 |website = BUNTE.de |language = de }}</ref>
* Margarita von Hannover (born 18 July 2024){{citation needed|date=November 2024}}
==Titles and styles==
In Germany, the legal privileges of royalty and nobility were abolished in 1919; thereafter for legal purposes, hereditary titles form part of the surname only.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.zum.de/psm/weimar/weimar_vve.php#First+Chapter+:+The+Individual |title = (HIS,P) Weimar Constitution |website = www.zum.de }}</ref> Thus, while descendants of [[non-dynastic]] marriages may have a legal right to the use of "Prinz/Prinzessin von Hannover Herzog/Herzogin zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg Königlicher Prinz/Prinzessin von Großbritannien und Irland" as surnames, they are not recognized as bearing rank, styles titles or membership appertaining to the House of Hanover, according to its house rules.<ref name=ggh/><ref name="petit">{{cite book |last1 = de Badts de Cugnac |first1 = Chantal |last2 = Coutant de Saisseval |first2 = Guy |title = Le Petit Gotha |publisher = Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery |location = Paris |year = 2002 |pages = 60–62, 71 |language = French |isbn = 2-9507974-3-1 }}</ref> Nor is the title "Prince/ss of Great Britain and Ireland", re-claimed by the deposed House of Hanover in 1931, accorded by British sovereigns to members thereof born after 30 November 1917.<ref name="eilers"/><ref name="petit"/>
==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.welfen.de/ Official site of the House of Welf (in German)]
{{Hanoverian princes}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Nobility from Hanover]]
[[Category:House of Hanover]]
[[Category:People educated at Malvern College]]
[[Category:Hanoverian princes]]
[[Category:People from Hildesheim]]