On 20 July 1999, Princess Caroline of Monaco gave birth to her fourth child, Alexandra. The father was Ernst August, Prince of Hanover1 whom she married on 23 January 1999.
As Ernst August was a descendant of King George II of Great Britain, he was required to receive permission from Queen Elizabeth II per the Royal Marriages Act 1772. As he held dual British and German citizenship, it was important that the marriage was not void. This act was repealed in 2015 when the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 took effect.
Alexandra has three elder half-siblings from her mother’s second marriage to Stefano Casiraghi and two elder half-brothers from her father’s marriage to Chantal Hochuli. Alexandra is recognised as “Princess Alexandra of Hanover” by the Monegasque court out of courtesy.2 Through her father, she is a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and King Christian IX of Denmark, and she is a first cousin once removed of Queen Sofía of Spain. Through her mother, she is a granddaughter of Princess Grace. Her uncle is Albert II, Prince of Monaco.
Alexandra was born in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria and attended the Lapierre school Le Mée-sur-Seine and the Institut catholique François-d’Assise-Nicolas-Barré in Monaco. From an early age, she was interested in figure skating, and she represented Monaco in figure skating at the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival. Her parents separated in 2009 but have remained married.
In March 2015, she appeared at the traditional Monaco’s Rose Ball for the first time. In 2018, she was confirmed as a Catholic and this meant she lost her distant place in the British line of succession. She has reportedly been dating Ben Sylvester Strautmann since 2017.
While she attends many events, she does not have an official role in Monaco. She is currently 13th in the Monegasqu line of succession.
- As the Kingdom of Hanover no longer exists, the title is titular only.
- Palais Principier
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