Prince Christian of Hanover (born 1985)

For other people called Prince Christian of Hanover, see Prince Christian of Hanover.
Prince Christian
Born (1985-06-01) 1 June 1985
Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Full name
Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Wilhelm-Ernst Friedrich Franz
House Hanover
Father Ernst August, Prince of Hanover
Mother Chantal Hochuli
Religion Protestantism

Prince Christian of Hanover (Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Wilhelm-Ernst Friedrich Franz Prince of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg; born 1 June 1985) is the younger son of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and his first wife Chantal Hochuli.[1] He is the second in the line of succession to the former Hanoverian throne, after his elder brother Prince Ernst August. As a descendant of George III of the United Kingdom, Prince Christian is also in the line of succession to the British throne.

Early life and education

Prince Christian of Hanover was born Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Wilhelm Ernst Friedrich Franz on 1 June 1985 in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, West Germany.[1] His parents Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and Chantal, Princess of Hanover (née Hochuli), an heiress to Swiss chocolate company, divorced on 23 October 1997.[1] Less than two years later, on 23 January 1999, his father married Princess Caroline of Monaco,[2] from whom he is currently separated.[3] Prince Christian has one elder brother, Prince Ernst August, and a younger half-sister from his father's second marriage, Princess Alexandra of Hanover. He also has two stepbrothers and one stepsister — Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte Casiraghi — from Princess Caroline's previous marriage.

Through his father, Prince Christian is a descendant of George III of the United Kingdom, William II, German Emperor, Christian IX of Denmark and Victoria of the United Kingdom.[4] He is thus related to most members of present European royal families, among them those of the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark and Norway.

Prince Christian was baptized on 14 July 1985 at Marienburg Castle in the presence of Prince Heinrich Julius of Hanover, Prince Clemens of Croÿ, Paul Schenker, Frank Hochuli, Count Peter Seilern, Prince Welf Henry of Hanover, Baron Wilhelm-Ernst of Clamm and Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; he was named after all his godfathers.

Following his father's marriage to Princess Caroline, Christian and his family moved to Fontainebleau, Paris, France. Christian later continued with his education at Malvern College.

Activities

He has attended various ceremonies connected to the Monegasque Princely Family, such as the investiture of Prince Caroline's brother Albert II, Prince of Monaco, in 2005, and the National Day celebrations. In 2011, Christian and his brother Ernst August attended the wedding of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock, and sat next to Caroline's children Alexandra, Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte, although their father did not make an appearance.[5]

In 2004, Christian's father signed over to his sons the German property of the Royal House of Hanover, including Marienburg Castle. The two princes hired a Sotheby's team to auction off some of the castle's content in order to save its finances.[6]

On 6 June 2015, he attended the funeral of his great aunt, Alexandra Prinzessin von Hannover [7]

Titles and styles

Styles of
Prince Christian of Hanover
Reference style His Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir

His title in German language is Seine Königliche Hoheit Prinz Christian von Hannover, Herzog zu Braunschweig-Lüneburg.

After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the establishment of the Weimar Republic in 1919, all members of German royalty and nobility lost their titles. Since the introduction of the Weimar Constitution, the use of the titles in Germany has been strictly ceremonial, while legally they are retained only as surnames.[8][9]

Christian's name in Germany thus is Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Wilhelm-Ernst Friedrich Franz von Hanover, where von Hanover (English: of Hanover) stands for Christian's last name, not for his title.[10] His titles as His Royal Highness Prince of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg are used only in ceremonial occasions.

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVIII. "Haus Hannover". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2007, pp. 22–26. ISBN 978-3-7980-0841-0.
  2. ↑ "The turbulent love lives and marriages of Albert's sisters". Hello. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Allen, Peter (12 September 2009). "Princess Caroline 'to divorce third husband', reigniting fears of a Monaco royal curse". Daily Mail. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Willis, Daniel A., The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain, Clearfield Company, 2002, p. 73. ISBN 0-8063-5172-1
  5. ↑ "The Prince and Princess of Monaco's Wedding: Gentlemen Part 1". The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Christian, Prinz von Hannover, Herzog zu Braunschweig-Lüneburg". House of Welf (in German). 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  7. ↑ http://www.rexfeatures.com/search/?kw=Alexandra+von+Hanover&order=newest&iso=GBR&lkw=Alexandra+Prinzessin+von+Hanover&viah=Y&stk=N&sft=&search_action_desktop=. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ "Unequal and Morganatic Marriages in German Law: After 1919" (in German). 1920. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Almanach de Gotha, Braunschweig-Lüneburg (Gotha: Justus Perthes, 1944), pages 38-39, 169 (French)
  10. ↑ "The Reich Constitution of August 11th 1919 with Modifications Article 109" (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2013.
Prince Christian of Hanover (born 1985)
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 1 June 1985
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Prince Ernst August of Hanover		 Line of succession to the Hanoverian throne
2nd position 		Succeeded by
Prince Otto Heinrich of Hanover
Line of succession to the British throne
descended from Victoria, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria 		Succeeded by
Princess Alexandra of Hanover
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